Yellow Dog Records

Eden Brent wins! Twice!

noreply@blogger.com (YDR) — Fri, 08 May 2009 21:45:00 +0000

Here's the list of artists who won in more than one category in last night's 30th Blues Music Awards : Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Janiva Magness. That's a pretty exclusive list.

But you can add another spectacular performer to the list: Eden Brent , who took both "Acoustic Album of the Year" and "Acoustic Artist of the Year" honors.

For the record, Buddy edged out B.B., Janiva, and Eden with three wins to two for each of the others.

To celebrate, we've posted Eden's entire album "Mississippi Number One" for preview from our "YDR Radio" player - visit http://yellowdogrecords.com/radio to check it out and enjoy the music!

Festival and tour dates for Eden Brent
Sound samples, press reviews, and more about Eden Brent

Last chance to vote in Blues Music Awards!

noreply@blogger.com (YDR) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 12:06:00 +0000

2009 Blues Music Award voting is coming to a close... we hope you will join the Blues Foundation and participate!

We are thrilled that Eden Brent is nominated in four categories: "Acoustic Album of the Year", "Acoustic Artist of the Year", "Best New Artist Debut", and "Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year". (Is four nominations a record for a "new artist"?)

Fiona Boyes is also nominated, for the third consecutive year, for her acoustic album "Live from Bluesville".

To mark the occasion, we've posted Eden's entire album "Mississippi Number One" for preview from our "YDR Radio" player - visit http://yellowdogrecords.com/radio to check it out and enjoy the music!

Important: voting ends early Monday morning (8am EST March 2) so if you want to vote, or need to revisit your ballot to make any final choices, please do it by the end of this weekend! Visit http://www.blues.org/bluesmusicawards/vote.php4 to get your ballot.

And while we are at it... voting is also coming to a close in the Independent Music Awards! Eden's song "Mississippi Flatland Blues" has been nominated as one of five finalists for "Blues Song of the Year". The general public is invited to vote for their choice of best song in the IMA's "Vox Populi" award -- visit this link to preview the finalist songs and vote.

Festival and tour dates for Eden Brent
Sound samples, press reviews, and more about Eden Brent

Fiona Boyes named Official Ambassador for the Australian Blues Festival

noreply@blogger.com (YDR) — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 20:42:00 +0000

Fiona Boyes is honored to be the 2009 Ambassador for the Australian Blues Music Festival, held annually in a variety of venues throughout the historic NSW city of Goulburn. The Festival showcases the very best of emerging and established blues acts from around Australia.

Festival Program
Other tour dates for Fiona Boyes
More information and sound samples for Fiona Boyes

Free Showcase at IBC Memphis

noreply@blogger.com (YDR) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 20:52:00 +0000

Five roots music masters... Thirteen Blues Music Award nominations... One lineup... Zero cover!

Yellow Dog Records presents an afternoon of blues excellence, this Friday Feb 6 2009 during International Blues Challenge weekend. We'll be at King's Palace, 162 Beale Street, downtown Memphis. It's free to the public, so please join us as we present:

Eden Brent will perform songs from her 2008 album Mississippi Number One, nominated as "Acoustic Album of the Year" in the 2009 Blues Music Awards.

Rich Del Grosso and Fiona Boyes will perform songs from their 2008 album Live From Bluesville, also nominated as "Acoustic Album of the Year" in the 2009 Blues Music Awards!

And, Mary Flower and Fiona Boyes will each premiere songs from their upcoming albums Bridges and Blues Woman, set for spring releases from Yellow Dog Records.

See you there!

Blues Revue profiles Eden Brent in "New Women of the Blues" feature

noreply@blogger.com (YDR) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:53:00 +0000

Eden Brent is featured as one of seven "New Women of the Blues" in the current issue (Feb/Mar) of Blues Revue magazine. Detailing her partnership with pianist Abie "Boogaloo" Ames, Eden explains, "Here I am, a young white lady, and there's Boogaloo Ames, an older black man. I came from a family of privilege; he lived on the other side of the tracks. The state of Mississippi liked us because we represented the way it really is and not a Mississippi Burning Hollywood production."

Going on to describe her transition to solo performer after Boogaloo's passing, and release of Mississippi Number One, Eden summarizes, "All I ever wanted to do is play music, meet a lot of great people, travel to new places, have a good time, and make a damn living... So far, so good."

More info on Eden Brent
Mississippi Number One available from our Order Page

Eden Brent, Fiona Boyes nominated for Blues Music Awards

noreply@blogger.com (YDR) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 22:36:00 +0000

Yellow Dog Records is once again well-represented in this year's Blues Music Awards, with two artists recognized with award nominations. Eden Brent and her Yellow Dog Records debut album Mississippi Number One notched nominations in four categories: "Acoustic Album of the Year", "Acoustic Artist of the Year", "Best New Artist Debut", and "Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year". Fiona Boyes earned a nomination for the third consecutive year with a nomination for "Acoustic 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 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 March 2nd, 2009.

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

noreply@blogger.com (YDR) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:37:00 +0000

"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

noreply@blogger.com (YDR) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 19:57:00 +0000

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.

Mary Flower on WoodSongs Old Time Radio Hour this week

noreply@blogger.com (YDR) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 19:17:00 +0000

Mary Flower appears on the nationally syndicated WoodSongs Old Time Radio Hour this week, as part of a co-bill with The Giving Tree Band. Mary, the only woman in history to twice place in the top three at the legendary national Fingerpicking Guitar Championships, will dazzle listeners with her fingerpicking virtuosity, as well as chat with host, folksinger Michael Johnathon. 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! It's also easy to listen online, or check out the archives if you miss the original broadcast.

Reviews, sound samples, and more information about Mary Flower
Three albums by Mary Flower available! Visit our Order page to get yours
Update: Free MP3 of Mary's performance posted on the Woodsongs archive page (show #508): http://www.woodsongs.com/showlist.asp

"Soul Men" Soundtrack featuring The Bo-Keys released Nov 4th by Stax

noreply@blogger.com (YDR) — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 20:08:00 +0000

The soundtrack to the film Soul Men, featuring Yellow Dog artist The Bo-Keys, and staring Bernie Mac, Samuel L. Jackson, and a cameo by the late music icon Isaac Hayes, will be released Nov 4th by Stax Records.

Music naturally plays an integral part of Soul Men, particularly poignant with the appearance of Stax legend Isaac Hayes whose passing on August 10 was mourned worldwide. The 1968 No. 1 UK pop hit, Private Number (originally recorded by William Bell & Judy Clay) is given a solid makeover by soul singer/songwriter and musician Chris Pierce and Leela James accompanied by The Bo-Keys (whose line-up includes famed Stax musicians Willie Hall and Charlie Pitts).

Read press release
Visit the order page to pick up The Bo-Keys' The Royal Sessions

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

noreply@blogger.com (YDR) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 22:02:00 +0000

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 Records Featured by Voice Of America

noreply@blogger.com (YDR) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 21:10:00 +0000

Voice of America gives some love to the Yellow Dog Records roster, which they note "boasts some of today's best blues and Americana performers." Read the article here, or get an MP3 of the whole radio piece here.

"The Hole" named one of '10 Best Songs from 2007' by Indie Acoustic Project

noreply@blogger.com (YDR) — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 21:36:00 +0000

"The Hole" by Yellow Dog artist The Soul of John Black has been named in the prestigious Indie Acoustic Project's top ten songs of the year. The purpose of the award is to give well-deserved recognition to outstanding works of innovative, independently produced acoustic music, and to generate interest in independent music in general.

Sound samples of "The Hole" as well as other tracks from The Good Girl Blues
Visit our Order Page to get your copy

Yellow Dog signs Eden Brent

noreply@blogger.com (YDR) — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 17:57:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (YDR) — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 09:07:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (YDR) — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 10:22:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (YDR) — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 21:08:00 +0000

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!

noreply@blogger.com (YDR) — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 09:01:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (YDR) — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 17:38:00 +0000

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.

Mark Lemhouse produces new album from Black Francis

noreply@blogger.com (YDR) — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 19:52:00 +0000

Black Francis, aka Frank Black, aka Charles Kitteridge Thompson IV... whatever you call him, the Pixies alum has tapped Yellow Dog Records artist Mark Lemhouse to produce his newest effort Bluefinger. Described as having "some of the most aggressive, decadent songs Thompson has written under any of his aliases," Bluefinger is set to release Sept '07 on Cooking Vinyl. Recounting the experience, Mark says, "That session was a lot of fun. Everybody was really loose and just happy to work on whatever idea Charles would come up with."

Blackolero, a French Frank Black fan e-zine, has released an in-depth interview avec Lemhouse. (Click here for the english version via the Frank Black forum)

Reviews, sound samples, and more information about Mark Lemhouse
Two albums by Mark Lemhouse available! Visit our Order page to get yours

We're Gonna Miss You, Joe

noreply@blogger.com (YDR) — Mon, 07 May 2007 15:01:00 +0000

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!

noreply@blogger.com (YDR) — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 19:21:00 +0000

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!

noreply@blogger.com (YDR) — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 02:48:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (YDR) — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 14:40:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (YDR) — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 20:13:00 +0000

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.