Blues Music

Dead Orchids will bring the hi-dive to life with eerie sound

The five best jail-inspired musician memoirs

Pop culture incrementally improved the chances that books would outlive CDs when news spread that Lil Wayne had inked a deal to write a memoir about the eight months he spent locked up on gun charges. Titled Gone 'Til November, the book is scheduled to be released in May. While the hip-hop blogosphe ... More >>

Black Joe Lewis: "I always just figured I'd play the type of music I enjoy listening to."

Black Joe Lewis (due tomorrow at the Westword Music Showcase on the mainstage) isn't one to make fancy comparisons to the musical legacies of blues giants and soul progenitors. Lewis and his band, formerly known as the Honeybears, have earned comparisons to everyone from Howlin' Wolf to Muddy Waters ... More >>

Denver's ten best jukeboxes

Just as music collections say a lot about people, a jukebox can do the same for a bar; it often reflect the place's personality. A lot of times, variety is key to a well-stocked jukebox, and 3 Kings Tavern, this year's winner in the Best of Denver, had that with balls, to boot. Here's a look at the ... More >>

Win tickets to see John Lee Hooker Jr. tomorrow night at the Toad Tavern

The son of a blues legend, John Lee Hooker Jr. has overcome many personal travails over the years, from addiction to doing time, and has been striving ever since to make a mark of his own in the blues world in the tall shadow of his late father. And he's done a pretty good job, having released a num ... More >>

R.I.P. Etta James

RIP Etta James, the Genuine Article indeed.​A definitive, earnest and passionate voice in the history of American pop music has gone silent today. Legendary R&B chanteuse Etta James died this morning at the age of 73 in Riverdale, California, reportedly from complications tied to leukemia. Alo ... More >>

R.I.P. Creighton Holley

​Some sad news to report today: We've received word that bluesman Creighton Holley passed away yesterday. The news is devastating to the scene, in general, but particularly for the blues community, which is still grieving the loss of John-Alex Mason, who passed away this past fall at the tragi ... More >>

David Bromberg on his career and studying with Reverend Gary Davis

David Bromberg's eclectic musical expertise is rooted in the sounds of America. Since the 1960s, the singer and guitarist has drawn from a palette of influences, from bluegrass to ragtime, from country blues to New Orleans jazz. Taking lessons from the legendary Reverend Gary Davis as a Columbia stu ... More >>

Tonight: Warren Haynes at the Ogden

​Warren Haynes (playing his second show in a two-night stand at the Ogden Theatre) has a résumé that speaks for itself: Picking up the guitar as a preteen, the bluesman began playing with David Allan Coe by the age of twenty and went on to work with the likes of the Allman Brothers Band and ... More >>

T-Model Ford

Thursday, September 16, 3 Kings Tavern, 303-777-7352; Sunday, September 19, Blues and Brews Festival, Telluride, 1-866-515-6166.

Flaming Lips top seller at Twist and Shout

​The Flaming Lips' two-disc Embryonic, released last week on Warner Brothers, debuted at the top spot at Twist & Shout for the week ending October 18 while the Monsters of Folk's self-titled debut and Emmitt-Nershi Band's New Country Blues grabbed the second and third slots. Bob Dylan's Christ ... More >>

Otis Taylor's latest record earns praise in Spin

​It's not unusual to read a review of Otis Taylor and see the words bluesman. In fact, it's as about as commonplace as reading a piece on the Broncos during the '90s and seeing the name John Elway -- the two are virtually synonymous. That said, it was somewhat refreshing to come across a review of ... More >>

Delta Sonics

Never Enough
Self-released

Hooked on jazz at Jack's

There's a roomful of sophisticated blues at Blues on Blake

No proofreaders need apply at Blues on Blake

Let's hope that the music and food at Blues on Blake Supper Club (at 1925 Blake Street, in a space formerly occupied by the Dugout) is better than the proofreading,since the new club recently posted an ad that it was IMMEDIANTELY HIRING FOR SERVERS/BARTENDERS. "We are an exciting new club, featurin ... More >>

Red, White and Blues

Meet Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band

Which is made up of his whole Fam Damnily.

Flair Lounge

Richard Engel transforms a Stapleton bar into a live-music venue.

Red Holloway Takes Center Stage

From Sonny Stitt to Jack McDuff, this saxman has played with some of jazz's finest.

The Informants

Stiletto Angel
Wipe It Off! Records

Joe Fornothin

Joe Fornothin
Self-released

Heartless Wonders

Heartless Bastards may be on Fat Possum, but they ain't singing the blues.

Westword Music Showcase 2006

Be there or be square!

Bluesman Walking

Consummate sideman Eddie Turner steps into the spotlight.

Best Band With the Worst Name

Machine Gun Blues

John Lee Hooker Jr.

Saturday, February 5, Supreme Court, 303-892-6878; Wednesday, February 9, Little Bear, Evergreen, 303-674-9991.

Foxx Is Pitch Perfect

The actor breathes life into a formulaic Ray.

Best One-Man Band

Reverend DeadEye

Best Metal-Scrapper Turned Authentic Bluesman

Willie Houston

Critic's Choice

Black Keys

Best Blues Musician

Otis Taylor

Hit Pick

Billy Tolles

Culture Mulcher

Even without music, Andy Friedman finds himself in tune with country blues.

Best Bluesman

David Booker

A Lighter Shade of Blue

Virginia-bred guitarist John Jackson explores the sunny side of Southern music.

Best juke-friendly jukebox

Skylark Lounge

Best blues club

Brendan's Pub

Vintage Edition

At 78, T-Model Ford is a restored bluesman.

The Son Also Rises

John Mooney's voodoo blues have an impressive lineage.

Judgment Day

Backbeat contributors offer up their favorite recordings of 1999.

Wynton Marsalis

My Jelly Lord: Standard Time Vol. Six
(Columbia/Sony Classical)

Lady, Sing the Blues

Odetta is happy to find trouble everywhere she goes.

Night & Day

February 4 - 10, 1999

Booker's Booking

Thanks to the swing trend, David Booker is very much in demand--again.

Fortunate Son

Even a gunshot wound can't stop blues giant Son Seals.

No Regular Guy

The rise, fall and rise of blues guitarist Buddy Guy.

PARIS BLUES

EXPATRIATE LUTHER ALLISON IS FINALLY APPRECIATED IN THE LAND OF HIS BIRTH.

THRILLS

FEATS OF CLAY