Once a celebrated pre-British Invasion teen idol, Dion Francis DiMucci certainly could have been forgiven for settling into the oldies circuit You May Also Like: No related posts.

Live albums and reissue projects often do much to shape the broader idea we have about a musical legacy, and this year was no different — with impressive sets devoted to Ray Charles, the Beach Boys, Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings and the Smiths You May Also Like: No related posts.

Here’s a look back in tribute to some of the notable figures in music who died in 2011, broken down by the month in which they passed. You May Also Like: Jackson Browne’s ‘Hold Out’ Was Both Successful, and a Notable Stumble Natalie and Zachary Wilksch, “Can’t Get Your FaceRead More

2011 brought its share of comebacks (Gregg Allman, the Meters’ Zigaboo Modeliste, the Time) Stax-related joys (both Booker T. Jones and Steve Cropper issued solo sides) and out-of-nowhere delights (Big Head Todd does the blues?). But how did they rank on my list? Read on, as I count down myRead More

Nominees have been announced for the 33rd Blues Music Awards, to be held on May 10, 2012 at the Cook Convention Center in downtown Memphis, Tennessee. Click through the links for our thoughts on the new nominees! You May Also Like: Johnny Winter Refined His Hell-Raising Brand of Texas BluesRead More

It’s mid December and you might still be wondering what the hell you’re going to get that special music lover someone for Christmas. Steering you toward the good records and away from the crummy ones is a service we at SER provide year round. You May Also Like: Left LaneRead More

Drummer Zigaboo Modeliste, the grease-popping soul stylist of Meters fame, settles into a creamy seasonal groove here — sounding in no small way like chitlin-circuit crooner Tyrone Davis. Appearing on this year’s New Life, a genre-busting triumph, “Holiday Kiss” turns the typical Christmas-time theme on its ear — following theRead More

Here’s a run down — with a few of our thoughts — on some notable music projects, both new and reissue, slated for release for the week of Dec. 6, 2011. You May Also Like: No related posts.

The Bo-Keys, with a spring-loaded, testifying Memphis vibe associated with Otis Redding, Rufus Thomas and Al Green, have put out an album that bubbles like a dark, spicy gumbo. You May Also Like: Al Green’s Secular Comeback Was Made Complete With Lay It Down The Black Keys Hit Upon theRead More

Discovered far too late, Mississippi bluesman Charles Caldwell was already dying of pancreatic cancer as he began recording his belated debut for Fat Possum. You May Also Like: Junior Kimbrough Set a New Blues Standard on ‘All Night Long,’ Then Vanished How R.L. Burnside’s ‘Bad Luck City’ Introduced an ExcitingRead More