by guest author Craig Smith, Membership Chair, KCBS Kansas City Blues Society and BB’s Lawnside BBQ Celebrate 2024 Kansas City Music Honorees Kansas City duo Drum & Dye placed second in the Solo/Duo Category of the 2024 International Blues Challenge (IBC) held in Memphis, TN last January. The IBC, produced annually by The Blues Foundation, is a worldwide search for blues talent that begins months before in various regional venues all over the world and culminates on Beale Street every year, typically in January. Blues societies worldwide, including the Kansas City Blues Society, hold regio ..read more

by guest author Ed Parker In July 2004, America celebrated the “50th anniversary of rock ‘n’ roll,” for it had been fifty years earlier, on July 5, 1954, that Elvis Presley recorded his first commercial record, “That’s All Right,” for Sun Records. I was inspired to feature songs, styles, and artists to support my theory that Elvis did not create rock ‘n’ roll, that rock ‘n’ roll was not “born” in the 1950s, and that DJ Alan Freed did not coint he phrase “rock and roll.” None of this is meant to downplay the importance of Reed, Elvis, or any of his musical contemporaries, but an attempt to simp ..read more

We asked Jonny Green, leader of The Jonny Green Arrangement, to introduce himself to the Kansas City Blues Society members and here is his interesting story. I am American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. I was born in Spain, moved to England at the age of one, and then again to Pensacola Florida at the age of five, where I grew up. I headed to Atlanta GA for college, studying for four years at Emory University. After floundering around for a couple of years I moved back to England, living in London and Brighton until the age of 31. At this point I found myself in Kansas City, where I remain ..read more

This year’s Spirit of Kansas Blues Festival takes place on the Fourth of July at Reynolds Lodge in Topeka, KS. Opening ceremonies start at 11:00 a.m. and music continues until dark. There will be a tribute to our late and great friend, Suki Willison. Food vendors and craft vendors will be there, along with a classic car show. You may bring shade tents, lawn chairs, blankets, coolers, food, dancing shoes, and smiles. No grills, weapons or bad attitudes allowed. The music will be provided by several Kansas City bands: Big Luke & the Soul Disciples, Howard Mahan Band, The Old No. 5’s, Brody B ..read more

Ruthie Messer Wolkey is one of the artists whose work was selected for the Parade of Hearts 2024. The Parade of Hearts is a public art experience that celebrates our diversity, unites communities, and supports nonprofits by placing beautifully designed hearts by local artists around the Kansas City metropolitan area. The hearts are 5’x5′ pieces of art with unique designs, with the artists’ inspiration and story behind them. Some of the hearts are whimsical, some are celebratory, some are thought-provoking, and all are simply beautiful works of art. There were 436 entries, with 101 being s ..read more

The third time is the charm! We are so excited to invite you to share our 3rd year of Celebrating Women in Blues. It’s our chance to recognize some of the extremely talented women who make blues music. This year, we have Lauren Anderson, formerly of Kansas City; currently living in Nashville. It’s been a while since she has performed in Kansas City, and she is super excited to come back. She has more CDs now under her belt, so she’ll be sharing new music with us. Our headliner is Sister Lucille from Springfield, MO. They have had an outstanding 2024. Sister Lucille won “Best Self-Produced C ..read more

The Very Best of The First Two Decades. All Killers, No Fillers and Same Old Lies! Artist: Thorbjørn Risager & the Black Tornado Label: Ruf Records Released: 2021 Number of Tracks: 33 Duration: 132:49 Website: https://risager.info/music/ Review by Mixmaster Linc After the stormy weather we’ve been having lately, I was inspired one morning to check my hard drive to see what kind of songs I had about tornadoes. The only good one was ELO’s “Laredo Tornado”, but I stumbled across a CD that I had downloaded from a band with Tornado in their name, and I was really blown away. For people who ..read more

On Saturday, June 8, the KCBS hosts its 3rd annual Celebrating Women in Blues showcase, in which we spotlight some of the excellent women making blues music today. Women in Blues is one of our signature annual events and we’re very proud of the partnership we’ve built with BB’s Lawnside BBQ to make this happen. Sister Lucille Interview with Sister Lucille’s Kimberly Dill by Debra Rooney It has been nearly 3 years since the Blues Society has talked with the Sister Lucille Band and I was fortunate enough to catch up with Kimberly Dill, have a lovely lunch and see what the band has been up to. DR ..read more

On Saturday, June 8, the KCBS hosts its 3rd annual Celebrating Women in Blues showcase, in which we spotlight some of the excellent women making blues music today. Women in Blues is one of our signature annual events and we’re very proud of the partnership we’ve built with BB’s Lawnside BBQ to make this happen. Lauren Anderson Band Lauren Anderson is a very soulful blues rocker, originally from Chicago, who has had a passion for singing throughout her entire life. Growing up in a household that was rich in music, her influences were widely varied from artists such as Susan Tedeschi, Bonnie Rai ..read more

The Love You Bleed Artist: Danielle Nicole Label: Forty Below Records Released: 2024 Number of Tracks: 12 Duration: 55:00 Website: https://daniellenicolemusic.com/home Review by Blues Blast Magazine Senior writer Marty Gunther A double threat as both a world-class vocalist and a decorated bassist, too, Danielle Nicole hasn’t been in the studio since earning a Grammy nomination for the album Cry No More five years ago, but she’s destined to earn another with this long awaited CD, which exhibits all the grit and determination needed to transverse the world of romance and all the pitfalls fac ..read more