London R&B singer and guitarist, James Hunter has had mainly the same band for twenty years and has recently begun to gain fame in the US. I managed to track him down for an interview, partly by email but also on the phone. His new album is called The Hard Way, perhaps indicative of how long it has taken him to achieve success.

Walter Trout has been a bandleader for around twenty years, too. He talked to me on the telephone from his home in California. Walter also released another album this year, called The Outsider, and he and his band have fifteen mainland UK dates, including two in Scotland and one in Wales.

Trevor Hodgett interviewed influential US singer, songwriter and performer Eric Andersen, when he played in Belfast this year. Eric hung out in Greenwich Village with the young Bob Dylan and has co-written songs with Townes Van Zandt.

Acoustic singer and guitarist Eleanor Ellis has a few dates in the Southeast. She has sent Blues In Britain an e-letter from Maryland, where she now lives. We also have e-letters from Rob Fleming of BluesMix about the band and its new album Biding My Time, and Ooh-Bop-Sh’bam, which is a great band to dance to.

Bob Ayre who runs Shades of Blue, a monthly club in St Albans, has written an article about it for our Blues Venue series. It takes place in the purpose built Maltings Arts Centre in the shopping mall, a lovely venue well worth trying to find.

I am trying to get out more this Autumn and one of the events I am looking forward to is the free Festival New Orleans at the O2, in Greenwich on 24th and 25th October. Dr John and Allen Toussaint are among the many stars from the Crescent City and there will be Mardi Gras Indians and southern food. This is swiftly followed by London Rhythm ‘N’ Roots dates at Dingwalls 27th to 30th October, with Geraint Watkins, Matt Schofield and Ian Siegal listed. So many good gigs we are spoilt for choice; I will see you out there!

Fran Leslie – October 2008

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