The 169th Roadhouse looks back at this week’s Blues Music Awards, held in Tunica, MS on Thursday. Tab Benoit, Bubby Rush, Rod Piazza & The Mighty Flyers, Mike Zito, and Koko Taylor take the stage. Some new artists also get to share the spotlight with the legends and 2008 BMA winners. It’s an award-winning edition of The Roadhouse and another hour of the finest blues you’ve never heard.

Anton, The Roadhouse’s “man behind the curtain” for the Premium and Deluxe editions, is a featured GeekDad in today’s online Wired.

Cape Day 2008 in Dallas.

See—the reach of The Roadhouse is far and wide!

New blues reverberate throughout The Roadhouse this week. Unlike last week’s edition, the 168th Roadhouse is primarily new blues releases. With new music from Eden Brent, Dani Wilde, Doug MacLeod, Julian Fouth, and JW-Jones, it’s a good hour-long ride of cutting-edge blues music. And, it’s another hour of the finest blues you’ve never heard.

For this edition of The Roadhouse, I’ve got an hour of introductions for you – a show full of artists who have never been featured. They’re not necessarily new artists, but they’re all brand new to The Roadhouse, and they’re a good indication of the big broad world of blues lying out there on the horizon. Chicago Rhythm & Blues Kings, Kevin Gordon, Grayson Capps, Darell Nulisch & Texas Heat, and Joe Calicott set the stage for another great hour of blues – an hour of introductions to artists brand new to The Roadhouse.

The 166th Roadhouse is a mess o’ blues. It’s pretty heavy on guitar and harp. It features youngsters and veterans, artists previously featured in The Roadhouse, and some new to the show. Sue Foley, Jason Ricci, David “Honeyboy” Edwards, Sugar Blue, and a moving track from the final Sean Costello CD. It’s an hour packed with blues – a mess o’ blues – the 166th Roadhouse Podcast.

I was stunned last night to receive an email from Mark at the A1 Artist Spotlight podcast, nothing that young blues phenom and personal favorite Sean Costello died in his Atlanta hotel room on Tuesday night. Mark did the last interview with Sean, just hours before his death. You can listen to that interview here.

Macon.com has the story, though the details are still very thin.

Young blues musician Sean Costello was found dead in his Atlanta hotel room late Tuesday.

He was a frequent visitor to Columbus, Ga., through gigs at The Loft and regular bookings at bygone outdoor music festivals like The Uptown Jam and RiverFest. He also played with B.B. King at the Columbus Civic Center, in a benefit show for the restoration of the Ma Rainey house.

Sean would have turned 29 on Wednesday.

Pico at blogcritics.com had this to say:

Sean’s soulful throat, tasty guitar licks and quality songwriting with an unwavering reverence to his rootsy forebears was just the kind of talent that reinvigorates the blues and keeps it going for a new generation of listeners. Just as Sean Costello got excited about the blues from discovering Stevie Ray Vaughan — another huge talent who’s life was cut short — perhaps someday a Costello record will inspire a kid or two to dedicate their lives toward keeping this grandest of music forms alive and dynamic.

I was privileged to introduce Sean Costello’s music to a lot of new fans in The Roadhouse. It was a personal introduction, as well, as I’d not heard of him prior to receiving permissions from Tone-Cool to include their artists in the show. I was blown away immediately by the spirit in his voice and by the emotional range of his singing, his guitar playing and his lyrics. In short, he was an old soul musically, capturing the vibe of R & B and contemporary blues before he reached the age of 21. I was, frankly, giddy when I received “We Can Get Together” in the mail, knowing I’d be able to share it in the show and enjoy it daily on the iPod. And, I took for granted that we’d have many more of those “new release moments” well into the future.

As further details on Sean Costello’s death become available, I’ll have them here and in the show.

Sean Costello home page.
Sean Costello on MySpace.

After a week away, The 165th Roadhouse starts at the beginning, runs through the middle, and ends at the end. It’s a puzzle of blues that fell together seemingly on its own, including King Biscuit Boy, Sean Costello, Marcia Ball, Eric Bibb, and Cold Blue Steel. Those are just the milemarkers, though, in an hour-long trek through the finest blues you’ve never heard: the 165th Roadhouse Podcast.

Just a quick heads-up about show 164. For the first time in the life of The Roadhouse, 164 will be a repeat of a previous show.

My grandmother passed away in Loveland, CO Saturday afternoon. I’ll be spending the week driving between a service in CO and a Saturday graveside service in IA. For the first time in a long time, I won’t be near the full blues library or the recording setup for most of the week.

The repeated show is Roadhouse 142. Acknowledging that this is a pretty recent show, there were several reasons for its selection. First, it’s a smoker, full of great blues guitar. Second, it was one of the most popular shows I’ve done, based on comments and email from listeners. Third, it’s a show for which all three versions are available: regular, premium and deluxe. And, finally, it’s close to the 60:00 timing I try to provide The Roadhouse radio affiliates, KEGR and KPVL. It fits the bill on four of five counts.

Thanks for your patience. I’ll be back with a new show for 165.

We roll into the streets of Chicago for a one-city edition of The Roadhouse. In the city where electric blues was born, we grab Johnny Shines, Muddy Waters, Big Bill Broonzy, Buddy Guy, and Koko Taylor to lead the show, with ten more great cuts from legendary Chicago blues artists. It’s all about Chicago in the 163rd Roadhouse, and it’s another hour of the finest blues you’ve never heard.

The Little Blue House on the Wetlands moves officially into spring this week, and the music in this edition reflects the volatility of spring in the Midwestern US. Johnny Nicholas & Walter Horton, Cold Blue Steel, Michael Burks, Johnny Winter, Odetta are the featured artists. We’re in little clubs, big studios, acoustic, electric, male, female. The perfect selection of music to match the wild moods of spring. Seasons may change, but the 162nd Roadhouse is another hour of the finest blues you’ve never heard.

Note: In the show, I mis-credited “Every Day I Have The Blues” to Johnny Nicholas and Little Walter. In fact, it should be Walter Horton (too many Walter harp players!). And, though Walter Horton appears on the album, he doesn’t appear in that cut. The confusion on my part can be credited to spring giddiness!

There’s plenty more new music in the 161st Roadhouse Podcast. Two more new releases from Alligator, a couple of tracks released in the past few weeks, and cuts from upcoming Northern Blues. Slick Ballinger, Marcia Ball, Samuel James, Jason Ricci, Michael Burks – a full picture of the blues, and much of it brand new. It’s another hour of the finest blues you’ve never heard – the 161st Roadhouse Podcast.

The 160th Roadhouse Podcast is a veritable showcase of new blues music. Fully one-third of the cuts in this edition are pre-release, or released only in the past week. Eddy “The Cheif” Clearwater, Roman Carter, Smokin’ Joe Kubek & Bnois King, Bob Brozman, and Samuel James put the sawdust on The Roadhouse dance floor to good use: you’ll want to move and dance for the full hour. It’s an hour of the finest new blues you’ve never heard – the 160th Roadhouse Podcast.

Media information / For immediate release

Guitarist and bandleader Jeff Healey dies in Toronto hospital

Following a lengthy struggle with cancer, Healey passes away on the eve of the release of a new blues rock album.

Jeff Healey, arguably one of the most distinctive guitar players of our time, died today (Sunday March 2) in St. Joseph’s Hospital, Toronto. He was 41, and leaves his wife, Cristie, daughter Rachel (13) and son Derek (three), as well as his father and step-mother, Bud and Rose Healey, and sisters Laura and Linda.

Funeral and memorial arrangements are pending.

Robbed of his sight as a baby due to a rare form of cancer, retino blastoma, and he started to play guitar when he was three, holding the instrument unconventionally across his lap. He formed his first band at 17, but soon formed a trio which was named the Jeff Healey Band.

After his appearance in the movie Road House, he was signed to Arista records, and in 1988 released the Grammy-nominated album See the Light, which included a major hit single, Angel Eyes. He earned a Juno Award in 1990 as Entertainer of the Year.

The 159th Roadhouse Podcast is an upbeat affair. You might call it jump, you might call it swing, you might call it boogie. There’s even a liberal sprinkling of West Coast blues. But if you follow the walking bass, you’ll know that’s it clearly a jumpin’ edition of The Roadhouse. Mark Hummel, Jay McShann, Ana Popovic, William Clarke, and Rick Holmstrom will make you move and groove for another hour of the finest blues you’ve never heard – the 159th Roadhouse Podcast.

The Roadhouse takes a twisy road this week. It’s one of those editions where I started screening music and just let it lead wherever. Ivory Joe Hunter, Curtis Salgado, Calvin Owens Blues Orchestra, Ian Siegal and Matt Schofield, and Joe Louis Walker take the driver’s seat to no place in particular. Destination or not, the 158th Roadhouse is yet another hour of the finest blues you’ve never heard.