The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, taking place in Manchester, Tennessee on June 12th - 15th, will be adding some New Orleans flavor to the line-up this year. The annual event is creating a special venue dedicated to celebrating the culture of New Orleans and Louisiana. Called "Somethin' Else – New Orleans," it will be modeled on some of the city's most famous clubs such as Tipitina's and Preservation Hall. Aside from featuring regional cuisine, the venue will also present live music throughout the weekend from a number of New Orleans' favorite blues, jazz, and R&B artists.

Among those performers confirmed for Somethin' Else – New Orleans at Bonnaroo are Walter "Wolfman" Washington, Anders Osborne, Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk, Big Sam's Funky Nation, and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. A donation will be taken from Bonnaroo fans as they enter the festival, with proceeds donated to non-profit organizations like the New Orleans Musician's Clinic, the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts, the New Orleans Habitat Musicians' Village/Ellis Marsalis Center for Music, and Tipitina's Foundation.

Bonnaroo logo courtesy of Big Hassle PR & Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival

Blues guitarist Johnny Winter has always been at his best in a live atmosphere, and the fretburner has released a number of dynamic live sets on vinyl and CD throughout his career. Live Bootleg Series Vol. 2 is the second collection of live material culled from Winter's private collection, featuring the artist's take on his favorite songs from bluesmen like B.B. King, Robert Johnson, Mose Allison, and others. Read the full review of Winter's Live Bootleg Series Vol. 2 album.

CD cover photo courtesy Friday Music

One of the hottest young artists making a noise on the blues scene these days is Mike Zito. Today, the St. Louis native's fourth studio album, and his Eclecto Groove Records debut, is scheduled for release on Tuesday, May 20, 2008. Zito's latest effort is said to be a high-energy collection of blues, rock, and soul sounds that would appeal to fans of any of these genres. Zito will be hitting the road in support of Today, and we've got the tour dates listed below. Enjoy!

05/15/08 - Vinton LA @ Delta Downs Casino
05/16/08 - Vinton LA @ Delta Downs Casino
05/17/08 - Grapevine TX @ Main Street Days Festival
05/20/08 - Austin TX @ Saxon Pub
05/27/08 - North Hills CA @ The Witches Brew
05/28/08 - Los Angeles CA @ Genghis Cohen (solo acoustic)
05/29/08 - West Hollywood CA @ House Of Blues
05/30/08 - Sherman Oaks CA @ Cozy's
05/31/08 - Hermosa Beach CA @ Cafe Boogaloo
06/05/08 - Huntsville AL @ Humphrey's
06/07/08 - Marietta GA @ Darwin’s
06/08/08 - Chattanooga TN @ Riverbend Festival
06/10/08 - Nashville TN @ Bourbon Street
06/11/08 - Grand Rapids MI @ Blues On Grand
06/12/08 - Lansing MI @ Blues On The Square
06/25/08 - Coumbia MO @ Summerfest
06/26/08 - Springfield, MO @ Harlow's
06/27/08 - Topeka, KS @ Varsity Blues
06/28/08 - Slater, MO @ Bear Creek Blues Festival
06/29/08 - Nashville, TN @ BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups
06/30/08 - St. Louis, MO @ BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups
07/10/08 - Biloxi MS @ Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
07/11/08 - Biloxi MS @ Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
07/12/08 - Biloxi MS @ Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
07/13/08 - Biloxi MS @ Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
08/03/08 - Osage Beach MO @ Dog Days
08/16/08 - Kansas City MO @ Boxcar Blues Festival
08/30/08 - Freeport TX @ Summertime Blues Festival

CD cover photo courtesy Eclecto Groove Records

The 25th annual Chicago Blues Festival will fill the city's Grant Park with glorious blues music from Thursday, June 5th through Sunday, June 8th, 2008. Sponsored by the Mayor's Office of Special Events along with various commercial supporters, the Chicago Blues Festival is the largest free admission blues festival in the world. This year's event will feature more than 100 performances on 7 stages, including a celebration of the centennials of bluesmen Louis Jordan, Tommy McLennan, and Blind John Davis. Find out what blues musicians will be performing this year at the 2008 Chicago Blues Festival.

B.B. King photo courtesy Geffen Records

Eli's Mile High Club, a historic piece of the West Coast blues scene, closed its doors on May 1, 2008, possibly for the last time. The club was originally opened in 1974 by Eli Thornton. In a tragedy worthy of its own song, Thornton was shot to death by his jealous mistress, a blues singer. Blues musician Troyce Key picked up the torch a few years after Thornton's death and ran the club with mixed results, but after Key's death in 1992, subsequent owners had a tough time making ends meet, and the club was auctioned off seven times between the years 2000 and 2005, when Sam Marshall bought Eli's for $50,000.

Marshall had a hard time making the club profitable from the very beginning. When blues audiences weren't large enough to pay the bills, Marshall added a weekly karaoke night, Sunday night blues jams, and other gimmicks to try and draw larger crowds. Three years later, with a significant rent increase looming, Marshall decided to close the club once more. Although the owners of the Depression-era building have offers on the table to re-open the space as a restaurant or a punk club, it's unlikely that the legendary Eli's will return as the blues club that has hosted artists like B.B. King, Etta James, and James Brown.

Members of the Blues Foundation have voted and the winners have been chosen: the 2008 Blues Music Award ceremony was held on Thursday night, May 8, 2008 at the Grand Casino Event Center in Tunica, Mississippi. Formerly known as the W.C. Handy Awards, the annual selection recognizes excellence in blues performances and recordings. Bobby Rush, Koko Taylor, and Tommy Castro were among the big winners; see who else walked off with a coveted Blues Music Award this year.

Photo courtesy Deep Rush Records / Blind Racoon

The Spring 2008 Chicago Blues Tour will take place on Saturday, May 17, 2008. The cost of the tour is $35.00, which includes admission to participating clubs as well as transportation between venues via shuttle bus. The ticket price does not include food or drink at the various clubs.

Six of Chicago's premier blues hotspots will be part of the Spring 2008 Chicago Blues Tour, including the Wabash Tap, Linda's Place, and the House of Blues. Among the artists performing along the tour route, you'll find Killer Ray Addison & the Killer Band, Fantastic L-Roy & the Bulletproof Band, and Vance Kelly & the Backstreet Blues Band, among others.

Check with the Chicago Blues Tour website for full details, a tour schedule, and ticket availability.

Vance Kelly photo courtesy Vance Kelly and the Chicago Blues Tour

Extraordinary blues-rock guitarist Walter Trout will unveil his latest album, The Outsider, on June 24, 2008. Produced by John Porter (B.B. King, Los Lonely Boys) at Mad Dog Studios in Burbank, California The Outsider will be released stateside by Provogue Records. Featuring 13 new original songs, Trout's backing band for The Outsider includes drummer Kenny Aronoff of John Mellencamp's band, bassist Hutch Hutchinson, and pianist Jon Clearly, with a little help from keyboardists Skip Edwards and Samuel Avila, as well as a special guest appearance by harp master Jason Ricci.

Trout earned his guitar star status after spending the latter part of the 1970s as a "gun for hire," lending his considerable chops to the touring bands of folks like John Lee Hooker, Big Mama Thornton, and Joe Tex. Trout further honed his skills performing as a member of the blues-rock band Canned Heat, and also performed as part of the legendary John Mayall's Bluesbreakers alongside guitarist Coco Montoya. Trout launched his solo career in 1989, and has since racked up accolades and acclaim for both his electrifying live performances and over a dozen live and studio albums.

Provogue Records is an indie label based in the Netherlands that specializes in guitar-driven blues-rock from artists like Leslie West, Eric Gales, and Joe Bonamassa. The label's upcoming release of Walter Trout's The Outsider represents Provogue's debut in the U.S. market. Trout will be touring in support of the new album; check with the artist's website for more details.

Photo courtesy Provogue Records

There's a buzz beginning to grow around blues-rock guitarist Cetan Clawson, the young guitar prodigy burning up the Midwest with his band, The Cetan Clawson Revolution. Bill Holdship, Music Editor of Detroit's Metro Times newspaper, interviews Clawson in advance of a hometown show, and the article portrays a thoughtful musician, mature beyond his years, with one foot firmly in the blues. Get ahead of the curve and discover Cetan Clawson before he hits the big time!

Proving that the language of the blues is universal, La Hora del Blues is Spain's original blues radio program. The show has broadcast every Friday night for over 25 years at 96.6 FM, hosted by Vicente Zumel. The founder of Spain's Blues Society, Zumel has a deep knowledge and love of blues music, and has contributed to publications like Living Blues (USA) and Blues Matters! (UK). The La Hora del Blues website is a delight to visit, offering monthly playlists and a quarterly collection of blues CD reviews, as well as a wealth of photos and other fun stuff. All content on the site is presented in both Spanish and English, which allows international web surfers the opportunity to share Zumel's passion for the blues.