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.

Jam! Music and other media outlets are reporting about two weekend shows held in Toronto in honor of blues musician Jeff Healey, who tragically succumbed to cancer in March 2008. The list of musicians that showed up to honor the late guitarist is a diverse and impressive one: Randy Bachman of the Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive; Ian Gillan of Deep Purple; Jack Bruce of Cream; bluesman Colin James; singer Alannah Myles; and singer/songwriter David Wilcox, among others. Proceeds from the two shows will go to Daisy's Eye Cancer Fund. Read all about these shows on the Jam! Music website.

Jeff Healey photo by Chris Top Photography, courtesy of Ruf Records

Blind Pig Records will be launching the label's "Master Vinyl Series" on May 6th, 2008 with three fine releases. The first three titles of the series will include Muddy Waters' The Lost Tapes, Drinkin' TNT 'n' Smokin' Dynamite by Buddy Guy and Junior Wells, and Tommy Castro's Painkiller LP. The three titles will be released as limited edition, high-quality 180-gram virgin vinyl albums.

The Muddy Waters' LP features live recordings from 1971, capturing a Waters band that included Pinetop Perkins, George "Harmonica" Smith, Calvin "Fuzz" Jones, and Willie "Big Eyes" Smith. The Guy/Wells album was recorded live at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1974 and includes Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones on bass. Tommy Castro's Painkiller is a vinyl version of the acclaimed blues guitarist's 2007 album, and his first ever vinyl LP release.

"This is in response to the growing audiophile market for high-quality LPs," label president Edward Chmelewski says on the Blind Pig website. "And for those of us who fondly remember listening to LPs in the 60s and 70s, it's a lot of fun to return to that format. For one, it's great to have the larger artwork canvas afforded by the LP packaging, and the warmth and depth of the sound quality on these new versions is amazing. And it's kind of cool to come full circle back to the LP, the only format we were selling when we started the label in 1977."

LP cover photos courtesy of Blind Pig Records

OK, I thought that I'd seen it all … but "blues sneakers?" Big league athletic shoemaker Adidas has teamed with Alligator Records to release a custom-designed shoe as part of their "Sounds of the City" line. I gotta admit, though, this is one good-looking pair of kicks! Based on the Adidas "Superstar 1" shoe, the Alligator Records model features an embossed brown leather heel (textured to look like alligator skin), beige stripes, and sand-colored laces.

The recognizable Alligator Records logo is imprinted on the shoe's tongue, and the label's reptile mascot can be seen on the metal lace holder. A pair of these beauties will run you northwards of a C-note, and Adidas has also produced a branded Alligator Records t-shirt and other clothing to accompany your new shoes. Now you can shuffle your feet in style when you're listening to your Son Seals and Lonnie Brooks albums!

Photo courtesy Adidas

Jason Ricci is one of the most exciting young bluesmen making a name for himself on the scene through relentless touring and ever-improving recordings. Ricci and his band, New Blood, will be ubiquitous on the blues festival trail this summer. Check out the Reverend's review of Ricci's Rocket Number 9 CD on the Cashville411 website and find out more about this exciting performer before he hits a festival near you!

Jason Ricci photo courtesy of Eclecto Groove Records

The wedding of blues music and rock & roll in the evolution of the blues-rock genre did not happen in a vacuum. It was largely the invention of white British kids, enamored of the blues records they heard by Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and others that were imported into the U.K. Putting their own spin on things, bands like these created a blues-rock genre that still resonates with listeners today. Read more about these six essential early blues-rock bands.

The Yardbirds 2005, photo courtesy The Yardbirds