BLUES N'AT

     Christmas is just around the corner and Mrs. Black-N-Gold has to stop being naughty and start being nice. You see, she knows what she wants to put atop her list to Santa. The Blues Hall of Fame Tour is coming to the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild in Pittsburgh for 2 shows on Saturday, May 2. Sure May is a far way off but no time like the present to ask Saint Nick for a pair o' tix. The show promises to blow fans away with James Cotton, John Hammond and Charlie Musselwhite.

      James Cotton, the Cotton Mouth Man, actually started out as a drummer but quickly found that his forte was the harp. He mentored with Sonny Boy Williamson II and began his career as the harp player in Howlin' Wolf's band. He was also a member of Muddy Waters' band, performing on Muddy's 1977 Grammy-winning album, "Hard Again". Through the years, James has worked with such notables as Otis Spann, Johnny Winters, Greg Allman, and Delbert McClinton. He's been nominated for Grammy awards many times over, winning one himself in 1996 for Best Traditional Blues Album, "Deep In The Blues". The 2006 Blues Hall of Fame inductee has been wowing audiences for over 70 years and will surely blow the roof off the 'Burgh.

      John Hammond is the son of legendary record producer, John H. Hammond. While still in high school, young John was inspired by the album "Jimmy Reed At Carnegie Hall" to take up the guitar. John is also a proficient harp player in his own right. By the mid-1960s he was touring the country and soaking up the scene in Greenwich Village, befriending the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Duane Allman and Dr. John. He has performed with luminaries such as John Lee Hooker, Mike Bloomfield, Muddy Waters, and Howlin' Wolf. John has been nominated for Grammys on multiple occasions, winning in 1985 for his performance on the "Blues Explosion" compilation. He was a Blues Music Award winner in 2011 for Acoustic Artist of the Year. John was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2011 and the New York Blues Hall of Fame in 2012.

       Charlie Musselwhite was elected to the Blues Hall of Fame in 2010. The 7 time Grammy nominee won Best Blues Album Grammy, along with Ben Harper, in 2014 for "Get Up!". He was winner of the 2014 Blues Music Award for Best Instrumentalist-Harmonicist. As a young man, Charlie traveled to Chicago to learn at the hands of Junior Wells, Little Walter, and Big Walter Horton. He has also had the distinction of playing with artists such as Bonnie Raitt, Tom Waits, and the Blind Boys of Alabama.

        Don't forget to mark the date of May 2 on your calendar. Make no mistake, when the Blues Hall of Fame Tour hits the 'Burgh in May, they're going to blow your mind. Until next time, boys and girls. Keep It Bluesy!