Today! Is Skip James' second album, originally released in 1966. The album features James solo on all but one track, "How Long," which includes Russ Savakus on bass. AllMusic asserts, "wonderful vocals, superb guitar and a couple of tunes with tasty piano make this essential."

LIVE AT BUDDY GUY'S LEGENDS

AIN'T NOBODY'S BUSINESS: THE SINGLES COLLECTION

Acrobat has devoted a number of collections to the blues guitarists and singers who represent what is known as the Piedmont school of blues - artists whose roots were in the region surrounding Atlanta, Georgia, and developed a fairly distinctive style of blues during the late 1920s and through the '30s, the best-known names including Blind Blake, Barbecue Bob, Blind Willie McTell, Josh White, Blind Boy Fuller and Buddy Moss. Curley Weaver was another prominent Piedmont bluesman, and an especially noted guitarist who was often invited to play on sessions with artists mentioned above, and whose recording career, albeit fitfully, extended through to 1950. This 50-track 2-CD collection comprises recordings under his own name for the Columbia, QRS, Okeh, Banner, Vocalion, Decca, Sittin' In With and Regal labels. It includes recordings which were duets with Eddie Mapp, Ruth Willis, Fred McMullen, Clarence Moore and Blind Willie McTell along with titles where he performed as a member of the Georgia Cotton Pickers alongside Barbecue Bob and Buddy Moss, and The Georgia Browns, and on which he accompanied Buddy Moss or Blind Willie McTell. It's a great showcase for a lesser-known blues luminary who nevertheless made a considerable contribution to the Piedmont sub-genre.

AMERICAN BLUES POP ROCK ROOTS MUSICIAN " "I was so happy to hear the latest new music from Matthew Curry. I've always really admired Mathew's music, ever since he, and his band began playing shows with us, maybe 6, or 7 years ago. The audience loved his well crafted songs, soaring guitar solos, and soulful singing. We were part of that audience. He is the real deal. His most recent album, 'Open Road', is further proof that Matthew Is continuing to hone his formidable chops. Mathew rips it up on the title track, which reminds me of a Delaney & Bonnie style Eric Clapton tune, and I say this with admiration, since that is one of my favorite Clapton eras. 'On My Way', is just great rointuneck 'n roll, in sort of a Skynyrd vein. 'I Think Of You', a beautiful ballad of lost love, and hope. Then there is some extreme angst in 'Workin' It Out'. A really interesting production, and once again, some killer guitar playing, and amazing vocals. Every song on the album has something special that sets it apart, and makes this a complete package. I've listened to all the songs several times, and I continue to hear things I hadn't noticed before. There's so much great music on this recording. I can't recommend it enough. Check it out, I know you'll feel the same!" - Pat Simmons (The Doobie Brothers)

For Robin Trower, stage and studio are two sides of the same coin. If you've followed the seven-decade career of the award-winning British bluesman, you'll know every song on One Moment In Time: Live In The USA. But unless you've pushed your way to the front of his sell-out shows, you've never heard them like this before. "I'm a different player on the stage," considers the 80-year-old. "It's almost impossible to get to that point in the studio. It's the sound of the guitar, it's the volume, it's the crowd. For what I do, it takes one hundred per cent commitment for it to work. But if you do it well, it's life-affirming."

Packed with eclectic songs, supercharged guitar and emotional heat, Albert Cummings' sixth album No Regrets kicks open a new creative door for the six-string virtuoso who's so far made his bones in the blues. With the new album, Cummings has delivered a release that poignantly captures the core of his influences, displaying the impact that R&B, Rock, Soul, Country and the Blues have had on both his playing and writing. "This album is really who I am, as an artist and a man," says Cummings. "It's a return to my true musical roots and the first step in really defining my identity as a mature artist. I approached this with one intent, deliver a collection of great songs that I'll be proud to perform for the rest of my life without feeling confined to a specific genre. I am a Blues man, and I will always be one, but inevitably that foundation now reveals a couple of other floors being constructed as the house rises."

Albert Cummings first recording, recorded in Albany NY in 90 minutes.

CAREER ANTHOLOGY: VOCALION & BLUEBIRD RECORDINGS

Laura Chavez is an American blues, soul, and rhythm and blues guitarist, songwriter and record producer. She has worked with many other musicians, including Deborah Coleman, Candye Kane, Dani Wilde, The Mannish Boys, Mike Ledbetter, Monster Mike Welch, Vanessa Collier, Casey Hensley and Whitney Shay. Her playing style is based in the Texas and Chicago blues traditions, both classic and modern genres.[3] In 2021, she was nominated at the 42nd Blues Music Awards in the category 'Instrumentalist - Guitar'.[4] This was her second such nomination, as Chavez had been listed two years earlier in the same category.[5] In 2023, Chavez finally triumphed in the same category 'Instrumentalist - Guitar'

This groundbreaking project celebrates the centennial birthday of B.B. King, honoring his monumental legacy with a one-of-a-kind Collaboration Album. The album will feature a double album worth of curated tracks of B.B. King's most iconic songs, recorded/tracked by Blues Rock Icon Joe Bonamassa and his all-star band, with production led by 2-time Grammy-nominated producers Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith. The reimagined tracks will include a stellar lineup of guest musicians from both contemporary and legacy backgrounds that will unite multiple generations and genres to pay tribute to the King of Blues with 32 tracks and including 40 special guests! Working directly with B.B. King's estate, this project is deeply personal to Joe, reflecting his lifelong admiration for B.B. and the profound impact B.B. had on his career and life. Joe's connection with B.B. began in 1989 when, as a 12-year-old prodigy, he had the life-changing opportunity to open for Mr. King. Over the years, their friendship grew as they toured together on dozens of occasions, cementing a bond that Joe cherishes to this day. Hard Cover book with 2 disc trays, 40 page booklet, foil on cover.

I want to shock people," says Solomon Hicks with a megawatt smile. And whether you were there at his barely legal teenage club shows, caught on for 2020's breakout debut Harlem - or are hearing him for the first time on new album How Did I Ever Get This Blue - the rebel energy of this acclaimed New York singer-songwriter always moves the needle. His new songs race from earworm originals, past pop covers torn up with electronica and punky riffs, to reignited blues standards that prove how potent this genre still is in the right hands. "With this new record," reflects Hicks, "I wanted to showcase where my ear, my head and my guitar playing is at right now

OLD NEW FUNKY & BLUE

THIS WORLD

Blast Off! By Duke Robillard and His All Star Band - BLAST OFF! #on an out of this world musical odyssey covering a variety of material from blues to jazz to funky R&B. For his new album, Blast Off! #with Duke Robillard and His All-Star Band, the guitar maestro has assembled a varied but mostly very traditional collection of many of the styles he's known for, including blues, swing, jazz, and R&B. This diversity represents his multi-faceted career and devotion to preserving these roots music styles. The twelve-track album contains three originals, including two instrumentals and an exciting piece concurrently historic and new, the first recording of a blues composition written by Robillard at the age of 17. He is joined on the project by Chris Cote on guitar and vocals, Bruce Bears on keyboards, bassist Marty Ballou and drummer Mark Teixeira. Doug James and Mark Earley are on sax, Jeff "Doc" Chanonhouse, trumpet on "You Rascal You," with special guest Billy Novick on clarinet and alto sax.

During his brilliant career as both leader and sideman, it was acknowledged among the music cognoscenti that Mike Finnigan was one of the most gifted Hammond B3 players to ever touch the instrument. While his instrumental brilliance was widely acknowledged, few know that he was one of the best blues singers of a generation. Born in Troy, Ohio, a few miles north of Dayton in 1945, he taught himself how to play blues, gospel and rock 'n roll as a child by listening to Fats Domino and Ray Charles records. Those early years of diligence would pay off when, at the age of 22, while recording with his own band, The Serfs, an artist recording in another room of the studio happened to hear his playing and invited him to sit in. That artist was Jimi Hendrix, and they wound up collaborating with Buddy Miles for the songs "Rainy Day, Dream Away, " and "Still Raining, Still Dreaming, " both of which saw the light of day as part of Hendrix's landmark Electric Ladyland album, Thereafter, Mike joined The Jerry Hahn Brotherhood who recorded a critically lauded album for Columbia produced by Tom Wilson who had worked with Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, the Animals and Mother of Invention. He then worked with guitar legend Tommy Bolin and Big Brother and the Holding Company, before forming the duo Finnigan and Wood and joined Dave Mason's band a few years later. In 1976, Jerry Wexler, who had produced Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, and so many more for Atlantic records moved to Warner Bros. Where he immediately signed Finnigan. By the end of the decade Mike's solo career was supplanted by a tenure in Stephen Stills' band, and shortly became, for the next two decades, the lynchpin of the CSN and CSN&Y band. He remained one of the most sought after B3 players and session singers, recording and touring with artists like Etta James, Joe Cocker, Bonnie Raitt, Joe Walsh, Michael McDonald, Tower of Power, Rod Stewart, Eric Burden, Tracy Chapman, Leonard Cohen, Alice Cooper, Ringo Starr, White Snake, Don Felder, and so many more. In 2018, producer J.J. Blair set out to make the definitive Mike Finnigan record, completion of which would be interrupted by the Covid lockdown. Tragedy struck when Mike was diagnosed with liver cancer making his return to the studio impossible. Mike succumbed on August 11, 2021, from pneumonia, a byproduct of his cancer treatments. After his passing, Blair completed the eponymous 'Mike Finnigan' album, and in 2025, blues powerhouse label 40 Below Records agreed to release it.

BACK TO THE TRUTH

Two Shades of Blue captures Robben Ford at the height of his artistic maturity-rich, soulful, and emotionally charged. Blending his unmistakable guitar tone with fresh songwriting and beautifully crafted arrangements, the album delivers everything fans love about Ford while pushing his sound into new territory. A must-hear release for blues, jazz, and guitar aficionados alike, Two Shades of Blue stands poised to become one of the defining records of his storied career.

BLUES IS A STEW

Slideways is bursting with Lil' Ed's rollicking slide-work and rough-hewn vocals on a joyous blend of smoking slide guitar boogies, raw-boned shuffles, and heart-stopping slow blues. Mixing smoking slide guitar boogies and raw-boned shuffles with the deepest soul-burners and heart-wrenching slow blues, Lil' Ed Williams and The Blues Imperials bring it all back home, playing each track with an impassioned sense of wild abandon. "Electrifying, raucous, pure Chicago blues... Lil' Ed is a guitarist extraordinaire... slashing slide and flamboyant stage persona." - Chicago Tribune

Performers include the 2011 winners of the best British blues band, Oli Brown Band, plus blues legends Albert Lee, Walter Trout, Jackie Lomax, and Tab Benoit, plus rock superstars Pat Travers and Iggy Pop as well as members of The Kinks, Cream, The Allman Brothers, Guru Guru and more! Includes the band's best known songs such as the smash hit singles "Lonely Boy," "Tighten Up," and "Gold On The Ceiling" plus fan favorites "Howlin' For You," "Everlasting Light," "Next Girl," and more!

JUDGMENT DAY

HAMMER & CHISEL

Ghalia Vauthier, known professionally as Ghalia Volt, is a Belgian blues rock singer, guitarist, drummer and songwriter. She has been involved in the release of five albums since 2016, including Mississippi Blend (2019) released on Ruf Records. It peaked at number three on the Billboard Top Blues Albums Chart.

Rolling Stone calls award-winning Florida musician Selwyn Birchwood "a remarkable, contemporary bluesman... a powerhouse young guitarist and soulful vocalist." Now, this mesmerizing guitarist, lap steel master and cinematic songwriter unleashes the powerful new album Electric Swamp Funkin' Blues, further blazing his own musical trail. Birchwood's sound is an intoxicating mix of deep blues, blistering, psychedelic-tinged rock, booty-shaking funk and sweet Southern soul, played and sung with true blues passion. From an emotionally devastating whisper to a soul-baring scream, Birchwood's vocals command attention. Schooled in the blues' storied traditions (he toured with and was mentored by the famed Sonny Rhodes), Birchwood maps out a dazzling future for the blues with his visionary music. Selwyn Birchwood is one of the hardest-touring artists on the Alligator roster, and will support the new release with shows throughout the U.S. He's no stranger to European stages either, with plenty of tours there under his belt, and having just completed over a month's worth of European dates, 27 shows in all, with 24 taking place in France, three in Belgium and one in Czechia.