This was an amazing album for me to produce and perform on... already one of my top favorites of recent times! ~ Lee Ritenour
As you look back and explore through close to three years worth of material featured on The Blues Blogger, you’ll discover the vast majority of the articles are guitar influenced. Of course it has a lot to do with growing up surrounded by lots of music. I also heard my brother practice guitar continuously every night for the first nine years of my life. So that just may have a little something to do with it too…
When I heard about the 6 String Theory project, a celebration of the world’s most popular instrument, I thought I would be remiss if I didn’t mention a little something about the upcoming release on Tuesday June 29th. This is a serious guitar based album and one that should not be overlooked…
Lee Ritenour’s 6 String Theory
The album is the vision of legendary jazz guitarist Lee Ritenour who is also celebrating his 5oth year of playing guitar professionally. Lee got his start at 16 years of age with some session work with The Mama’s and Papa’s. Over the last fifty years he has played on more than 3000 recording sessions. Ritenour has worked with artists such as Pink Floyd, Steely Dan, Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Simon & Garfunkel and Frank Sinatra just to name a few. He also has an extensive solo discography.
To celebrate his love of guitar, Ritenour has brought together an incredible range of guest players from different genres. Throughout the album you’ll find a stylish mix of rock, blues, jazz, acoustic, country and classical. It’s a unique album that will take the listener on a musical exploration of the six string instrument.
In total there are 20 incredible guitarists on the album!
Here's the complete list:
1 Lee Ritenour
2 BB King
3 George Benson
4 John Scofield
5 Steve Lukather
6 Vince Gill
7 Slash
8 Pat Martino
9 Mike Stern
10 Neal Schon
11 Robert Cray
12 Keb Mo
13 Taj Majal
14 Jonny Lang
15 Joe Bonamassa
16 Andy Mckee
17 Guthrie Govan
18 Joe Robinson
19 Tomoyasu Hotei
20 Shon Boublil (Winner of Yamaha Six String Theory Competition)
Contributing vocals by B.B. King, Robert Cray, Vince Gill, Keb' Mo', Taj Majal, Joe Bonamassa and Jonny Lang, assist in giving this diverse album a cool blues feeling on selected tunes.
Yamaha Six String Theory Guitar Competition
Ritenour also made it his musical mission to help launch a new star of the guitar. In association with the Yamaha Corporation, Concord Records, Berklee College of Music, Monster Cable, D’Addario Strings and the Broad Stage, Ritenour announced "The Yamaha Six String Theory Guitar Competition." The contest ran from Oct 1st, 2009 to Feb 25th 2010. Contestants submitted their videos online in one of six categories: Rock, Blues, Jazz/Fusion, Country, Acoustic, or Classical/Flamenco. Top performers were chosen by a panel of online judges which included Captain Fingers himself Lee Ritenour.
On March 22, 2010 they all competed in a live performance at The Broad Stage in Los Angeles to determine the grand prize winner. The winner received a guest spot on the Concord Records Six String Theory album and a four-year full tuition scholarship to the prestigious Berklee College of Music. In addition the winner will be asked to participate at various clinics sponsored by Yamaha along with Ritenour and join in at a few key concerts.
As well the winner received: a Yamaha guitar (acoustic, classical, or electric), a guitar endorsement from Yamaha Corporation, a 2 year string endorsement worth $1,000 from D'Addario String Company and become a Monster Cable "Famous Monster."
A belated congratulations goes out to sixteen year-old guitarist Shon Boublil of Montreal who came out on top and was the grand prize winner.
You can see an example of his entry video below.
Have you heard about the 6 String Theory project in your travels? Are any of your favorite guitar players listed above? Please be sure to ad your comments below. Your input enhances the post and creates a forum to share your thoughts…
“I used to be a little insecure about whether I could sing the blues authentically. I can do my version of it, and this has our stamp on it. It would be an empty exercise if we weren’t bringing something to the party.” ~Tom Petty
A steady wave of contagious blues resonates from the study room downstairs. Tapping my foot while writing, my wife TBBW walks into the study and nonchalantly catches a glimpse at my computer monitor…
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TBBW: (teasing) You’re writing about Tom Petty?
TBB: Is there something wrong with that?
TBBW: No, not at all. Its just we’ve been married 16 years and it’s the first time I’ve ever heard you listen to any of his music. Let alone write a piece about him. I’d say I’m a little surprised and curious… Hmm, must be the Mojo that’s got ya hooked… And you’re The Blues Blogger. I should have known it.
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A little while back I got my first opportunity to hear some of the tracks on Tom Petty and The Heartbreaker’s new release Mojo. Yes, I was familiar with all the hits, but Mojo, the group’s first studio release in 8 years, really caught my attention. Right from the opening track “Jefferson Jericho Blues,” a bluesy rock shuffle, and the Allman-esque “First Flash of Freedom” I was immediately intrigued. I even updated my facebook account saying so. The last time I was this taken by a Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers album I was a teenager listening to the tune “Breakdown.” How the years have a way of passing by…
Tom Petty
Born and raised in Gainesville, Florida, Petty attended Gainesville High School. He became enamored with rock ‘n’ roll at the age of ten after being invited by his uncle to the set of the movie Follow That Dream where the young Petty met Elvis Presley. Like so many musical souls in the sixties, Petty knew his destiny the moment he saw The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show.
Petty formed the band the Sundowners with guitarist Mike Campbell and keyboardist Benmont Tench and was later known as Mudcrutch. A lot of the influences on Mojo developed from this association. Mudcrutch went their separate ways for a while, but eventually Petty, Tench and Campbell hooked up with Ron Blair and Stan Lynch resulting in the first Heartbreakers line-up. Their debut album “Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers” and the strength of the song Breakdown eventually made the top 40. At the time the band became popular in The United Kingdom while touring with Nils Lofgren… The rest of the story leading up to 2010 is certainly a musical journey that is well documented in rock music history.
In my recording studio days, (many moons ago) one of my personal peeves was how long it took some artists to get a particular snare sound or guitar tone. Sometimes it would be months before they would get it right. I used to marvel at the players who’d walk in and complete an album in a handful of sessions. Often those were blues or jazz influenced sessions. There’s just something about that pure raw sound that always suited my personal taste.
MOJO
Of course it takes a lot of experience to produce something that sounds this natural and appealing. After four decades, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers show they're more than capable of rising to the occasion. Recorded mostly live, with very few overdubs, what you hear on Mojo is what the band played in the studio, in one take. And that’s what I think really made me gravitate me toward this awesome new release more than anything else.
There appears to be a trend these days where seasoned veterans are going back to their roots and playing the music which initially influenced them. With this latest release, Petty lets the Heartbreakers come upfront; letting us witness how good of a band they really are. They blend all that energy together and create a fun, loose and vibrant scene. It's a cool showcase of blues influenced rock with tremendous songwriting and musicianship. And one I'm sure fans old and new will agree adds a new dimension to the band's discography and live shows. A great way to kick start summer!
There are so many really well written and thoroughly satisfying tunes on Mojo that I found it difficult to pick favorites. Perhaps that’s where you can help. Have you heard Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers latest release? Do you have any favorite selections from the album you'd like to share? Are you planning to see them during their Mojo Tour this summer? Please leave your comments after the tour schedule below.
The Blues Blogger
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Mojo Tour 2010
June 2010
06/15 Calgary, AB w/ Joe Cocker Pengrowth Saddeldome
06/16 Edmonton, AB w/ Joe Cocker Rexall Place
06/18 Saskatoon, SK w/ Joe Cocker Credit Union Centre
06/19 Winnipeg, MB w/ Joe Cocker MTS Centre.
06/22 St. Paul, MN w/ Drive-By Truckers Xcel Energy Center
06/23 Omaha, NE w/ Drive-By Truckers Qwest Center
06/25 Millwaukee, WI w/ ZZ Top Summerfest
06/26 Millwaukee, WI w/ZZ Top Summerfest
July 2010
07/10 Indianapolis, IN w/ Drive-By Truckers Verizon Wireless Music Center
07/13 Kansas City, MO w/ Drive-By Truckers Sprint Center
07/15 Cincinati, OH w/ Drive-By Truckers Riverbend Music Center
07/17 Chicago, IL w/ Drive-By Truckers United Center
07/18 St. Louis, MO w/ Drive-By Truckers Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
07/20 Cleveland, OH w/ Drive-By Truckers Blossom Music Center
07/22 Detroit, MI w/ Drive-By Truckers Palace of Auburn Hills
07/24 Pittsburgh, PA w/ Drive-By Truckers First Niagra Pavilion
07/28 New York City, NY w/ Buddy Guy Madison Square Garden
07/31 Philadelphia, PA w/ Buddy Guy Wachovia Center
August 2010
08/01 Philadelphia, PA Buddy Guy Wachovia Center
08/11 Atlanta, GA Crosby, Stills, and Nash Philips Arena.
08/12 Nashville, TN w/ Crosby, Stills, and Nash Sommet Center
08/14 Darien Lake, NY w/ Crosby, Stills, and Nash Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
08/15 Washington, DC w/ Crosby, Stills and Nash Jiffy Lube Live
08/17 Hartford, CT Crosby, Stills and Nash Comcast Theater
08/19 Boston, MA w/ My Morning Jacket Comcast Center
08/21 Boston, MA w/ My Morning Jacket Comcast Center
08/24 East Rutherford, NJ w/ My Morning Jacket Izod Center
08/25 Toronto, ON w/ Crosby, Stills, and Nash Air Canada Center
08/26 Phoenix, AZ w/ ZZ Top US Airways Center.
08/27 Saratoga Springs, NY w/ Crosby, Stills, and Nash Saratoga Springs Performing Arts Center
08/28 Darien Lake, NY w/ Crosby, Stills and Nash Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
September 2010
09/16 Tampa, FLw/ ZZ Top St Pete Times Forum
09/18 Raleigh, NC w/ ZZ Top Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek
09/19 Charlotte, NC w/ ZZ Top Charlotte Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
09/21 Dallas, TX w/ ZZ Top Superpages.com Center
09/23 Tulsa, OK w/ ZZ Top BOK Center
09/24 Houston, TX w/ ZZ Top Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
09/28 San Diego, CA w/ ZZ Top Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre
October 2010
10/01 2010 Los Angeles, CA w/ ZZ Top Hollywood Bowl
10/02 Irvine, CA w/ ZZ Top Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
“I’m excited about releasing some new music for the audience and for my band and for me to play. This material we’re just releasing now we’ve been working on stage for the last couple of years and it’s been going over really, really well and it’s just worked out that now seemed like a good time to release a record.”~ Steve Miller
Saturday Morning – Breakfast
My wife TBBW and I sat down for a scrumptious Ukrainian breakfast at a local neighborhood eatery with some good friends. Many months had passed since our last get together. I commented on how amazed I was that half of 2010 had gone by. And that so many different, but positive changes had already taken place in our day gigs for both my wife and I. This was something I predicted would be the case the last time we all got together.
As our server warmed up our coffee, I was asked if The Blues Blogger had any new posts lined up. I told everyone how concerned I was because during the transitional stages of the last six months, I felt some of my older readers may have noticed that I’ve been posting less frequently. And I hoped they understood.
I then mentioned I was writing an article on Steve Miller. Just hearing the name had everyone flashing back to a moment where one of his tunes played like a soundtrack to their past. But it also met with some curiosity and a few questions. Why Steve Miller? And how does he relate to the blues? These were all very good questions. He may be known to many as the “Space Cowboy” or the “Gangster of Love,” but his background is as vibrant as all the upbeat recognizable songs.
Several Years Ago
I wrote an article where I highlighted a song called Loan Me a Dime that Boz Scaggs recorded from the album of the same name back in 1969. In that piece I mentioned that Scaggs grew up in Texas with rock legend Steve Miller. In fact it was Miller that taught Scaggs some guitar chords and convinced him to join his band. For me it was actually Boz’s album in 1969 that introduced me to the late sixties psychedelic blues sound of Steve Miller. I’ve enjoyed both of them since.
Steve Miller
was born October 5, 1943 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Steve’s father was a jazz enthusiast, hat salesman, pathologist and amateur recording engineer. And his mother was a jazz-influenced singer.
Miller’s godfather Les Paul (pioneer of the electric guitar and multi-track recording) taught him his first guitar chords at the age of five. Paul and his wife Mary Ford were one of the regulars who stopped by the Miller household. Steve’s father was also the best man at Les Paul and Mary Ford’s wedding. It was Paul who encouraged a young Steve Miller to utilize his talent.
The Miller family later moved to Dallas Texas in 1950. At St. Mark’s School Miller put together his first band “The Marksmen.” This was also where (as I mentioned above) Miller met classmate Boz Scaggs. Steve would eventually graduate from Woodrow Wilson High School.
Another regular in the Miller house was T-Bone Walker. Steve’s father used to record Walker and his playing became a huge influence on Steve.
Returning to Wisconsin in 1962, he entered The University of Wisconsin–Madison, and put together a band called The Ardells along with Boz Scaggs who joined down the road.
After briefly attending The University of Copenhagen in Denmark, Miller returned to the U.S. and moved to Chicago. He would learn the ropes in the same Chicago sixties setting that Mike Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop thrived.
Absorbed in the Chicago blues scene, Miller got the opportunity to play with guys like Paul Butterfield. He also found himself jamming with blues legends such as Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and Buddy Guy. It was a very influential time. And Miller realized, if he hadn’t already, that music would be a part of his life forever.
In 1965 Miller and keyboardist Barry Goldberg formed the Goldberg-Miller Blues Band; eventually getting a steady gig at a New York City blues club… After his stint with Goldberg, Miller moved back to Chicago. Feeling it was time to move on, he made the decision to buy a used Volkswagen bus and go to San Francisco. Impressed by the lively scene, he decided to stay… The Steve Miller Blues Band (later known as just the Steve Miller Band) was born.
The first three albums Children of the Future,Sailor, and Brave New World weaved psychedelic rock with blues; generating a unique style. As most of you all know, Steve would later go on to become a rock icon with enormously popular hits in the seventies and eighties. But it was during the period I mention above that signifies Miller’s roots…
And this is the setting and influence that brings his latest album to life.
Bingo!
The Steve Miller Band’s first studio release in 17 years, takes a look back at the music that initially inspired him; his true roots – The Blues.
Bingo! was recorded at filmmaker George Lucas’s Skywalker Ranch and co-produced by Andy Johns. (The Rolling Stones, Free, Led Zeppelin and Blind Faith) The album features energetic covers of ten blues and R&B classics. Songs like “Rock Me Baby,”“Tramp” and “You Got Me Dizzy” along with three Jimmie Vaughan tunes are just some of the classic blues numbers you’ll hear on Bingo! Some of the tracks feature Michael Carabello, Latin percussionist and founding member of Santana. Miller can also be found trading licks alongside guitarist Joe Satriani. This is the first of two parallel releases planned by Miller’s Space Cowboy label and Roadrunner Records.
BINGO! will be released in two formats: a 10-track digipack CD and a special edition with 4 bonus tracks and expanded artwork by Storm Thorgerson. The same person responsible for artwork packages for Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd.
With a gorgeous touring stage by Broadway designer Rob Roth, Miller and his fellow band-mates will perform in selected cities this summer. It’s a positive feel good setting and an experience that aims to please all Steve Miller fans old and new alike.
Our Breakfast Concluded
Breakfast has always been my favorite meal of the day. It’s good to get together with friends. Unfortunately with busy schedules, it never seems to happen enough… As we headed towards our vehicles, I was asked how I knew all this stuff. It’s not so much the information I retained over the years, but really my love of music and writing that brings it all together. There are lots of opinions which are formulated regarding artists without really knowing their background. It’s that additional information that as a writer and music lover really puts the artist’s work in perspective for me.
Looking at the life and times of Steve Miller runs like a screenplay through my mind. I have so many cool visuals that I often find it difficult putting it to words. The videos included in this article show Steve talking about his cool past, and help fill in the gaps beautifully. Please check them out; I think you’ll find them very interesting indeed.
Did you know of Steve Miller’s Chicago blues roots and encouragement by blues greats such Otis Rush, T Bone Walker, Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy? Will you get the chance to see Steve this summer? Please add your comments below.
June 07 Pepsi Center – Corner Brook, NL
June 08 Mile One Center – St. John’s, NL Canada
June 12 Hilton Hotel – Atlantic city, NJ
June 13 MGM Grand – Mashantucket, CT
June 30 Molson Amphitheater – Toronto, Ontario
July 2010
July 02 DTE Energy Music Center – Clarkston, MI
July 03 Taste of Chicago – Chicago, IL
July 05 DE Montreal Jazz Fest – Montreal, QC
July 09 Pechanga Resort – Temecula, CA
July 10 Santa Barbara Bowl – Santa Barbara, CA
July 11 Greek Theater – Los Angeles, CA
July 14 Chateau Ste Michelle Amp – Woodinville, WA
July 15 Edgefield Amp – Troutdale, OR
July 16 Les Schwab Amp – Bend, OR
July 17 Raley Field – Sacramento, CA
July 24 PNC Park – Pittsburgh, PA
July 25 Churchill Downs Fest – Louisville, KY
July 27 Wolf Trap – Vienna, VA
July 29 Biltmore Estate – Ashville, NC
July 30 Verizon Wireless Amphitheater – Alpharetta, GA
July 31 Amphitheater at the Warf – Orange Beach, AL
August 2010
August 10 Wisconsin State Fair – West Allis, WI
August 12 Eagle River Pavilion – Boise, ID
August 14 Mile High Music Fest – Denver, CO
September 2010
Sept 17 Fender Center Museum – Corona, CA
Sept 18 Verizon Amphitheater – Irvine, CA
Sept 22 Oracle Open World Fest – San Francisco, CA
The music seen and heard on this site are meant to enhance the enjoyment of the articles and the reader's overall experience. My intention is to honor the artists that have inspired me by weaving my personal experiences together with my love of their music... If you like the music you hear, I urge you to support them by attending their performances and/or purchasing their music. If you hold the copyright and would like me to remove your song or picture then please contact me. I will do so immediately upon request.
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