The Music Maker Blues Revue (MMBR) was the last edition to our lineup but the first we want to tell you about! The touring ensemble of the Music Maker Relief Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to keeping American roots music vital by directly supporting the musicians who make it, will celebrate the foundation’s most legendary artists: Robert Finley, Pat “Mother Blues” Cohen, Alabama Slim, Albert White, Nashid Abdul-Khaaliq, Lil’ Joe Burton and Ardie Dean. Learn more about MMFR in this PBS video here.
Featured Artists
Pat “Mother Blues” Cohen had a booming career in the Crescent City, performing on Bourbon Street and for many convention-goers coming to the city who wanted to hear the real blues. After Hurricane Katrina, she relocated to North Carolina where she joined the Music Maker Blues Revue and began touring internationally. Check out a video of Pat here.
Alabama Slim was born in Vance, Alabama, but moved to New Orleans as a young man and the city of jazz has been his home ever since. He does not perform on Bourbon Street or, as of yet, any of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festivals. However, he continues to hold court performing his deep blues in tiny clubs in the Lower Ninth Ward, Bywater and Treme districts of the Crescent City. His expressive voice is lonesome, and has some of the flavor of John Lee Hooker and Lightnin’ Hopkins, yet is distinctly his own. In addition to his work with the Music Maker Revue, Slim tours with French Jazz Impresario Raphael Imbert. Check out a video of Alabama Slim here.
Robert Finley, from Bernice, LA, is the blues’ greatest new discovery. Slowly losing his sight to glaucoma, Robert retired from carpentry and has focused his energy on his lifelong passion for blues. From a lifetime of playing in church and at house parties in his community, Robert, through his partnership with Music Maker, is thrilled to make his New York debut.
Lil’ Joe Burton, from the Southside of Chicago, began his career with Junior Wells and spent 10 years on the road with B.B. King. Joe is well known throughout Europe and the United States for his heart-wrenching solos and tasteful high-energy performances. His uniquely versatile approach to traditional and contemporary Blues is legendary. He effortlessly blends fat round tones of his trombone with various styles and formats of Roots Music.
Albert White began playing guitar in the late 50s with his legendary uncle, Piano Red, and his group “Dr. Feelgood & the Interns.” Since then, Albert has performed with Joe Tex, The Tams, Ray Charles and many artists during his 50 year tenure as a Blues and R&B musician.
Nashid Abdul Khaaliq, a graduate of Berkeley College of Music, has played bass with Muddy Water’s son Big Bill Morganfield and released an incredible Jazz album, proving he is versatile with his musical skills.
Ardie Dean has drummed for Ernie K-Doe, Bo Diddley, Jerry McCain, Greg Allman, Taj Mahal, and Henry Grey since he began playing the blues in 1969. He has been musical director for the Music Maker Blues Revue since 1992.