1993 - 2014
Volume 21, Issue 1 | February 2014
Our mission is to increase
the awareness of the culture,
history and diversity of blues
music through education
and participation in the
community events.
The Reno Blues Society is
an all volunteer non-profit
501(c)3 organization.
IN THIS ISSUE
Blue Haven Profile
Blues Klues
W.C. Handy
Calendar
Mardi Gras 2014
Update
Take a look at our new
updated website @
renoblues.org
Monthly Board meetings
are held on the 1st
Tuesday of every month.
RBS members are
welcome and encouraged
to attend.
Contact any board
member for time and
location
Michael Thompson of
Blue Haven - pg 3
Cover Photo by Lou Holscher
Press from the Prez
The RBS Presidency is currently vacant. Anyone
interested in serving as Pres should contact any RBS
board Member.
A BIG Congratulations to The Rick Hammond
Band for making the cut to the SEMI FINALS of the
International Blues Challenge in Memphis TN !!!!
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
DIRECTORS
PRESIDENT
Vacant
TREASURER
Pam Farmer
775-674-0425
treasurer@renoblues.org
Roger Slugg
775-846-5629
director1@renoblues.org
Bernard Vienneau
775-247-3011
membership@renoblues.org
SECRETARY
Linda Newberg
secretary@renoblues.org
Jamie Klund
Randy Napolitano
COMMITTEES
MEMBERSHIP
Bernard Vienneau
775-247-3011
membership@renoblues.org
BLUES LETTER EDITOR
& AD PLACEMENT
Pam Farmer
editor@renoblues.org
RETAIL
Pam Farmer
775-674-0425
retail@renoblues.org
VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR
Donna Kuckhoff
volunteers@renoblues.org
LIFETIME TRUSTEES
Alan & Diane Davis
Bernard Vienneau
Bill Burbach
Bill Nagel
Bob & Tracy McNamara
Brad & Cathy Mills
C.L. Dickinson
Charles Foltz
Chuck & Deb Grooms
Dale Kindall
Dana Meister
David Kerfeld
David A. Kahan
Denise Sheehan
Don & Kathy Levin
Elizabeth Mink
Ernie Mayhorn
Fred & Terri Mills
Gene Poplin
John Demetriou
John Hellgeth
Jon Anderson
Kari & Rick Passman
Kathryn Anderson-Palinsky
Lauren Hufft
LeRoy Palinsky
Linda & Steve Newberg
Linda Daniel
Marietta & Kevin O’Reilly
Melissa & John Cowan
Merrilyn Marsh
Michael Braun
Michael A. Potter
Michele Lundeen
Patrick McCabe
Paula M Twichell
Richard Birch
Richard B. Fenton
Richie Barron
Roger Slugg
Roy Rogers
Sammi Barber
Scott Sonner
Sharon & Jerry McCain
Stuart D’Alessandro
Susan Terry
Suzanne Fox
Taylor Schollmaier
Wayne Evans
Wilson Fisher
Amaz-Ink Quality!
Amaz-Ink Prices!
775/322-8787
www.registeredink.com
Local Band Profile - Blue Haven
Since 1997 this four piece blues
band based right here in Reno has
been playing their upbeat blues to
throngs of local fans throughout
the area. Their unique brand of
music has a dynamic mixture of
styles ranging from West Coast
jump to slow Chicago grind, Texas
shuffle to flat out Rock & Roll.
Their goal as a band is to have
a positive interaction with the
audience at every show and to get
everyone up and out of their seats
dancing. I feel they are definitely
Reno’s best Blues Party Band.
Featuring Michael Thompson
on harp, guitar, and vocals,
he’s a master blues harp player
and I think the best in the area. He plays up to 11 different harps in the course of a performance. “Tone is
everything for me” he says.. “but we really feed off the energy we get from the audience. More energy they
supply the more energy we have as a band. We’re all individual musicians but it’s the sum of the parts with
Blue Haven.” Rich Maloon is the bands guitarist, vocalist and musical theory expert. Not only is he the most
versatile guitarist in town he also possesses a wealth of knowledge about blues music and theory which really
helps the band when they need help figuring out a new song. Mike Komadina is about as solid a blues bass
player as you can find. Always a smile, on beat and never a hair out of place. Dale McCoy is the newest
member of this rhythm section having played drums for Charlie Daniels and toured with many others over his
long career, his skill is without question.
They’ve hosted a Blues Jam every Thursday at the 3rd St Bar for the past 7 years. “We love interacting with
RBS members and blues fans because they love the same music we do” says bassist Mike Komadina. They’re
very proud of the fact that so many blues bands have formed because of their jam and especially want to
thank the 3rd St Bar owners for all their support of the blues.
Blue Haven will be playing at the 3rd St Bar on Feb 22nd and they’re available for private parties or any
function where you need some upbeat danceable blues music.
For Booking Contact: Rich Maloon (775) 762-1132.
Blues History - W.C. Handy
Here’s a listing of the Top 5 Greatest Blues Songs:
1. Memphis Blues - W.C. Handy
2. Crazy Blues - Mamie Smith
3. Pine Top Boogie - Pine Top Smith
4. Dust My Broom - Elmore James
5. Boogie Chillun - John Lee Hooker
In this article we look at #1 on that list – W. C. Handy
W.C. Handy was born in Florence, Alabama, November 16, 1873,
the son of former slaves. His first instrument was the coronet, and he
advanced from lessons in a barbershop to studying classical music. At
the age of twenty, he organized a quartet to play the 1893 Chicago
World’s Fair, a gathering that attracted other musical luminaries of the
time, notably ragtime pianist Scott Joplin.
After the fair, Handy toured with various ensembles and taught music at Alabama A&M in Huntsville.
He left teaching and joined Mahara’s Minstrels in 1896 as a cornetist. Handy toured the country with
the group, and quickly became their leader. In 1903, he moved to Clarksdale, Mississippi, to direct
the Colored Knights of Pythias, an entourage that performed for both whites and blacks. During a
performance for a white audience, a request was made to “play some of your own music.” When
the band resumed, the whites shouted that Handy was not honoring their request. During a break,
three local black men with stringed instruments took the stage and played a blues that brought an
appreciative reaction from the crowd. The crowd’s reaction caused the bandleader to reconsider the
band’s repertoire. In 1903, while waiting for a train at a station in Tutwiler, Mississippi, Handy heard
a black musician playing a guitar with a knife. The man was singing about going Where The Southern
Crosses The Dog, and Handy recalled “it was the weirdest music I’d ever heard.” The man’s singing was
answered by the crying sound that his guitar made as the knife slid along its metal strings. The influence
of rural song forms on the classically trained Handy would find its celebrated outlet in his published
work.
Handy lived and worked in Clarksdale until 1909, when he moved to another musical hotspot: Memphis.
There he published “Mr. Crump” in 1909. This political song for Memphis’s mayor remained popular
and was covered by Memphis musicians, including Frank Stokes, long after Crump left office. Handy
sometimes employed untrained blues musicians in his orchestras, with such later notables as Gus
Cannon and Furry Lewis passing through the ranks. In 1912, “Mr. Crump” was given new lyrics and
published as “The Memphis Blues,” firmly establishing Handy’s name in the white-dominated music
publishing industry. Joining forces with partner Harry Pace, Handy operated Pace & Handy Music Co. on
Beale Avenue from 1913-1918, publishing many popular tunes including “St. Louis Blues” and “Yellow
Dog Blues” in 1914, and “Beale Street Blues” in 1916. “St. Louis Blues” in particular had phenomenal
sales success, garnering worldwide acclaim and entering the repertoire of blues diva Bessie Smith.
Handy’s Orchestra of Memphis recorded for Columbia in New York City the year after “Beale Street
Blues” was published. Handy and his partner Harry Pace moved to New York City, center of the music
publishing business, in 1918. During the 1920s, Handy’s Orchestra recorded for Paramount and Okeh
while the bandleader continued to write blues songs. None of Handy’s 1920s compositions approached
the popularity of his earlier work. The city of Memphis honored Handy in 1931, creating W.C. Handy
Park on Beale Street. Self-anointed as the “Father of the Blues” in his 1941 autobiography, Handy was
acknowledged during his lifetime for his contribution to American popular music. Today, the W.C. Handy
Award is a prestigious prize reserved for blues musicians. W.C. Handy died in 1958 in New York City.
Blues Klues
I was born February 14, 1937 – a Valentine’s baby – in Grenada, MS. I was just 32 years old when I suffered
a heart attack that robbed me of my life on December 1, 1969 in Chicago, IL. I was one of the originators of
the West Side guitar style. Along with such contemporaries as Freddie King, Otis Rush and Buddy Guy we all
helped forge the transition in Chicago from first-generation postwar electric blues to modern blues.
I was born in the Mississippi Delta. I had a homemade guitar for my first guitar and I learned how to play it
by listening to local country blues players at house parties and picnics. I moved to Chicago in my early teens
bent on building a career as a blues guitarist. B.B. King and Muddy Waters were my early influences. I eventually landed a spot with Homesick Jame’s band but soon I had formed my own band playing in Chicago
blues clubs and eventually recording for Cobra Records.
In 1959 I was drafted in to the Army. I deserted and spent time in jail after I was caught and then was dishonorably discharged in 1961. That same year I returned to Chicago and resumed my career. In the early ‘60’s I
recorded for the Chief label but primarily sustained myself as a live performer. I played the popular Chicago
blues clubs throughout the early ‘60’s. I eventually began performing outside of Chicago. San Francisco and
the Avalon Ballroom were some of my most successful dates which attracted the growing segment of the Bay
Area rock audience that was also tuned in to the blues.
In 1969 my most important performance of my career occurred at the Ann Arbor Blues Festival in Michigan.
Many fans and critics who attended the fest considered my set the most memorable of the festival. With that
performance it resulted in a number of prized bookings here in the U.S. and also in Europe. Unfortunately, I
passed away a few months after the Ann Arbor festival so I was not able to capitalize on my growing reputation as a blues guitarist.
As a guitarist my style fell somewhere between Otis Rush and B.B. King. My style was as innovative as Rush’s
and as fluid as King’s but with a twist. I played my solos high above the basic blues arrangements from which
they originated. What my vocals lacked in depth and texture were more than made up for in emotional intensity. This helped make me one of Chicago’s most exciting blues performers in the 1960’s.
The influence I exerted on future guitarist’s my studio recording is small. Some of my best material is found
on the late-60’s Delmark recordings West Side Soul (my only studio album). Black Magic and another recording (can’t tell as it will give it away) is a two-disc release includes my legendary Ann Arbor Blues Festival set. I
was inducted in to the Blues Foundation’s Hall of Fame in 1982.
Who am I ???????
(answer on pg 6)
Essential listening;
West Side Guitar
Give Me Time
Magic Touch
Please Support our Sponsors
Bill Nagel
775.750.6115
bill@nagelvideoservices.com
Every Wed in the Sands 3rd Street Lounge
From 7-11pm
●Tie-dye ●Incense ●Costumes Year Round ●Corsets
●Plus Sizes ●Playa Wear ●Custom Sewing
Bring This Ad For 25% Off Any SINGLE Item
Limited to 1 coupon per person
Limited to stock on hand Not valid on
special orders, consignment or clearance
Limit 1 item per coupon.
Blues Klues answer: Magic Sam
BLUES JAM WEDNESDAY
6663 S. Virginia St. • 853-3961
RBS volunteers at the Keep Truckee Meadows
Beautiful Christmas Tree Recycling Center.
RBS Board Members Bernard
Vienneau, Linda Newberg, Jamie
Klund, Pam Farmer, and Bill Nagel
handing over a check for $2,000 to
Stephanie Torian of the Veteran’s
Administrative Voluntary Service
(VAVS) for all the funds that were
raised during Mash Bash 2013 !!
STANDARD
PRESORT
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT NO. 931
RENO, NV
1993 - 2013
Reno B.L.U.E.S. Society
P.O. BOX 10742
RENO, NV 89510-0742
Keeping the blues alive for 20 years . . . and counting!
w w w . r e n o b l u e s . o r g
Da Blues Calendar
EVERY WEDNESDAY - Blues Jam Wed at the Sands Regency (345 N Arlington Ave., Reno) from 7-11pm. FREE
EVERY THURSDAY – Blues Jam at 3rd St Bar (125 W 3rd St, Reno) with BLUE HAVEN from 9:30pm -1am. FREE
Friday Night Blues at the Vassar Lounge (1545 Vassar, Reno) from 8-11pm. FREE
Feb 14 - VooDooDogz
Feb 28 - Jokers Wild Blues Band
March 14 – VooDooDogz
March 28 – Blue Haven
April 11 – Jokers Wild Blues Band
April 25 – Moses Malone
March 1st – Mardi Gras Dance Party with The California Honeydrops and Guitar Woody & the Boilers
opening at Ramada (6th St, Reno) from 7pm-12am.
The RBS presents the MARDI GRAS DANCE PARTY with The California Honeydrops and opener Guitar Woody & the Boilers
Saturday, March 1ST, 2014 at the Ramada Hotel Casino – 1000 East 6th Street, Reno, NV, from 7 pm-midnight, $15 in advance, $20
at the door.The Reno Blues Society will hold their 20th annual Mardi Gras Dance Party, Saturday March 1st, 2014 at the Ramada Hotel.
This is always a colorful event with a carnival atmosphere and costumes are encouraged, but not required. The headliner for this year is The
California Honeydrops. Based in Oakland, the band embraces the traditions of Blues, Gospel, New Orleans Jazz, and early R&B. With stellar
performances of traditional material as well as their own innovative music, they get people out of their seats and onto the floor, dancing and
singing along. Opening the show will be a local favorite Guitar Woody and the Boilers. A six-person group that plays blues-based R&B and
funk music, the band has been playing around Reno for more than 20 years.Tickets are $15 in advance at Recycled Records, The Melting Pot in
Reno, Prism Magic and Hippies Pipes & Incense in Sparks, and the Bead Store in Carson City. Or you can buy them at the door for $20.00. As
a community service we are also collecting non-perishable food at this event for the Food Bank of Northern Nevada.For more details contact
Reno Blues Society Board member Bernard Vienneau @ 775-247-3011
***** SEE THE NEW RBS CALENDAR LIVE ONLINE AT WWW.RENOBLUES.ORG FOR MORE UPDATES *****