From the Southside of Chicago

In a few weeks I'll be sailing the Pacific with some of the Blues' finest. I can only imagine how proud artists Koko Taylor & the Blues Machine, Elvin Bishop, Magic Slim and Ronnie Baker Brooks must be of Chicago’s own. Congratulations, Barack Obama, on accepting your presidential nomination on the 45th anniversary of Dr. King’s “Dream” speech. Politics aside, every American can honor and admire this historic event. ..................................................................... For a further look, visit our sister blog, 60 Quick Seconds. Link's on the right. Thanks.

Wishing Koko Taylor’s Blues Machine Speedy Recoveries

Here again is an all-too-real reminder that life on the road for our beloved artists is often fraught with danger. The good...no, great...news is that all are expected to not only recover, but to be on board when we set sail in October. In my initial posting about the news of the accident, I ranted a bit about, well, my favorite rant: the evils of file sharing. "...Charlie Musselwhite told us stories about being rolled into the ER after the van rolled off the road, saying, 'Just patch me up, Doc. I gotta get to my next gig.' And don’t get me started on P2P. When we burn Deanna Bogart, we burn Deanna Bogart. When we rip Ruthie Foster, we rip off Ruthie Foster. For every hour they’re on stage, it’s probably a factor of four to get ‘em there..." Turning your friends on to the music that turns you on is a joyful thing. In the right doses. Give 'em a taste -- and let them buy the CD so our artists can keep food on their proverbial tables. In other words, sampling music is good; stealing it, not so much. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – August 26, 2008 CONTACT: MARC LIPKIN / ALLIGATOR RECORDS / 773-973-7736 x235 EMAIL: publicity@allig.com THE BLUES MACHINE, KOKO TAYLOR’S BAND, INVOLVED IN VAN ACCIDENT The Blues Machine, Koko Taylor’s band, was involved in a serious van accident near Black River Falls, Wisconsin early morning on Saturday, August 23. Koko was not in the van at the time. The van was the only vehicle involved in the accident. They were on their way to Thief River Falls, Minnesota for a concert and planned to meet Koko there. Traveling were guitarist Calvin Louden, guitarist Shunsuke Kikuta, bassist Ricky Nelson, drummer Brian Parker, keyboardist Stanley Banks, driver Jesse Hutson and road manager Lee Threatt (husband to Joyce “Cookie” Threatt, Koko’s daughter). Louden, Kikuta, Nelson, Parker, and Banks all suffered broken bones and required surgery. Hutson and Threatt were treated and released from the hospital There were no life-threatening injuries and all are expected to make full recoveries. Cards can be sent to individual band members care of Alligator Records,P.O. Box 60234, Chicago IL 60660 ###