"Today's Chicago Blues" No Longer Being Updated

Sad to read that Karen Hansen is no longer posting to her blues music blog "Today's Chicago Blues." As a blues blogger I understand her reasons perfectly. Blogging about the blues is a labor of love at best, and just hard work at its worst.

First I would like to say thanks to her for maintaining a well written and high quality blues blog. I really enjoyed reading about the dynamic Chicago blues music that she wrote about. I felt like I knew what was going on in the Chicago Blues music scene because I visited her blog often.

Her voice will be missed.

FAQ: How do I get music to you for review

How do I get my blues music to you for a review in your blog?

This question has been asked enough times that I will answer it here as a blog post to make it clear, and so that I can refer back to it as needed.

If you want to send me a CD (I prefer CDs) please mail it to;

Fitzgerald
Squeeze My Lemon Blues Blog
268 Middlebush Dr.
San Diego, CA 92114

Or you can send me a link where I can download some of your blues music for review please send the link in an email to fitzinator@gmail.com.

1. I love to review new music, but I am fairly slow at it. So please understand that it may take a while.

2. Because you send me CDs or links to your mp3s it does not mean that I will review it. Just want to make that clear, there is no quid pro quo.

3. I like a lot of different music, and I only write about music that I like. If I don't like your music I will probably not waste your or my time writing about it. That is just the way I am.

4. If I don't like your music, so what? There is no accounting for taste and I'm just one little guy blogging about the blues, so don't take it so hard.

Attention blues bloggers - AllTop.com

Dear readers, this post is aimed at those of your who are blues music bloggers. I think all the support and responses that I get from bloggers is so cool, and I appreciate it so much. We all have to hang together and support each other.

A couple of weeks ago I submitted a list of blues blogs to be included in the AllTop.com website.

According to them they are;

an “online magazine rack” of popular topics. We update the stories every hour. Pick a topic by searching, news category, or name, and we’ll deliver it to you 24 x 7. All the topics, all the time.

In a nutshell they are a way for your blues blog to be seen and read by more readers and blues fans. They can also be a source of news and info for you. They are described as a RSS aggregator. And they are very heavily promoted on Twitter (which is where many readers are at right now).

Alltop is managed by Guy Kawasaki, the venture capitalist, blogger and former Apple Computer evangelist. You can read their about page for more information.

The good people over at AllTop created a topic for blues music see AllTop's blues music topic. They put up some of those that I recommended. You have to have an RSS feed to submit your blog.

You can also check out MyAllTop - Fitzgerald page.

I suggest that if you want your blog indexed on this new emerging website that you click on the link above and submit your blog. I think this is a good thing for blues music bloggers (or any website masters for that matter) to be listed on a site that is heavily promoted on Twitter.

I also have one of their widgets on my sidebar, you can check it out.

Thanks To All The Visitors To SML

I had been thinking about what I would say as I approached 100,000 page views, and now that that milestone has been passed, really there's nothing to say but,

"Thank you!"

Thanks to my contributors Ron Moorby and Mister Anchovy, I hope you both understand how much you add to this blog and how much I appreciate your help around here.

Thanks to my regular readers, you know who you are. It is because of you all that we keep up this labor of love.

Thanks also to the casual readers, who just stop in every now and then, we also need you very much.

The best I can figure out, the 100,000 visitor to SqueezeMyLemon was someone from Newburgh, Indiana, who came to the blog via Google searching for the term "blues blogspot." A search term that we rank very high in.

Thanks again, and please keep visiting us here at SML (with your help, we may be around for 200,000 visitors) and in the mean time, keep your Mojo working!

Ever Expanding Blues Tweeters List

Man I have been on twitter for about five days now and I am loving it. One thing that I have noticed is that there are quite a few blues music lovers over there. So if you have a twitter account and want to follow people who write, play, listen to and generally love blues music please check these tweeters out.

Please understand that this list is a work in progress, I will repost it and make changes as needed. If I have made any mistakes in presenting your info here please let me know. I just want to help create a strong blues community on twitter.

There is me, Fitzgerald
My other music blog KK&R Music Blog
My other other music blog (Reggae music) Me Inna Fever

fngrstyleblues
blogger fingerstyleblues.com

TheBluesBlogger
blogger TheBluesBlogger

Karen Hanson
Author Today's Chicago Blues
Blogger Today's Chicago Blues blog

Jason Ricci
Musician Harmonica Player/Teacher
Jason Ricci's YouTube Channel

Tony Eyers
Harmonica Player/Teacher
Tony Eyers Harmonica Academy

Carl Abernathy
blogger Cal's Juke Joint blog

Jane Geddis
blogger Radio Personality
Counter-Clock Records' Blog

TheAshGrove
The Ash Grove Club and Blog
Ash Grove Wolfgangs Vault Catalog
The Ash Grove Blog

HairyLarryLand
musician Hairy Larry Land.com

Mitch
blogger MitchRightNow

Harald ten Hoopen
blogger hsth.hl/blues

Harm501 blues blog

Elli Fordyce
Jazz musician blogger
Elli Fordyce Something Still Cool Blog

MurphysBlues bluse
music podcastor Murphy's Saloon Blues Podcast

CoonAssDotCom
blogger Bayou Child One Cajuns Life Blog

WorldOfBlues
blogger Worldofblues.com Blog

Blues4Ever
blogger Blues Underground Blog

BluesUnlimited
Author The Amazing Secret History of Elmore James

DoctorOakRoot
musician guitar maker DoctorOakRoot.com

joaofelipebruno
blues fan

Hardik Kheskani
blues music fan

essjam
blues fan

bluesmusic60
blues fan

If you know of anybody who I should add to this list please let me know. I would love to know of more musicians who tweet. Or if you just want me to follow you on twitter just send me a tweet, leave a comment or email me at fitzinator(at)gmail(dot)com. I really like to follow people who have something to say.

I've also joined a couple of twibes (like tribes but for twitter) which are groups for liked minded twitters;

blues twibe

blues harmonica twibe

jazz twibe

music twibe

folk twibe

gospel blues twibe

And remember as some wise man once said, tweet people the way you want to be tweeted.

Music blog in the spotlight: Indieblogheaven

I usually reserve the spotlight for blogs that are all about the blues music. But then again, I like to break my own rules everynow and then. And what better way to do that then to introduce you to one of my favorite music blogs, Indieblogheaven. Their tag line pretty much sums it up, "Music for people with taste."

According to them, they are;

... a music blog, primarily focusing on indie bands/artists. This may include some americana, pop, punk, or whatever we might like at the time. There might be some pop culture sprinkled in periodically.

What I like about them the most is that they are consistant. You can count on these guys to deliver good new indie bands day in and day out. They have been doing this for years now.

I remember the day I realized that they had linked to my blog, it was cool because then I realized that I was included in that group of "music for people with taste."

Blues Blogs In The Spotlight: Today's Chicago Blues

Today I want to shine a spotlight on Today's Chicago Blues. This is one of my favorite blues blogs because it is choked full of the latest news and info on the Chicago blues scene.

The blogger and author Karen Hanson post updated info on Chicago blues clubs and musicians. She also covers the Chicago blues festival each year.

She is a freelance writer, who lives and works in the southwest suburbs of Chicago. Her book, Today's Chicago Blues, was published in 2007. It is available at major bookstores and online booksellers. Please click the image below for more info at Amazon.com.

About her book;

"Today's Chicago Blues is a guide book that is well worth checking out. In eight chapters Ms. Hanson covers not only the Blues venues in our Windy City but dedicates her book to informing the reader of the whole Blues experience Chicago has to offer. The book is steeped in history and well-researched facts. It also includes both vintage and current photos that spice up the pages nicely. It is a complete guide on many different levels. Both a visitor new to the Blues and a seasoned Blues Fanatic can enjoy this great book."

~ . ~
There are many great blues blogs out there. I try to support the good ones, and that is where this series is coming from. If you have missed any of the blogs that I've spotlighted so far, just click on the label blogs below to see those post.

And please check out the blues blogs on my blues blogs list on the right. >>>

A Wee Bit Of Introduction

It is my pleasure to introduce to you my online friend, Ron Moorby. He is a fellow blogger, a guy who in my mind has very good taste in music, among other things.

A British gentlemen who I met on line at the social networking site StumbleUpOn (though we have never met in real life), he is well traveled and wise in his selection of music.

His taste to me seem eclectic and at the same time delightful. I was just commenting to him via PM that I enjoy his perspective on music. We enjoy a lot of the same music, and he has turned me on to many new artist.

He has been contributing to my other music blog KK&R music blog for a few months now. And he never seems to run out of energy, so I suggested that he might want to post some blues with me here on SML. Not being a blues purist, he will probably lean more toward the R&B / British blues kind of music. But hey "it's all good" as we like to say.

I am hoping that he will do the same here that he does over at KK&R, which is bring his energy, his British perspective, introduce us to some new musicians, and maybe give us his view on some of the old favorites.

Ron's Blogger Profile

Ron's StumbleUponOn Profile - where you will find a very interesting collection of links to cool sites on the Internet.

Humbled by the blues

Friends, I just want to let you all know that I am humbled by the blues. I love this music so much, and when I started this blog I thought I had a good understanding of it all. I thought that because I was raised in the blues, listen to the blues, read about the blues, played the blues and had lived the blues that I really understood it.

But there is just so much to know, so many great songs, so many great musicians. So much culture that is related to the blues. So much history, and it never stops it just keeps on going. This music is high art, and don't let anyone tell you anything different.

You could spend your whole life studying just guitar players, you could spend your whole life just studying guitar players from the state of Mississippi. You could spend your whole life just studying slide guitar players from the state of Mississippi. Not to mention, singers, harmonica players, drummers, piano players and many other kinds of musicians in all different kinds of combinations from just the state of Mississippi. And then you could do it all over again for the states of Texas, Louisiana, New York, California, South Carolina, Illinois, just put your favorite state, city or even country where Mississippi is above.

I'm humbled and still I wonder "how blue can you get baby."

Blues Blogs In The Spotlight: A Copywriter's Blues

Another blues blog that I often read is A Copywiter's Blues. This blog is notable because it post some of the most comprehensive posting on blues greats to be found on the web. A typical post includes several video clips and other links to support and act as a resource for background information.

You can tell that the author Alex Badalic is a blues music lover by the way he writes about it. He also relates his experience with the musicians over the years as he relates various shows and other important milestones.

One reason that I like this blog so much is how it often surprised me with his selection of musicians and his presentation.

Blues Blogs In The Spotlight: Cahl's Juke Joint

Another one of my favorite music blogs is Cahl's Juke Joint: A rock, blues and jazz blog. Cahl has got to be one of the most consistent music bloggers around. Day in and day out he post some of the coolest music.

I'm forever being turned on to new musicians and updated on ones that I know and love by reading his blog.

What I like best about this blog are the stories of how Cahl discovered, or found, or went to a concert of a certain musician. He writes in a way that lets you know that he is really connected to the music and enjoys it as much as you will.

Blues Blogs In The Spotlight: The Blues Blogger

One of my favorite blues blogs, and one that I hope my readers will pay a visit to is The Blues Blogger.

This is very well written blog and has many topical postings that cover blues music news, new releases, music videos, sound clips and other multimedia files that are of interest to the blues fan.

What I really like about this blog the most is the writing. The Blues Blogger relates the blues to his everyday life and you get a sense of how the music fits into the contents of your own life maybe. I have come away with a new perspective on my songs and artist, from reading his blog.

Please give him a read if you don't already.

Introducing Prin's Blues Page

My online friend Prin, has created a new Blues Page. She is a big fan of the blues and loves to share her knowledge of the blues, as well as the latest news of about blues musicians.

Please go by and check out her new blog "Prin's Blues Page." Like me she is a prolific bloger and has many other interesting and cool blogs that you might like to read.

Match Box Blues - A History

There is a Zen saying, "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear."

As a student of the blues, I know when someone is being a teacher, or taking me to school. I enjoyed the lesson on the history of that proverbial blues song "Match Box Blues" given over at Heart on a Stick Blog.

These two comprehensive entries (linked below) will give you all the information that you will ever need about this song and the many artist who preformed it over the years.

The More You Cry (The Matchbox Blues Blues, Pt. 1)

The Further You Drive Me Away (The Matchbox Blues Blues, Pt. 2)

Just to give you an idea of what a treasure these post are, consider the opening note to post one.

[Note 1: These are long. No, seriously. I don't expect anyone to read any of it. But there are 33 mp3s in these two entries and, as they're pretty much taking up all my online storage space, they won't be up very long. A week, maybe. The text and the stitched-together comparison track up will stay up, but grab whatever else you might want while you can.]

These were posted yesterday, so if you want to check out any of the mp3s you better get over there soon.


Leadbelly - Match box blues

Uncensored History of the Blues Podcast

I have just recently become aware of blues podcasting. It is something that I have wanted to explore in-depth for a while now, but just never got around to. But I recently found a podcast that prompted me to dive right in.

I wish I could write something elegant enough to explain how good the Uncensored History of the Blues podcast is. But words fell me. I don't know if it is the plain spoken presentation style of the host Mike Rugel or if it is the fact that he picks a topic and then presents prewar blues songs that illustrate the theme. One thing that I really like about this podcast is that it has a lot of historical value.

Both the themes and the music give you a glimpse into the past as well as the lives of the musicians. I have always thought that the best way to understand the blues, is to consider the time when the music was being made. This podcast does a good job of connecting the music to past events.

The site is discribed @ ODEO.com

Mike Rugel and the Delta Blues Museum take a raw look at the early history of blues music. Each show includes a series of pre-war blues tracks along with context and exposition.

Again words fell me, so without more delay please click on one of the links below;

www.deltabluesmuseum.org

Uncensored History of the Blues Blog - Song list and other information about each podcast.

Below are a few examples of podcast and song list:

Show 20 - Death Tributes Songs:

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Death of Leroy Carr - Bumble Bee Slim and Scrapper Blackwell
Death of Blind Boy Fuller - Brownie McGhee
Oh Death - Charley Patton and Bertha Lee
Death of Walter Barnes - Leonard 'Baby Doo' Caston
Death of Holmes' Mule - Charlie Turner and Winston Holmes
Death of Sonny Boy Williamson - Peck Curtis and Houston Stackhouse

Show 19- Bootlegger's Blues Songs:

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Bootleg Rum Dum Blues - Blind Blake
Bootleggers' Blues - Mississippi Sheiks
Jones Law Blues - James "Stump" Johnson
Sloppy Drunk Blues - Leroy Carr
Good Whiskey Blues - Peetie Wheatstraw
Bootleggin' Ain't No Good No More - Blind Teddy Darby
Alley Bound Blues - Curtis Jones

Show 15 - Blues of the Great War

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Army Blues - Kingfish Bill Tomlin
Uncle Sam Blues - Clara Smith
Army Camp Harmony Blues - Ma Rainey
Army Mule in No Man's Land - Coley Jones
Wartime Blues - Blind Lemon Jefferson

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music, blues, podcast