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Muddy Award Ballots 2011

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Muddy Award Ballots

Please remember to fill out your final Muddy ballots and return them to Muddy Ballots, c/o Cascade Blues Association, PO Box 14493, Portland, OR 97293, postmarked no later than October 8^th, in order for us to have this year’s awards created in time for the event.

The Muddy Awards ceremonies will take place on Thursday, November 3^rd, at The Melody Ballroom (615 SE Alder St, Portland) beginning at 6:30 pm. The night will open with a performance by last year’s Best New Act recipients Billy D & The Hoodoos. Originally we had announced that our Journey To Memphis winners The Robbie Laws Band would be performing, but Robbie and the band have a commitment in Canada that same week which will prevent them from making it back to Portland in time. We feel Billy D & The Hoodoos is more than a qualified replacement and should bring home some mighty fine entertainment of their own. After the presentation of this year’s recipients, we will be treated to a Muddy Award All Star band being put together and led by Muddy Hall of Famer Lisa Mann.

The Muddy Awards are free for members to attend and a bargain at just $5 for non-members. Mark it on your calendar because this is always a huge and very satisfying event.

2011 Muddy Awards Nominees

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2010 Muddy Awards: In Review

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The Cascade Blues Association’s 22nd edition of the Muddy Awards took place on Thursday, November 4th at The Melody Ballroom to a huge crowd, pushing around 500 or more in attendance. Standing room was even hard to come by at times, as Bill Rhoades recounted later that he arrived and couldn’t even get inside for a while, and had people trying to give him the $5 admission fee as stood by the door. It was also nice to have a majority of all the Muddy Award recipients on hand this year to accept their engraved crystal awards.

Opening the night in excellent fashion was Seattle’s Becki Sue & Her Big Rockin’ Daddies. Always a popular act in Portland and nominated for Best Regional Act, it was sad to hear that this would be the final performance of the group’s long-time line-up, but they went out in full glory and we’ll be anticipating the new version of the band soon, as well as sax/harp player Jim King’s new outfit.

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Year 2010 Muddy Award Winners

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The 22nd Annual Muddy Awards Ceremony was held on November 4, 2010 at the Melody Ballroom. Thanks to all the nominees for their invaluable contributions to our local and regional blues scene! The Muddy Award winners are noted below in red.

CONTEMPORARY BLUES ACT

Kevin Selfe & The Tornadoes

The Strange Tones

Ty Curtis Band

R&B ACT

Curtis Salgado

Lloyd Jones Struggle

Norman Sylvester Band

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22nd Annual Muddy Awards Celebration, Nov 4, 2010

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It’s November. And in the world of the blues in Portland, that can only mean one thing. It’s Muddy Awards time!

Please join us on Thursday, November 4th, at The Melody Ballroom (upstairs, 615 SE Alder St., Portland), beginning at 6:30 pm, for the 22nd annual Cascade Blues Association Muddy Awards. It will be another sensational night of great music and presentations honoring those musicians, venues, events and people, selected by our members noting high achievements to our blues community this past year. Admission is free for CBA members and $5 for non-members. It’s a special gala, so feel free to dress up a little if you so desire.

Opening the evening will be a performance from the 2008 Muddy Award Regional Band of the Year, Becki Sue & Her Big Rockin’ Daddies. One of the top bands from the Puget Sound area in Washington, they have been delivering their high blend of great blues all over the country and into Mexico this past spring, and recently saw their latest CD, Big Rockin’ Boogie, climb all the way to the #2 spot on Sirius XM’s BB King’s Bluesville 74. A perennial nominee for the Muddys, they’re once again up for the Regional Blues Act honors.

The Awards will begin immediately following Becki Sue & Her Big Rockin’ Daddies’ performance. There will be a total of 22 awards handed out to recipients, presented by CBA board members, local celebrities, musicians and special friends.

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22nd Annual Muddy Awards, Nov 4, 2010

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Mark your calendars for Thursday, November 4^th, for the Cascade Blues Association’s 22^nd Annual Muddy Awards celebration, honoring the region’s best in the blues for the year. The Muddys will be held at The Melody Ballroom, 615 SE Alder St., Portland, (upstairs) from 6:30 – 9:30 pm. Opening the evening will be nominee for Best Regional Blues Act, Seattle’s Becki Sue & Her Big Rockin’ Daddies. Following the awards ceremonies will be an All-Star Band of past & present Muddy nominees/winners, led by guitarist Kevin Selfe, up for four Muddys himself.

Admission is free for CBA members, $5.00 for non-members.

This year’s nominees are...

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Additional Information

CD Reviews

"At His Best - Live"

Sean Costello

Downslide Records

Despite the loss of so many tremendous elder bluesmen over the past couple years, I still feel that one of the most significant losses was that of Sean Costello. Taken from this world one day shy of his 29th birthday, he had the blues world knocking at his door as the next great hope. That individual who could perhaps been the future Robert Cray or Stevie Ray Vaughan to spark interest beyond to the cross-over market. He had that type of potential. Skills on guitar and a voice that growled filled with soulfulness and reckless abandon that demanded attention. And there was no better forum to listen to this talent than in performance.

Luckily for us, Landslide Records has taken 16 tracks of Sean Costello live material culled from various venues between 2000 – 2007 and released a remarkable compilation documenting the power he held for audiences. All selections have never been previously released on any of his albums. Outstanding covers by artists such as Magic Sam, T-Bone Walker, Tyrone Davis, Michael Bloomfield, Bobby Womack and Earl King among others. Please note, the sound quality varies throughout the album because the inclusions were recorded by various means from stage soundboards to personal cassettes. But even if there is feedback or background talking going on at times, the music being offered is out of this world fantastic! Guitar playing that cuts to the bone, never over-played, concise and just damn flavorful! Want proof? Give a listen to Magic Sam's "All Your Love", Freddie King's "San-Ho-Zay" or Andy Gibson's "The Hucklebuck."

Costello's guitar work may have brought the most recognition, but his singing is more than stellar, too. On numbers like Tyrone Davis' "Can I Change My Mind," Bobby Womack's "Check It Out" and Johnnie Taylor's "Doing My Own Thing" Costello displays soulful readings just dripping with emotion. There are also fine readings exuberating fun such as T-Bone Walker's "T-Bone Boogie," Johnny "Guitar" Watson's "Motor Head Baby" and Little Richard's classic "Lucille." And his take of Robert Ward's "Peace Of Mind" is over the top, just maybe the highlight of an album filled with outstanding material.

It is a tremendous shame that we will never be able to witness Sean Costello on stage ever again. Those of us who had that pleasure will never forget the dynamics he brought forth. Those who did not will have to resort to this disc. But have no fear, it is going to make believers of anybody who listens of just how important a musician Costello really was. Thank you Landslide for bringing back such fond memories.

Note: Proceeds from the sale of this album will benefit the Sean Costello Memorial Fund for Bi-Polar Research.

Total Time: 71:33

Intro / San-Ho-Zay / Blue Shadows / T-Bone Boogie / All Your Love / I Got A Feeling / Check It Out / Can I Change My Mind / You're Killing My Love / Reconsider Baby / Doing My Own Thing / The Hucklebuck / Motor Head Baby / Hold On This Time / The Battle Is Over But The War Goes On / Peace Of Mind / Lucille

Reviewed by Greg Johnson

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Muddy Award Ballots 2011

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2010 Muddy Awards: In Review

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Year 2010 Muddy Award Winners

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22nd Annual Muddy Awards Celebration, Nov 4, 2010

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22nd Annual Muddy Awards, Nov 4, 2010

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Additional Information

CD Reviews

"At His Best - Live"

Sean Costello