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The Legendary David "Honeyboy" Edwards Live @ Cozy's Bar & Grill
By Staff Writer
David "Honeyboy" Edwards was born June 28, 1915 in Shaw, Mississippi. Honeyboy is one of the last living links to Robert Johnson, and one of the last original acoustic Delta blues players. He is a living legend, and his story is truly part of history. He is the real deal.
Honeyboy was a part of many of the seminal moments of the blues. As Honeyboy writes in "The World Don't Own Me Nothing", "...it was in '29 when Tommy Johnson come down from Crystal Springs, Mississippi. He was just a little guy, tan colored, easy-going; but he drank a whole lot. At nighttime, we'd go there and listen to Tommy Johnson play." Honeyboy continues, "Listening to Tommy, that's when I really learned something about how to play guitar."
Honeyboy's life has been intertwined with almost every major blues legend, including Robert Johnson, Charlie Patton, Big Joe Williams, Rice "Sonny Boy Williamson" Miller, Howlin' Wolf, Peetie Wheatstraw, Sunnyland Slim, Lightnin' Hopkins, Big Walter, Little Walter, Magic Sam, Muddy Waters, and ... well, let's just say the list goes on darn near forever!
In 1942, Alan Lomax recorded Honeyboy in Clarksdale, Mississippi for the Library of Congress. He recorded a total of fifteen sides of Honeyboy's music.
Honeyboy didn't record again commercially until 1951, when he recorded "Who May Your Regular Be" for Arc Records. Honeyboy also cut "Build A Cave" as 'Mr. Honey' for Artist.
Moving to Chicago in the early fifties, Honeyboy played small clubs and street corners with Floyd Jones, Johnny Temple, and Kansas City Red. In 1953, Honeyboy recorded several songs for Chess that remained un-issued until "Drop Down Mama" was included in an anthology release.
In 1972, Honeyboy met Michael Frank, and the two soon became fast friends. In 1976, they hit the North Side Blues scene as The Honeyboy Edwards Blues Band, as well as performing as a duo on occasion. Michael founded Earwig Records, and in 1979 Honeyboy and his friends Sunnyland Slim, Kansas City Red, Floyd Jones, and Big Walter Horton recorded "Old Friends".
Honeyboy's early Library of Congress performances and more recent recordings were combined on "Delta Bluesman", released by Earwig in 1992.
Honeyboy has written several blues hits, including "Long Tall Woman Blues", "Sweet Home Chicago" and "Just Like Jesse James".
Honeyboy continues up and down the Blues Highway, traveling from juke joint to nightclub to festival, playing real Delta blues to adoring fans everywhere.
Honeyboy just won a Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Album.
http://www.davidhoneyboyedwards.com/
Come see him live! Two Nights! Jan. 15th & 16th
For Dinner Reservatons:
(818) 986-6000
$15 cover charge
Cozy's Bar & Grill
14058 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
818-986-6000
www.cozysblues.com
Elvis Only Celebrates Elvis Presley’s 75th Birthday
By Staff Writer
Elvis is celebrating his birthday in style. This week's installment of ELVIS ONLY will be a special 75th Birthday edition of the weekly program in honor of Elvis Presley's milestone birthday. Elvis Only is the creation of its Host and Producer, Jay Gordon, who is especially proud of this week's birthday tribute. This special birthday homage will feature music from Sony Legacy's new 4-disc, 100-song box set titled Elvis 75 - Good Rockin' Tonight, and it will also include an exclusive interview with Elvis' longtime, live-in girlfriend, actress and Emmy Award winning songwriter Linda Thompson. Thompson has rarely granted interviews over the years, and during this birthday program she shares fond memories of the man she knew who has grown to become a legend and icon.
Elvis Presley would have been 75 on January 8th and Jay Gordon is pleased to have not only landed a new Linda Thompson interview but he's happy to be highlighting the new Good Rockin' Tonight compilation of Elvis recordings. In Jay's words, the box set, "is just like our Elvis Only program in that it features every side of Elvis: the hits, rarities, deep cuts, film songs and live recordings."
Elvis Only is a one-hour program that celebrates the unprecedented, groundbreaking, and unique phenomenon that was Elvis Presley. The show is the Elvis-themed program of choice for stations serving nearly 75 markets and the affiliate lineup covers several radio formats, from Classic Hits and Oldies to Country. Elvis Only will celebrate its own birthday on January 8th. The show originally debuted locally in Boston at WODS-FM on Elvis Presley's birthday in 1988 and has been a showcase for Jay Gordon's extensive collection of Elvis music, exclusive interviews and rare audio ever since. The highly produced show is a dream program for Elvis fans of all ages as it spotlights compelling sound bites and behind-the-scenes recollections from Elvis and the people and musicians that surrounding him during his incredible life. United Stations has been distributing the show since early 2008.
Jay Gordon is an East Coast native who started in radio at WXLO/Worcester
and worked at WHTT/Boston and WZLX/Boston, prior to a 12-year stint with WODS. Gordon discovered Elvis Presley as a youngster and is thrilled to be able to mix his passion for radio with his love and admiration for Elvis.
Robert Heft Blues Band
By Deirdre Loy
Bringing music back to the classic days of old, when rock, blues and country often brought multitudes of various people from all demographics together for a big shin-dig, Robert Heft is summoning the spirits of times past to channel what is left of the greatest musical legacy to ever come out of American soil. Like so many great artists of those legendary musical decades that brought these evolving styles together, Heft has shunned the unspoken rule that a band must conform to one style for mass marketing, and chooses to play what he loves. Stemming from the same roots, these styles compliment each other to the fullest capacity. Nowadays it is tough to create original work within genres that seem to have been so completely explored by the originals-genres that encompass a large percentage of the 'standards.' So, how, with all that has been accomplished in this field of dreams has a local 'white-boy' found soul and heart in the middle of this urban spread? Well, in the words of playwright Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, "You don't have to travel around the world to understand that the sky is blue everywhere."
Raised in Baltimore, Robert Heft's fascination with music began at a ripe young age of two when he would watch his brother practice at home: "I started playing guitar in April 1969…my parents were very supportive. They were terrific in supplying all of the tools necessary to play music; especially rock and roll. My mom was great at turning away the police [from] the door, as we were always rocking out at top volume in the house." Then, in 1979, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue music as much more than a fleeting hobby or mere pastime. Along with his own projects, he writes, plays, and produces music for local songwriters and bands at Songwriters' Studio Services in Northridge; the recording studio he founded for the creative collective rapidly amassing here in the valley music scene.
Heft's newest release, Keep on Movin', is comprised of completely original compositions that will absolutely lift your spirits. The tempo is fun and upbeat most of the time-setting aside the more depressing attributes related to blues and country music to make way for good time rocking-out. He has too much soul for a white guy is what some of his colleagues might say about his knack to get down and dirty with classic rhythm and blues. Reminiscent of Eric Clapton's style, Heft really has some great lead guitar licks and upbeat grooves and, by comparison, he is only lacking one thing that his idol had-professional female backup vocalists-which would really set his sound straight. The backing track lacks that feminine touch and soulful nuance that really gave many musical legends a well-rounded sound and style that helped pave their road to greatness. In the end, with all comparisons aside, this album has contributed a great deal of effort to continue the legacy of blues and rock, and to the continuing success of Heft's career as a die hard musician.
The band is Kurt Fries on keyboards and vocals, Bill Ruffino on bass, and Rob Man on drums. Heft met the band's drummer Rob Man when he auditioned for the Cross Country Band nineteen years ago, and says Man is "one of those players you can only hope will say yes when you ask him to join your band; an 'A-list' musician, simply the best," while he praises his other mates with spectacular reviews and shows an immense respect for their masterful musicianship, unbending reliability, and mutual passion for making great tunes. The newest album also contains collaborations with local artists Jeffrey Michaels and Los Caballeros; you can purchase it online through Angel Song Records on iTunes.
The Robert Heft Blues band plays every Wednesday night from 9- 10 PM at Club Sixty 25 in Tarzana, and afterward hosts a blues jam until 1 AM. Also, you can see Heft at the Rock Inn in Lake Hughes, McG's Irish Pub in Chatsworth, The VFW 6885 in Santa Clarita, and many other places around town. Check his website for current gigs and schedule at www.myspace.com/robertheft and www.robertheft.com, or join his mailing list by sending a request to bbenderrrr@aol.com.
When we asked Heft what his plan for the future was he replied, "Keep on keepin' on," made famous by the Alman Brothers, which according to the Urban Dictionary means: to "continue to do what you've always done." We are going to take that as a good sign and hope that means we will be seeing another album in the near future.
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