The Blues Band is celebrating thirty years since the band started; they have been playing together, on and off, ever since. To celebrate, the band has released two DVDs, one with a bonus soundtrack CD, which you can win in this month’s competition on page 31. Their Dave, Dave Kelly, guitarist, slide player singer and songwriter, took a break from his holiday in France to talk to me on the phone.

Gary Brooker has been in the news lately as a dispute about the creation of Procol Harum’s “Whiter Shade of Pale” has just been resolved in the courts. Gary Brooker’s first band The Paramounts, was a blues band, which also featured guitarist Robin Trower. He has toured with Eric Clapton and Bill Wyman. In this issue, he talks to Trevor Hodgett about the many excellent things he has done.

New to me, Tom Rodwell has had some good reviews from our contributors. Tom has emailed in his piece, which intrigues me. I hope to catch him at the Spitz Blues Festival at Kings Place on 4th September.

Our featured club venue, The Famous Monday Blues at the Bullingdon in Oxford, is celebrating twenty-five years of live music. Soundman Tony Jezzard has been involved since the 1990s, when Jonathan Lee was the licensee at the original venue. Now in its third location, the club is thriving.

We are considering changes in our schedule for Blues In Britain. Producing twelve issues a year makes it hard to take a break, to go to New Orleans or on the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise for example. The other options are to publish ten issues, six issues or only four issues a year. I feel that we have so little space to cover so many artists it would be a shame to cut down to a quarterly or bi-monthly schedule. Also, the Gig Guide would lose its edge as last minute gigs and tours would not get listed. The compromise, publishing ten issues a year would free up some time. One alternative, though, is to ask if there are any other blues fans with publishing skills who would like to join the team. Please let me know what you think. In the meantime, many thanks to all our writers and photographers who keep the magazine alive.

Fran Leslie

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It’s not often I’d go to the 100 Club on a Wednesday, especially with the prospect of an early start the next day, but this was a rare opportunity to see a blues legend in the flesh. Oh… and some chap named Charlie as well! Seems I wasn’t the only one either, with a sell-out crowd of all ages, including a pretty high percentage of blokes of a certain age, united by a love of the blues.

Dave Peabody opened with a solo spot, initially joining in with the Corey Harris version of “Diddy Wah Diddy” being played by the DJ and moving on seamlessly to “Drifting Blues”. He then enhanced his reputation as one of our most popular acoustic artists and raconteurs with a selection by the likes of the Memphis Jug Band, Tommy Johnson, Oscar “Buddy” Woods and Furry Lewis, plus a handful of his own compositions. There was a definite train bias throughout, incorporating infectious rhythm and audience participation, with his interpretations of “Going To Brownsville” and “Big Road Blues” being particularly well received, as well as his own “Hard To Write A Blues”.

Following a twenty minute break, Charlie Musselwhite climbed on stage, armed with an electric guitar and proceeded to have the crowd completely spellbound with a selection of tunes, stories and, enthusiastically encouraged by the audience, a demonstration of his awesome ability with the harmonica. “River Hip Mama” and “If I Should Have Bad Luck” were combined with the tale of Furry Lewis educating him in the art of “Spanish tuning” and a delightful instrumental that conjured up a much younger Musselwhite blowing his harp on a pile of bricks by a small, deserted railway station in the heart of Mississippi. Charlie’s relaxed vocals allowed the songs to stand on their own, with “Darkest Hour” a perfect example. He finished his solo slot with the up tempo boogie “Stingaree”, combining guitar and rack harp perfectly.

Dave Peabody then joined Charlie for the last half hour or so that was just some of the best blues I’ve heard in ages, probably helped by starting with “The Blues Overtook Me” that’s been one of my personal favourites for years. “Wild, Wild Woman” featured wonderful harmonica playing and understated but essential guitar from Dave, as did their take on Eddie Taylor’s “Bad Boy”. The set culminated in a irresistibly swinging “Movin’ And Groovin’”, before the offer of “one more” was accepted with raucous applause in the shape of an extended “Highway 51”, which took us on a twelve hundred mile blues journey from New Orleans to Illinois, via Memphis and echoes of Charlie’s youth spent on Beale Street.

There’s only one way to sum up this special evening – this was the Blues!