Now as far as the album goes I think my favorite track is See That My Grave Is Kept Clean. It has a New Orleans feel to it, a little laid back sound with some organ in the background. There is a slight darkness to it but somehow the song is still lively. How Many More Years has the classic driving blues rhythm typical of a lot of his stuff with some clean guitar riffs that Lucille belts out.

Not sure how much more music we can expect from B.B. but lord I hope to get to see him live one day. I think once I get home from Afghanistan I am going to start looking for a venue where I can see him play. I may have to pay a fairly large sum of money for a ticket but it will be worth it to see a legend in action.

Go ahead and check the album out for yourself, if you aree a blues fan I am sure you will enjoy it.

Now Jerry Lee has had a very long career. You could say that his career started back in his youth when he began playing piano with his cousins. You may have heard of them, Mickey Gilley and Jimmy Swaggart. Like most from the south he cut his teeth on gospel while being influenced by the sounds coming from the juke joints. He cut his first demo back in 1954 and tried to peddle it in Nashville but it wasn’t until two years later he was able to convince Sun Records producer Jack Clement to record it. Yep the same Sun Records that you hear of when people talk about Cash, Presley, or Carl Perkins. It is there that he recorded Great Balls of Fire and Whole Lot of Shakin’ Goin’ On. The only thing is that his early success was somewhat short lived because of the little scandal surrounding his marriage to his second cousin.

It took many years for him to recover and get back on the charts on a regular basis. It was country music that did it for him. Through his career revival he was able to go back to doing his special kind of piano infused rock and roll boogie. He is still enjoying success today and you can still enjoy one of the most energetic musicians around when you go to one of his shows. If you get the chance don’t miss it though. You never know if you will get another chance.

Check out some of his albums from Amazon.com like Last Man Standing: Live or The Complete Million Dollar Quartet .

I am going to leave you with a little video of Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, and Ray Charles. You need to watch it, it is an awesome video.

I used the Jerry Lee Lewis site, the Wiki on him, and The blues foundation site as references.

Here is a little Hooker History;

He was born in Clarkdale, Mississippi to a sharecropper family in 1917. In 1948 he already had a number one hit with Boogie Chillun. With Vee Jay records he released over 100 songs from the 50’s and 60’s. It was the British that helped us rediscover John back in the 60’s with groups like the Yardbirds trying to imitate the music that they loved. In 1991 he was inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame and he won Grammy Awards in ‘90, ‘98, and 2000. John Lee Hooker passed from us June 21st 2001 leaving behind five decades of some of the most influential music ever recorded.

He has received the award Historical Album of the Year for Shout! Factory from The Blues Foundation.

Information for this article was gleaned from these sources;
The Blues Foundation
John Lee Hooker WIKI
John Lee Hooker web site

Now I am going to sit here and finish listening to House Rent Boogie but I will leave you with Tupelo by JLH, enjoy;

Etta James, what an incredible talent. She has recieved the award for Traditional Blues Female Artist of the Year for 2007. I admire the tenacity of someone to continue working and recording for so long and still is able to produce a quality product. She has been recording songs since her first single “Roll With Me Henry” back in 1954 that she recorded with The Peaches. That song eventually found it’s way to #1 on the R&B charts under the name of “The Wallflower (Dance With Me Henry)”. The Peaces didn’t last very long but Mrs. James continued on and toured with the likes of Otis Redding, Little Richard, and Johnny “Guitar” Watson in the 50’s. She released one other hit in the 50’s that was called “Good Rockin’ Daddy” and a few other songs that were not hits but added to the legacy of the great blues woman.

The 60’s saw her release 24 songs that made it into the charts. This was her beginning with Chess records. She recorded Blues, Pop, and R&B tunes Solo and as a duet with her then boyfriend Harvey Fuqua. Her biggest hit seemed to be At Last! which was released in ‘61 and became somewhat of a signature song for her. During this time she is starting to be recognized as a Blues pioneer and her popularity in the delta region helped.

She has released 16 albums since 1994 and as far as I know continues to record to this day with her newest album being All the Way. Probably the only blues lady that will be considered as her better is Billie Holiday but Etta James is great and there is no real way to compare the two. I know I thoroughly enjoy my copy of the CD Matriarch of the Blues and if you like the blues I am sure you will too. Be sure to check out Mrs. James website when you get a chance to find out a little more about this great women. Also check out some of her recordings from the Chess years with this boxed set;

You can get more information on the man and his music at The Ray Charles website.

So if you get a chance check out and want to check out some of his music;
Genius Loves Company
I have this next one and it is awesome;
Pure Genius: The Complete Atlantic Recordings (1952-1959)

or the movie that depicted his life;
Ray (Widescreen Edition)
I will leave you with this little video though, enjoy;