Yellow Dog Records

Eden Brent - Independent Music Awards finalist for "Blues Song of the Year"

2008-11-20T10:37:00.000-06:00

"Mississippi Flatland Blues", the opening track from Eden Brent's new album Mississippi Number One, has been nominated as one of five finalists for "Blues Song of the Year" in the 2008 Independent Music Awards. The general public is invited to vote for their choice of best song in the IMA's "Vox Populi" award -- visit this link to check out the song and vote!

In other news:

"Mississippi Flatland Blues" will also be featured as "Blues Breaker" song of the week on the nationally syndicated House of Blues Radio Hour over the weekend of December 13-14 - check out station listing and air times at http://www.thebluesmobile.com. Eden recently returned from a tour of the West Coast where visited the House of Blues Radio Hour studios in San Francisco and was interviewed by Elwood Blues - we're told that the interview might air on the Radio Hour in February - we'll keep you posted!

Eden will be profiled in a feature article "New Women of the Blues" in the upcoming (Feb/Mar 2009) issue of Blues Revue magazine. The issue mails to subscribers in mid-Dec so keep an eye out for your copy!

We're Twitter-iffic

2008-11-05T13:57:00.001-06:00

Yellow Dog Records is now posting news updates to Twitter! For instant notification of news announcements, events, and links of interest, please join us. Visit http://twitter.com/ydrecords to "follow" our updates.

Eden Brent, The Soul of John Black nominated for Blues Blast Music Awards

2008-08-14T17:02:00.008-05:00

We were delighted by the announcement that Eden Brent and The Soul of John Black are both nominated in this year's Blues Blast Music Awards, sponsored by the Illinois Blues Society and their weekly Blues Blast Magazine.

Eden is nominated for the "Sean Costello Rising Star Award" while The Soul of John Black's recent album The Good Girl Blues is nominated for "Best New Artist Debut Recording".

JB's nomination follows on the heels of his nomination for "Best New Artist Debut" in this year's Blues Music Awards, while Eden's recognizes the buzz around her new album Mississippi Number One, which has earned a raft of great reviews and radio play - reaching #1 on XM Satellite Radio's Bluesville, #1 on the Roots Music Report Blues chart, and charting for 4 consecutive months on the Living Blues Radio Chart.

To preview these artists' albums in more detail, please visit their artist pages at Yellow Dog Records. Chicago-area radio station WGLT has also put together a page with sound samples of all BBMA nominees at http://www.wglt.org/programs/blues/blues_blast.phtml.

Voting closes on August 31st, so please visit http://www.illinoisblues.com/bbmavote today to support these artists with your vote! While you're there, we can recommend Blues Blast Magazine as a high-quality source of blues-genre music news.

Yellow Dog signs Eden Brent

2008-01-30T11:57:00.000-06:00

On the eve of this year's International Blues Challenge, we're thrilled to announce the signing of 2006 IBC winner Eden Brent, a masterful blues and boogie pianist and vocal stylist. Dubbed "Little Boogaloo" by her mentor and duo partner, the late Abie "Boogaloo" Ames, this Mississippi Delta native holds a degree in music performance but credits Ames' down-home tutelage with teaching her how to "really play."

Described by one critic as "Bessie Smith meets Diana Krall meets Janis Joplin," other reviewers have compared her to Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughn and Norah Jones (our favorite line, though, involved something about "an angel on Viagra.") Never mind the comparisons. Eden's fresh voice is one-of-a-kind, and her distinctive style, fusing elements of blues, jazz, soul, gospel and pop, is turning the heads of roots music lovers nationwide.

Eden's new album, Mississippi Number One, is a tribute to her home and the "blues highway" that passes nearby. It will be in stores in April, but we'll have advance copies available in late February!

More details and sound samples
Taking pre-orders now! Visit the Order page to reserve your advance copy, shipping later in February.

Three Yellow Dog artists nominated for Blues Music Awards

2007-12-13T03:07:00.000-06:00

Yellow Dog Records is well-represented in this year's Blues Music Awards, with three artists recognized with award nominations. The Soul of John Black and his Yellow Dog Records debut album The Good Girl Blues are nominated for "Best New Artist Debut", while Mary Flower is nominated for "Acoustic Artist of the Year". Fiona Boyes becomes a two-time nominee with this year's nomination for "Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year".

The Blues Music Awards (formerly known as the W.C. Handy Awards) are universally recognized as the highest honor given to Blues artists. And best of all, you can vote in the awards process! Visit The Blues Foundation to join, and then this link to vote once you are a member. Voting is open now until Feb 29, 2008.

New SoJB videos

2007-12-04T04:22:00.000-06:00

Posted recently -- a couple of videos for JB aka The Soul of John Black:

I Got Work
Deez Blues
a great mini-documentary that shows what JB is all about

WLE on Mountain Stage this week

2007-11-16T15:08:00.001-06:00

William Lee Ellis appears on the nationally syndicated Mountain Stage radio program this week, as part of a star-studded lineup including Leon Redbone, Tracy Nelson, and Marie Knight. WLE performs songs from his critically acclaimed albums God's Tattoos and Conqueroo. The program airs on NPR stations nationwide in a timeslot scheduled by each local station. Check here to see when the show airs in your town this week!

Reviews, sound samples, and more information about William Lee Ellis
Three albums by William Lee Ellis available! Visit our Order page to get yours

The Good Girl Blues named finalist in Independent Music Awards!

2007-11-01T04:01:00.000-05:00

The Good Girl Blues, the new album from The Soul of John Black, has been nominated as one of five finalists for "Blues Album of the Year" in the 2007 Independent Music Awards. The other finalists are rarified company indeed, including new albums from Koko Taylor, Ike Turner, Watermelon Slim, and Big Pete Pearson. Visit this link to vote in the IMAs!

In other news:

International interest has been building, with both Japan's Blues & Soul and France's Soul Bag magazines requesting tracks from The Good Girl Blues for inclusion on sampler CDs distributed to their subscribers
Great airplay continues, with The Good Girl Blues reaching #2 on XM Satellite Radio Bluesville's Picks to Click

The Soul of John Black

2007-06-05T12:38:00.000-05:00

It's been called "the freshest-sounding blues album of this new century," "one of the year's most ambitious and sophisticated projects," and "one of the best listens of the year". The Good Girl Blues, by multi-instrumentalist John "JB" Bigham, aka The Soul of John Black, is a "funky blend of blues, soul, and rock" that merges rootsy, bluesy fundamentals with modern soul, funk, and hip-hop influences.

Bigham jammed on guitar and keyboard for the pioneering rock-funk-ska band Fishbone for eight years and has toured and recorded with artists as acclaimed and diverse as Miles Davis, Eminem, and Dr. Dre'. Now he's taking center stage with his own The Soul of John Black.

From "The Hole," a wailing 21st century re-imagination of a 100-year-old field holler, to the old-school, uptown soul vibe of "I Got Work", to "Slipin' and Slidin,'" an instrumental with a mysterious backbeat highlighted by DJ Phizz Ed on turntables, Bigham's sly, intimate vocals and unique guitar technique on acoustic, electric and slide provide the unforgettable groove.

More details and sound samples
More press raves for The Good Girl Blues
Album shipping now! Visit the Order page to get your copy.

We're Gonna Miss You, Joe

2007-05-07T10:01:00.000-05:00

Blues piano legend Big Joe Duskin passed away at home Sunday morning at age 86.

A boogie-woogie piano player, Duskin may have been part of the generation that produced legends like BB King and Muddy Waters, but his background was far from typical: he fought as a soldier in World War II and became a Cincinnati Police Officer before becoming a professional musician at age 43.

His relatively late start in professional music was due to a promise made to his father, the Reverend Perry Duskin, who believed that blues was "the devil's music". Joe promised to stop playing blues and boogie until after the death of the elder Duskin, who lived to age 105.

But in the early 1970s, at the urging of a young Ohio blues scholar, Steve Tracy, Big Joe began playing again and was soon a hot ticket at festivals around the US and Europe. He released his debut LP, Arhoolie's Cincinnati Stomp, in 1979.

Joe is beloved in his hometown as a mentor who never refused any musician's request to sit in. In 2000, he received a Lifetime Achievement Cammy (Cincinnati Area Pop Music Award), and in July 2004 the Mayor of Cincinnati presented him with a Key to the City, proclaiming "The City of Cincinnati acknowledges and honors Big Joe Duskin for giving his hometown - and the world - a lifetime's worth of great music."

The release of Duskin's last studio recording, Big Joe Jumps Again! by Yellow Dog Records in 2004 brought further recognition. The album was nominated by the Blues Foundation for "Comeback Blues Album of the Year" in the annual Blues Music Awards, and Duskin was featured in June 2005 with the cover story in Living Blues Magazine. Later that year Duskin became the first African-American honored with the Ohio Heritage Fellowship Award from the Ohio Arts Council.

Big Joe's remarkable legacy and sharing of his talent in his aging years, in spite of pain and poor health due to complications from diabetes, continues to be an inspiration to us all.

Free Download: "The Preacher and The Devil's Music" from Big Joe Jumps Again!
Free Download: "Just A Closer Walk With Thee" from Big Joe Jumps Again!
Video story: Fox 19, Cincinnati
Interview of Big Joe Duskin by Jeff Harris of Bad Dog Blues

New compilation from Mary Flower!

2007-02-06T13:21:00.000-06:00

Mary Flower is renowned for her springwater-clear vocals, beautiful original compositions, and above all, mastery of fingerpicking and lap-slide guitar styles. In fact, she’s the only woman to place twice at the National Fingerpicking Guitar Championship in Winfield, KS.

In response to frequent requests for recordings featuring her guitar playing, Instrumental Breakdown compiles the instrumental tracks from her critically acclaimed albums Honey From the Comb, Ladyfingers, Ragtime Gal, and Bywater Dance, along with a couple of newly-recorded tunes.

These tracks feature Mary's intricate guitar - both solo as well as with backing from a who's who of roots notables, including Jon Cleary, Tony Furtado, Fritz Richmond, Pat Donohue, Woody Mann, and Dr. Michael White.

More details and sound samples
Album shipping now! Visit the Order page to get your copy.

Fiona Boyes' Lucky 13 nominated Contemporary Blues Album of the Year!

2006-12-13T20:48:00.000-06:00

We're thrilled that Lucky 13, the debut album for Yellow Dog Records by Fiona Boyes, has been nominated for a Blues Music Award for Contemporary Blues Album of the Year!

The Blues Music Awards (formerly known as the W.C. Handy Awards) are universally recognized as the highest honor given to Blues artists. And best of all, you can vote for Fiona in the awards process! Visit The Blues Foundation to join, and then this link to vote once you are a member.

To celebrate Fiona's nomination and to encourage membership in the Blues Foundation, Yellow Dog Records has teamed with Maton Guitars to offer a free reward pack to all Blues Foundation members who contact us before the end of February! The reward pack includes two free sampler CDs, one free DVD, and a chance to win a Maton Mastersound MS500LS electric guitar (valued at more than $1,500) autographed by Fiona and legendary guitarist Hubert Sumlin. To learn how to request your free reward pack, please read here for instructions.

Press release about the album's nomination
Hear sound samples from Lucky 13
Read a bunch of great reviews about Lucky 13
Get your own copy by visiting our Order page!

William Lee Ellis featured on Beale Street Caravan

2006-12-06T08:40:00.000-06:00

Nationally syndicated radio show Beale Street Caravan is broadcasting a recording of a live performance by William Lee Ellis, recorded earlier this year. WLE was joined by a who's who of musical Memphians, including Susan Marshall, Amy LaVere, Paul Taylor, and Reba Russell. Visit Beale Street Caravan to find a station near you broadcasting this rare performance.

WLE featured in Vintage Guitar

2006-11-04T14:13:00.000-06:00

What do Peter Frampton, Chris Smither, and William Lee Ellis have in common? They are all named on the cover of the new (Dec 06) issue of Vintage Guitar magazine. Ellis and Smither are described as "Futuristic Primitives" who use vintage instruments and stylings to create contemporary music rooted in tradition. Great quote about God's Tattoos: "A unique and innovative album... may often cause listeners to scratch their heads and ask, 'How did he do that?'"

WLE will also be featured on the nationally syndicated Beale Street Caravan radio show in the first week of December, with an all-new recording of live performance from earlier this year, featuring guests Amy LaVere, Paul Taylor, Susan Marshall, Reba Russell, Kim Richardson, and Andy Cohen.

We've posted a huge new batch of reviews for God's Tattoos - check them out here.

Lucky 13 airplay!

2006-11-03T12:49:00.000-06:00

Blues DJs and radio audiences are digging Fiona Boyes' Lucky 13 , which has hit the top ten of the Living Blues Radio Chart for the third straight month, checking in at #10 for the 11/1 chart! Previously, it hit #5 on the 10/1 chart and #7 on the 9/1 chart. Fred Hawley at KMXT writes, "The Fiona Boyes release is one of the year's best. It will be #1 on my Living Blues airplay list..."

The album is also going strong on XM Satellite Radio's Bluesville channel, hitting #3 on the "Picks to Click" list, and the song "Big, Bigger, Biggest" was featured as "Blues Breaker of the Week" on the nationally syndicated House of Blues Radio Hour. Host Elwood Blues praised the album, saying "This is great stuff... the lady plays a wicked guitar."

Update 11/18/06: "Lucky 13" just hit #1 on XM's Bluesville channel! Congrats to Fiona and thanks to all the listeners who have been requesting tracks from the album!

And the winner is...

2006-11-02T23:54:00.000-06:00

Congratulations to Terry Robb, who won "Best Acoustic Guitar" the Cascade Blues Association's annual Muddy Awards! The award is the nineteenth for Terry, a CBA record.

Terry also produced Bill Rhoades & The Party Kings' new album "Voodoo Lovin'", which got the nod for "Best Northwest Recording".

Grammy ballot for William Lee Ellis and Fiona Boyes

2006-10-27T16:49:00.000-05:00

We're pleased to note that William Lee Ellis' God's Tattoos and Fiona Boyes' Lucky 13 are listed on this year's Grammy ballot. If you are a voting member of NARAS and/or have friends that are members, please keep the album in mind! You can find them:

Category 65 - Best Traditional Blues Album - Fiona Boyes Lucky 13 - #005
Category 55 - Best Southern, Country, Or Bluegrass Gospel Album - William Lee Ellis God's Tattoos - #007

Thanks for your Support!

Fiona Boyes featured in Blues Revue

2006-09-20T12:38:00.000-05:00

Fiona Boyes is named as an "Aussie Wonder" on the cover of the new issue (Oct/Nov) of Blues Revue magazine. The multi-page feature story inside covers Fiona's history as a blues guitarist and discusses some of her musical heroes and gear. Check out the article in this PDF file...

Fiona Boyes, William Lee Ellis video clips

2006-09-19T14:00:00.000-05:00

William Lee Ellis is the subject of a video feature on SpotlightON, a weekly music television show brodcasting original live performances. For the answer to the frequent question "how does he do that with the E-bow?", be sure to check out the footage of "When LeadbellyWalked the River Like Christ". Visit the show here.

And Fiona Boyes is featured on Guitar Player TV... you can see her performance of "Young Rider Blues" here.

Muddy Nominations

2006-09-18T23:50:00.000-05:00

The Cascade Blues Association has announced their nominations for 2006 Muddy Awards - three Yellow Dog artists are included! Terry Robb is nominated for "Best Acoustic Guitar" while Mark Lemhouse gets a nod for "Best Regional Act". And William Lee Ellis' new album God's Tattoos is nominated for "National Recording of the Year" alongside new releases from Keb' Mo' and Watermelon Slim.

Thanks to Cascade Blues members for the recognition!

Fiona Boyes' Lucky 13 released!

2006-08-11T09:43:00.000-05:00

Rising Australian blues star Fiona Boyes is primed to find her place in the American roots and blues scene with the release of Lucky 13.

Boyes, the first Australian -- and first woman -- to win the Blues Foundation's International Blues Challenge, delivers sassy and soulful electric and acoustic blues on an album that All Music Guide calls "...one wicked slab of blues."

Recording in Austin TX, Fiona was joined by a full band including special guests Marcia Ball, "Steady Rollin'" Bob Margolin , and Kaz Kazanoff & the Texas Horns to record a tour-de-force of raw acoustic blues, swing, electric blues, rockabilly -- and every style of blues in between.

Update 09/06: Fiona has her name on the cover of the new issue of Blues Revue magazine with a feature article. And the album has just charted #7 on the Living Blues radio chart!

More details and sound samples
What the press is saying about Lucky 13
Album shipping now! Visit the Order page to get your copy.

Mary Flower featured in Acoustic Guitar

2006-08-06T15:07:00.000-05:00

Mary Flower is featured in a "Player Profile" in this months issue (Aug 06) of Acoustic Guitar magazine. "A gifted fingerpicker and rising star on the acoustic-blues scene, Flower gets her own signature sound by using open strings and unusual partial chords..." Her collection of vintage Gibson and National guitars is also highlighted in the profile.

Bo-Keys "Kick It" in Barnyard

2006-08-04T17:23:00.000-05:00

The animated feature film Barnyard is released today, and the soundtrack includes "Kick It", a new song by The Bo-Keys. Skip Pitts, renowned for his wah-wah guitar on the theme from Shaft, plays guitar and sings vocals. Several other songs on the soundtrack feature The North Mississippi Allstars, who are represented by animated characters performing as the barnyard "house band."

Fiona Boyes sweeps Australian Blues Awards!

2006-07-31T17:32:00.000-05:00

The Melbourne Blues Appreciation Society recently held their Victorian/Tasmanian Blues Music Awards... and Fiona Boyes scooped 'em! From a record field of entrants Fiona was awarded Female Blues Artist of the Year, Blues Album of the Year for her new album Lucky 13, and Blues Song of the Year for "Stranger in Your Eyes". These are among the most closely contested awards of their kind for Australian Blues Artists - congratulations to Fiona!

Next stop - the US release of Lucky 13 on August 11th...

William Lee Ellis nominated in The Americana Highway's 2006 HEMI Awards

2006-07-28T13:48:00.000-05:00

William Lee Ellis is among the nominees for "Future Male Artist" in the 2006 HEMI Awards, sponsored by The Americana Highway radio program, which airs Sunday evenings on WIVK-FM in Knoxville. Please drop by the show's website at www.americanahighway.com to vote for WLE!