bev davies photo By Steve Newton Way back in January of 1984 I did my first interview with B.B. King. He was playing a string of shows at the Plazazz! Showroom in North Vancouver, so I drove my ’66 Dodge Polara on over the Lions Gate Bridge to visit the blues great in his room … Continue reading That time I asked B.B. King why he chose guitar as his instrument
By Steve Newton Yesterday I came across a tweet from the awesome bluesharp Twitter feed that included a couple of minutes of guitar legend Albert King tearing up it up on his Flying V in the company of Stevie Ray Vaughan. After I retweeted it, I got to thinking that maybe I should post another … Continue reading That time I made Albert King laugh by saying that I thought “King of the Blues” was B.B.’s title
By Steve Newton I did the second of my five interviews with Chicago blues legend Buddy Guy back in March of 1993. At the time Buddy was promoting his new album Feels Like Rain, so I called him up at a tour stop in Buffalo, New York. After clarifying that we were both definitely doin’ … Continue reading That time Buddy Guy told me how thrilled he was to finally record with B.B. King
bev davies photo By Steve Newton Back in January of 1984 I did my first interview with B.B. King. Man, was that a thrill. He was playing a string of shows at the Plazazz Showroom in North Vancouver, and I hung out with him in his hotel room before one of the gigs. As the … Continue reading That time I asked B.B. King what advice he had for young guitar players trying to learn the blues
bev davies photo By Steve Newton I’ve been very fortunate to have interviewed several legendary bluesmen over the last 40 years, guys like Albert King, Albert Collins, Buddy Guy, Roy Buchanan, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. But the very first legendary bluesman I ever interviewed was B.B. King. In January of 1984 he was playing a … Continue reading That time B.B. King told me how playing guitar was like telling the truth
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 1, 1983 By Steve Newton One of the reigning monarchs of L.A. session guitarists, Larry Carlton has played with some of the best in the world. And now, on his third self-produced LP Friends, he’s gathered some of the best in the world to play with him. Bassist … Continue reading Album review: Larry Carlton, Friends (1983)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, APRIL 28, 2005 By Steve Newton Now here’s a matchup made in heaven for fans of electric blues guitar. There’s some serious jammin’ going on in the first-ever studio pairing of the tasty American pickers, both former members of Roomful of Blues. Robillard brings the mastery of technique, while … Continue reading Album review: Ronnie Earl/Duke Robillard, The Duke meets the Earl (2005)
By Steve Newton Back in the summer of 1999 I interviewed blues guitarist and vocalist Magic Slim (real name Morris Holt), who’d been a major contributor to the Chicago blues scene with his band Magic Slim and the Teardrops. I called him up at his then-home in Lincoln, Nebraska, before he headed out to Vancouver … Continue reading That time I asked Magic Slim if Magic Sam was okay with him having some of the magic
By Steve Newton I saw a tweet from my blues-rockin’ buddy David Gogo a couple days ago, in which he sent “love and healing vibes” to Buddy Guy as the 87-year-old blues legend deals with the health issues that have postponed his farewell tour. That got me thinking about how much I’ve appreciated Buddy myself, … Continue reading Hoping the best for Buddy Guy and revisiting my latest interview with the blues legend
By Steve Newton I absolutely loved the B.B. King and Eric Clapton album Riding With the King when it came out in 2000. It was a shoo-in for my Top 10 Albums of the Year list, alongside other guitar-centic offerings like Joe Satriani‘s Engines of Creation and Steve Vai‘s The 7th Song. But with such … Continue reading That time Doyle Bramhall II told me that he was “all over” B.B. King and Eric Clapton’s Riding With the King
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, APRIL 24, 2003 By Steve Newton When you talk about the Winnipeg music scene, one name that tends to crop up repeatedly is Big Dave McLean. He’s a fixture of the city’s blues joints who’s been championed for years by the likes of Colin James. But Brent Parkin is … Continue reading Brent Parkin has worked the Winnipeg blues beat longer than Big Dave McLean
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 2, 2000 By Steve Newton The Carson Downey Band has been plugging away on the Maritime blues scene for more than a decade, but things are starting to pay off for the group with the release of its debut CD, All the Way. The Nova Scotia threesome—which plays … Continue reading The Carson Downey Band proves that the blues are alive and kickin’ in the Maritimes
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, FEB. 28, 2007 By Steve Newton Anthony Gomes was born and raised in Toronto, but in his early 20s he pulled a Muddy Waters and moved to Chicago, where he found a sweet home for four years before heading off to his current base of Nashville. As he explains … Continue reading Anthony Gomes get chills thinking about Stevie Ray Vaughan
