Katie Webster – Pussycat Moan

This is a live performance by Katie Webster, also known as the swamp boogie queen, playing the song “Pussycat Moan” live. The performance is from the 1990 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
I haven’t really been able to find any studio recorded versions of this. The only thing I’ve found is a version on the compilation CD “Alligator Records 20th Anniversary Collection”.
It’s a great slow blues song and Katie sings it to perfection, just the right way. Also plays the piano in that way only she can. She’s a great blues artist and more people should know about her.

Enjoy ; )

Gary Moore - Midnight Blues

This is a live performance by Irish guitarist Gary Moore performing yet another one of his slow blues classics. This one is "Midnight Blues" which is just amazing and played with so much feeling.
Prior to the beginning of the performance there is a piece of interview footage featuring Albert King talking about the younger players and how he enjoys interacting with and instructing them how to play. Moore of course goes on to talk about the influence King has had on both him and people like Clapton and Hendrix.
It's a great performance by a blues man who was taken from us at far too young an age. Moore you are missed!

Enjoy ; )

Gary Moora - Separate Ways

This is a live performance by blues and rock artist Gary Moore performing his song "Separate Ways". The song is an original slow blues song by Gary Moore and it has that typical Moore sound to, sort of like something you also hear in songs like "Still Got The Blues" and "Parisienne Walkways".
I really love this performance. It's so soulful and emotional, a perfect example of what Moore was capable of. I really love the intro and how he ends the whole thing, it's so beautiful.
It's a great performance by an artist who was unique in his own way. We will never have another one just like Moore.

Enjoy ; )

ZZ Top - Blue Jean Blues

This is a clip from a live performance by blues and rock 'n' roll group ZZ Top performing their classic slow blues song "Blue Jean Blues".
The song was released in 1975 on ZZ Top's fourth album "Fandango". The album consisted of recordings from live shows and original new studio-recorded content. The only single to be released from Fandango was "Tush".
It's a very good performance, the video quality could be better and it is a little annoying that it just cuts off before they finish playing. A version of this is also on the "Live from Texas" DVD which I can highly recommend picking up.
I love how Billy Gibbons talks to the audience. This was when he started to be known as The Reverend Willy G due to this part of his audience interaction.
It's a good performance, but track down either the album version or the live version from the DVD I recommended earlier. A great song and a great performance.

Enjoy ; )

Gary Moore - Still Got the Blues (In Loving Memory of Gary Moore)

This is a live performance by blues and rock guitarist Gary Moore playing what is probably known as his signature song, or at least his most well known song of his solo career.
As I just recently found out, Gary Moore has passed. He died in a hotel room during a vacation at the age of 58. The specific date has been dated to the early hours of 6 February. The reason I'm just posting about it now is that I just recently found out. It hasn't gotten a lot of media attention which is a little sad, because he was a great guitarist in both rock and blues and hugely successful (at least in Europe). I haven't seen a lot of media coverage in neither the American media or the European media which is why I'm a little delayed with this.
I think it is tragic in that he died at age 58 in what seems to be a sudden death. And we know that he was still making music. His latest record was released in 2008 and he seemed to still be energetic and have plenty of music left in him. And that's the sad part, all of that beautiful, soulful and rocking music we'll be missing out on.
I also always felt that Gary never got the full recognition he deserved. I mean he was somewhat well known as a blues and rock guitarist and as an influence on a lot of people spanning a broad spectrum of genres, but he never really got enough recognition. He was never really placed in the same league as Clapton, SRV and Hendrix. And in my book he ranks right up there with them. I know you should never rank guitarist, and I'm not comparing them, but Gary deserved a broader audience and he deserved to be one of those guys who everyone knows, and I don't think he is. And that's sad.
What we can do now is simply try and remember all of the beautiful music Gary has brought us. He brought us everything from hard rock to slow blues and he did it in his own style. And that's quite an accomplishment in my book. I mean he can play rock guitar and still also play blues in his own style with the same amount of feeling as the greats.

Below are a list of links to previous posts I posted featuring Gary Moore. Remember: The best memory is one's music, so click them and remember Gary for all the good music he brought.
Gary Moore - Don't Believe a Word
Gary Moore - The Stumble
Gary Moore - Dust My Broom
Gary Moore and Albert King - Stormy Monday

Gary Moore you will be missed.
R.I.P.

Bonnie Raitt - Love Me Like a Man

This is a 1995 performance from Bonnie Raitt, she plays the song "Love Me Like a Man", an acoustic traditional slow blues song with a traditional non slide blues solo from Raitt. This is just pure blues, and it absolutely proves that Bonnie deserves a rank among the best. This is just pure blues, it's acoustic and old school, gotta love that. She is only accompanied by a bass, and supplies both the singing and sweet guitar playing herself. Truly an amazing performance from a female blues singer with a delightfully raspy beautiful voice and guitar playing skills that match the skill of all the male blues players out there. Let's face it, there aren't a lot of female guitarists doing the blues thing which just furthermore makes Bonnie unique, there aren't no one who is doing what she's doing. She's amazing, gotta love Bonnie Raitt!

Enjoy ; )

ZZ Top - Breakaway

This is a music video from ZZ Top for their song "Breakaway" from their 1994 album "Antenna". The song is a slow blues, and has some very tasty licks and guitar playing from Gibbons. The album was very popular, and the first single "Pincushion" reached no. 1 at mainstream rock charts. "Breakaway" only reached 7th place on the mainstream rock charts and wasn't as successful.
Frank Beard once said something like "blues is a guitar player's game" meaning that the guitar sound is very important in making a good blues song, and that the bass and drums are there to accompany Billy and not the other way around.
This is also heard on the tasty two guitar sound of "Breakaway", it's two guitars and drums, also performed this way live. This sound is also inspired by Billy's love of Jimmy Reed's dual guitar sound.
A great song.

Enjoy ; )