2024 - In Review

As we move on to the new year, it's only fitting that we take a look back at 2024.  It was an interesting year for blues fans, and although we didn't post that much here about the blues, that doesn't mean that we weren't thinking about them, reading about them, or listening to them.  Here's a few of the high points of the music for the year.

For starters, here's my Top 20 releases of the year (in alphabetical order).  In a few weeks, if you're interested, you can see which of these 20 albums make up my 2024 Top 10 in the January issue of Blues Bytes.

Blues People - The Skin I'm In (PWI Entertainment)

Eden Brent - Getaway Blues (Yellow Dog Records)

Ronnie Baker Brooks - Blues In My DNA (Alligator Records)

Johnny Burgin - Ramblin' From Coast To Coast (Straight Shooter Records)

Willie Buck and the Delmark All-Stars - Live at Buddy Guy's Legends (Delmark Records)

Kevin Burt & Big Medicine - Thank You Brother Bill, A Tribute to Bill Withers (Gulf Coast Records)

Toronzo Cannon - Shut Up & Play! (Alligator Records)

Eddie Cotton - The Mirror (Malaco Records)

Tinsley Ellis - Naked Truth (Alligator Records)

Sue Foley - One Guitar Woman (Stony Plain Records)

Zac Harmon - Floreada's Boy (Catfood Records)

Steve Howell & the Mighty Men - 99 1/2 Won't Do (Out of the Past Music)

Gerald McClendon - Down At The Juke Joint (Delta Roots Records)

The Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra (featuring Willy Jordan) - What Are You Waiting For? (Blue Dot Records)

Jerron Paxton - Times Done Changed (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings)

Piper & The Hard Times - Revelation (self-released)

Pontchartrain Shakers - Pontchartrain Shakers (Southland Records)

John Primer & Bob Corritore - Crawlin' Kingsnake (VizzTone Music Group)

Kat Riggins & Her Blues Revival - Revival (House of Berry Productions)

Jovin Webb - Drifter (Blind Pig Records)

I got to see a couple of great acts this year, two of my favorites.  I got to see Super Chikan in May at the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience, called The MAX for short.  This place, located in Meridian, MS just off I-20, is a must-stop for any fan of arts and entertainment, especially those that have origins in Mississippi.  There are numerous exhibitions, performances, events, and learning experiences.  It's well worth your time.

The MAX often has entertainment at night.......there's an outdoor listening area for a couple of hundred listeners and my brother and I attended the night that Super Chikan entertained and, brother, did he entertain.  One of the most genial and entertaining performers I've had the opportunity to see and he gave his listeners over two hours of music, playing a variety of his homemade guitars as he sang a mix of original songs and tunes familiar to most of the blues fans there, but given a Super Chikan interpretation.

I even got to talk to him for a few minutes during a break, telling him a story about my then-2-year-old daughter, who was a fan of his Blues Come Home To Roost album, which got frequent play in our household in the late 90's.  As I said, a very nice performer, and individual, that I would go definitely see again.

The second act I got to see was Dan Penn with Spooner Oldham in Penn's hometown of Vernon, AL.  It took place in Penn's old high school building, which now serves as City Hall, in the old school auditorium.  My family and I attended the 2023 show, which Penn played solo, and we got the opportunity to see him work with his longtime collaborator as they went through a bunch of their classic tunes.

It was the first show of a several months-long tour, so they were working the kinks out during the show, but no one really cared because they told stories between songs, and it was really cool to see them work out the glitches that were going on.... just a couple at the beginning of the show while trying to get on the same page.  You could actually picture them doing this while working in the studio, which was really cool to me.  

By the third or fourth song, they were running like a well-oiled machine, and we've already made plans to go see them again next year.  Although I would have loved to have talked to them, a lot of hometown folks were really glad to reunite with Penn, who lives in Nashville these days, so it would have been a long wait, then a long drive back home.

One more blues trip took place last weekend as my brother and I drove up to Tunica to check out their Visitor Center, which houses the Gateway To The Blues Museum.  I went there with my wife a couple of years ago and it was so cool that I wanted to revisit it.  

The museum has some very interesting displays about the history of the music with lots of blues memorabilia, and a nice room paying tribute to several of Mississippi's blues legends - Son House, Charlie Patton, Robert Johnson, Jimmy Reed, Sonny Boy Williamson, Howlin' Wolf, and B.B. King.  There were also a lot of guitars and harmonicas belonging to past and present blues and rock legends, including guitars autographed by Waters, B.B. and Albert King, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Bob Dylan, Charlie Musselwhite, and many others.  

It's a great place to stop if you're in the neighborhood and the staff at the Visitor Center are extremely friendly and helpful, steering us to The Hollywood Cafe to enjoy a great lunch.

 

Autographed by Johnny Shines

   

   

   

After that, we drove down to Clarksdale and checked out Cat Head Delta Blues and Folk Art, which is THE store that EVERY blues fan needs to visit if they're in the vicinity.  They have everything that a blues fan could possibly be looking for.  We've interviewed owner Roger Stolle a couple of times here at the blog and it was great to see him again and talk about the blues for a little bit, while I was tracking down some great CDs (Willie Farmer's The Man From The Hill and Anthony "Big A" Sherrod and the Cornlickers' elusive Right On Time, both excellent modern Mississippi blues albums) and other items (Bill Stout's two fantastic Legends of the Blues card sets) for the trip home.

I also finished the Robert Gordon biography on Muddy Waters that I discussed at the first of the year, a very good read, and also picked up Bob Margolin's Steady Rollin', which includes some great stories and reminiscences from the legendary blues guitarist, as well as David Whiteis' Blues Legacy, which includes short features on members of the recent Chicago Blues scene....I'm reading it right now and it's very good, too.

As far as listening to the blues, I picked up a pile of new and old recordings over the year, spending a few bucks at my favorite used record store, The Little Big Store, and my go-to online service, Discogs, picking up older releases from Johnny Littlejohn (see FBF post a few months back), Magic Slim, Albert King, Magic Slim, Otis Rush, Kingfish, Frank Frost, The Fieldstones, Carl Weathersby, and I managed to complete the Living Chicago Blues series (which I will continue to cover here over the next few months, Volume 2 coming soon).

Finally, we said goodbye to several blues artists this year, too, including W.C. Clark, Donald and Ralph Kinsey, Phil Wiggins, Jewel Brown, John Mayall, Nick Daniels III, Sam Mosley, Carl Weathersby, and Johnny Neel, plus producer Jim Gaines, writer/photographer/manager Dick Waterman, P-Vine Records founder Yasufumi Higurashi, and Big City Blues magazine founder Robert Whitall, Jr., to name just a few.  R.I.P. to all of these contributors and the others.

Friday Blues Fix wishes all you blues fans a happy and safe 2025!!