Cry Me A Blues River

Jessie Mae Hemphill : Jessie Mae Hemphill was surrounded by music from the moment she was born near the Tate and Panola County lines in northern Mississippi. Her great-grandfather was a renowned fiddle player in Choctaw County, Mississippi and her grandfather, Sid Hemphill, was a blind fiddle player and bandleader. The Hemphill’s were multi-instrumentalists with her grandfather also playing panpipes, drums, guitar, piano, banjo, and fife. Her aunt Rosa Lee was also a well-known performer who recorded several albums. Rosa Lee, like her sisters Sidney Lee and Virgie Lee Hemphill (Jessie Mae’s mother) played stringed instruments, as well as drums. As a young girl in the early 40’s, Jessie Mae was heavily influenced by the music at family and community gatherings; both church music and the blues. She began playing guitar at age seven or eight, and later played bass drum and snare in her grandfather’s fife and drum band.

Miki Honeycutt @CD Baby : “Miki Honeycutt’s spinetingling voice and A-Train’s ability to write first-rate R&B originals make this white Louisiana bar band special. Their originals will thrill Otis Redding diehards.” -The Boston Herald

Ruthie Foster : With a sound that ignores demographic lines and a charisma that can ignite any audience, Foster emerges on The Truth According to Ruthie Foster as an artist of all-encompassing appeal. This was only a matter of time. Even as a young girl, she was taking in a wide variety of music, whether through the hymns her mother taught her, the The Beatles songs she analyzed in a book given by her guitar teacher, the 45s her truck-driving uncle would drop off during his visits, the old-school country she heard while watching various country variety shows with her grandfather, or the pop songs that crackled through the family radio.

Ndidi Onukwulu @Wikipedia : Onukwulu, whose father, jazz player Ezeadi Onukwulu, is from Nigeria, also integrates Malagasy and Nigerian music into her performances to create a unique and eclectic sound. She frequently tours promoting her music and makes regular appearances at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival

Lynn White @Soulwaking : In 1982, she recorded the single ‘I Don’t Ever Want to See Your Face Again’ for the Sho Me label. The single was picked up by Willie Mitchell (best known for his work with Al Green), who reissued it on his Waylo Records. Willie approached Lynn in for a few studio sessions, resulting in her remaining with Waylo for the duration of the 1980’s.

Freddie Spruell @The Blues Trail : Born in 1893, probably in or around Lake Providence, Louisiana, when he was still a young boy his parents moved to Chicago. He was one of the first self-accompanied bluesmen to record, for Okeh Records in 1926, releasing “Milk Cow Blues” and “Muddy Water Blues”. Whilst he had grown up in Chicago, his music had a strong Delta influence. Sometimes also known as Papa Freddie Spruell, Mister Freddie and even Mississippi Freddie Spruell (although his only known links to that State are stylistic).

Joey Baron @jazz.com : After a successful audition, Baron spent the next two years performing with McRae. A highlight from his time with McRae was the recording of the live album Carmen McRae at the Great American Music Hall, which featured trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. After his stint with McRae, Joey spent time freelancing around Los Angeles, occasionally subbing on the Merv Griffin show.

Sweet Betty @musicmaker : Sweet Betty was raised in Duluth, Georgia and took an early interest in music listening to her mother sing in church. Betty grew up singing gospel, blues and popular songs of the day. In the mid 1980’s, she met saxophonist, Grady “Fats” Jackson. Jackson was so impressed with Betty’s voice that he began featuring her on his shows throughout Georgia. Sweet Betty has since traveled thoughout the United States and Europe and is considered to be the finest blues singer in Atlanta.

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