Down Home Blues

Down Home Blues: Miami, Atlanta, and the South Eastern States: Blues In The Alley Three Disc Box Set, 83 superbly remastered tracks in total, featuring Richard Armstrong, Willie (W.C.) Baker, Willie Brown, John Bullard, Ray Charles, Earl Hooker, Tommy Malone, Jerry McCain, Poor Jim, Jimmy Wilson and more Also includes a 78-page book featuring essays, rare period photographs, complete sessionography, and extensive gallery of original 78 and 45 record labels Available in the US on December 18th via Wienerworld (UK) - PRE-ORDER NOW Wienerworld is proud and excited to present to you the fifth box set in our unmissable Down Home Blues series, exploring the unique regions of the African American blues scene. Blues In The Alley features 29 artists that were influential in continuing and developing the traditions of the blues in the southeast. This release includes early down home blues recordings from none other than Ray Charles, before his climb to fame with his bigger sounding jazz-tinged blues. Alongside this, there are early recordings from Earl Hooker and Jerry McCain, two exceptionally gifted musicians who were always left on the cusp of success. Don't forget to check out the first recordings from Frank Edwards, who captivated audiences with his rack-mounted harmonica guitar one man band style, from the 1940s right up to his last years of performing and recording in 2003. Down Home Blues: Miami, Atlanta & The South Eastern States is a three CD set, packaged in a deluxe digipak with outer slipcase, featuring 83 tracks, all of them superbly remastered. This collection has been collated thanks to the generous help of blues collectors from both sides of the Atlantic, with rare recordings that are for the first time made available for listening via today's compact disc medium. An outstanding 78-page book, featuring a 15,000-word essay by blues historian Chris Bentley, accompanies the release. Rare period photographs illustrate the essay throughout with a complete sessionography and extensive gallery of original 78 and 45 record labels. Blues In The Alley is a close companion to Wienerworld's Tough Enough collection (WNRCD5104), with both sets dovetailing the post-war blues from America's north and southeastern states. The southeastern states were known as slow starters in having record companies to start up to record, produce and distribute the artistes that were performing on their own doorsteps after WWII. The best chance for any blues artistes in this region, looking to record, was to get up to New York for any opportunity to arise. By 1950 things certainly were different, and new recording companies who had taken the time and trouble to record such fine music had made up for a lot of lost time. Blues In The Alley captivates the efforts of those producers who gambled on their feel for the music – and their pockets to produce sounds from unadulterated country blues to the hard-edged electric tough blues sounds similar to that then being recorded in Chicago and Detroit.

"Rock For Relief" Tonight!

Danielia Cotton
Photo:
Chia Manning

Riding a new wave of critical acclaim from A Different War, her incredibly timely and most politically charged album to date, widely heralded Biracial blues-rocker DANIELIA COTTON has risen again into the light, fiercely and defiantly, to join a star-studded lineup for “Rock for Relief,” the star-studded benefit concert supporting Feeding America’s COVID-19 Response Fund on July 3 at 8pm ET and again at 11pm ET broadcasted at www.rockforrelief.net.

Presented by United Stations Media Networks and Storic Media Podcast Network, “Rock for Relief” is the latest national spotlight event to heal this tattered nation for Cotton, following her performance at the Juneteenth Tulsa Block Party with Sen. Kamala Harris, Alfre Woodard and others.

“Rock for Relief” arrives as Cotton is entering a “new normal” touring mode with her “Virtual Album Release Tour,” which kicked off last weekend at Sellersville Theater in Sellersville, PA, simultaneously launching the theater’s virtual concert series as well. Her next stop is July 8 at Tanzman Park in Woodbridge, NJ. More dates will be announced shortly.

The “Rock For Relief” benefit show, to raise awareness and donations for families in local communities across the nation, will be hosted by Lou Brutus and Riki Rachtman with talent interviews conducted by Alice Cooper and Joe Satriani. [View Trailer]. Cotton joins a stellar line-up of performers that includes headliner Corey Taylor alongside Gavin Rossdale, George Thorogood, Don Felder (formerly of The Eagles), Myles Kennedy (Alter Bridge), Lzzy Hale & Joe Hottinger (Halestorm), Jesse Hasek (10 Years), Filter, Lisa Loeb, The Dead Daisies, Chris Robertson (Black Stone Cherry), Starset, Brandon Saller (Atreyu), Ricky Byrd, Bobby Whitlock & CoCo Carmel, Joe Grushecky, Kathy Sledge, Bones Owens, BJ Thomas, Matt Bigland (Dinosaur Pile-Up) and more, with special appearances by Peter Frampton and Adam Gontier of Saint Ansonia.

Feeding America estimates that an additional 17.1 million people could be food insecure in 2020 as a result of this crisis – for a total of 54.3 million people, or 1 in every 6 people. This is a 46% increase over the 37.2 million people who were food insecure prior to the COVID-19 crisis.

Cotton will be performing an acoustic version, on piano, of “A Different War,” the title track from her latest album, which finds the woman whose music is “soulful enough to fill a revival tent” (The New York Times) and whose voice gives her songs “stunning power” (No Depression) speaking to these extraordinary times by unloading her sin while the world around her is gripped in a turbulent spin.

She will be joined for this special live performance by prominent Bronx hip-hop artist Mickey Factz, reprising his guest appearance on the original album track. “A Different War” examines how the reality of people of color getting called into battle as a result of being marginalized informs their entire existence. The song also urges us to press ahead because of the ongoing need for substantive change.

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Juneteenth Block Party Today!

Danielia Cotton
Photo:
Chia Messina 

DANIELIA COTTON TO JOIN TULSA’s NATIONAL JUNETEENTH BLOCK PARTY

WITH SPECIAL PERFORMANCE OF ‘A DIFFERENT WAR’

Riding a new wave of critical acclaim from A Different War, her incredibly timely and most politically charged album to date, widely heralded blues-rocker DANIELIA COTTON has risen again into the light, fiercely and defiantly, to join a star-studded lineup for Tulsa’s national Juneteenth Block Party, a virtual event to accompany

on-the-ground celebrations happening over the weekend. The Block Party will begin streaming tomorrow (Saturday, June 20) at 6 p.m. CT at www.tulsablockparty.com.

The Juneteenth Block Party event arrives as Cotton enters a “new normal” touring mode with her “Virtual Album Release Tour.” The first stop on the tour will be Friday, June 26 at Sellersville Theater, 24 West Temple Ave., Sellersville, PA. Show time is 8 p.m. More dates will be announced shortly.

The Full Livestream Concert at Sellersville Theater on June 26 will be streamed LIVE on the Sellersville Theater Facebook page. This is a PAY AS YOU PLEASE Event. All contributions will go to support both Danielia Cotton and Sellersville Theater. Payment information will be available while watching the show.

The Juneteenth Block Party was created to recognize Juneteenth, the holiday that marks the abolition of slavery in the United States and celebrate the culture of African American communities in Tulsa and around the country. The Block Party lineup will include conversations, stories, messages of hope, and musical performances from a number of prominent Tulsans and beyond, and special celebrity guests. Organizers promise the Juneteenth Block Party to be “the moment this country deserves for an exceptional holiday weekend.”

Cotton joins a stellar list of confirmed participants including Alfre Woodard, Sen. Kamala Harris, NBA Houston Rockets’ Russell Westbrook, creator of HBO’s Watchmen Damon Lindelof, former Attorney General Eric Holder, former Governor of Massachusetts Deval Patrick, Emmy-award winning filmmaker Stanley Nelson, Biden 2020 Sr. Advisors Karine Jean-Pierre and Symone Sanders, Emmy nominated comedian Baratunde and more celebrity guests. 

Cotton will be performing an acoustic version, on piano, of “A Different War,” the title track from her latest album, which finds the woman whose music is “soulful enough to fill a revival tent” (The New York Times) and whose voice gives her songs “stunning power” (No Depression) speaking to these extraordinary times by unloading her sin while the world around her is gripped in a turbulent spin.

She will be joined for this special live performance by prominent Bronx hip-hop artist Mickey Factz, reprising his guest appearance on the original album track. “A Different War” examines how the reality of people of color getting called into battle as a result of being marginalized informs their entire existence. The song also urges us to press ahead because of the ongoing need for substantive change.

In a deeply personal and moving editorial she titled “Fade to Black” just published by SWAAY.com, Cotton confronts her own upbringing as a biracial woman in a predominantly white upper middle class New Jersey suburb. Read it here.

Cotton frames A Different War by confronting race, gender, and wealth − deeply personal and pervasive issues that have plagued folks like her for an eternity.

Calling the album, “stunning and stirring,” American Songwriter praised A Different War for “an uncompromising urgency that transforms its songs into anthems for our times.” Including the album among its Best Bets in “The Hotness” Summer Issue, BUST Magazine raved: “A Different War is an album bursting with soulful blues rock, delivered with steely confidence. … Whether she’s wailing Janis Joplin-style on ‘Cheap High’ or declaring ‘I was not born a man, but I can do anything that he can,’ on ‘She Too,’ she’s in control, and she’s our kind of belter.”

Adding to the praise for A Different War, MediaNews Group syndicate was impressed at how Cotton’s “consistent ability to overcome pain and express it through music shines a light on the issues of the day and shows the world what it's like to continue to fight.” San Francisco Classical Voice chimed in, saying “I would really encourage you to take a listen to” the new album.

Throughout her career, the longtime New Yorker from Hopewell, NJ, has drawn praise from the New York Times, Billboard, the Los Angeles Times, NPR, and USA Today, among many others. She continues to inhabit a song, turning it inside and out to create transcendent music and lyrics, and carry us higher and higher with her in her musical flights.

A Different War finds the gutsy New Yorker swimming through the tumultuous social issues of racism and greed, and the tempestuous waters of love and relationships. These are songs deeply rooted in the protest anthems of yesterday but built for the current state of our world. A multi-racial, gospel-fueled, Jewish blues-rocker who believes in the power of womanhood, Cotton grew up in a predominantly white New Jersey community as one of just seven black kids in her high school. She has survived cancer and the tragic loss of twins at birth, only to bounce back and finally welcome a daughter in 2018. Cotton’s consistent ability to overcome pain and express it through music shines a light on the issues of the day and shows the world what it's like to fight “A Different War.”

A Different War is a true collaboration with some of the most talented musicians and technicians in the business. From Aaron Comess (Spin Doctors, Joan Osborne, Edie Brickell) on drums, Ben Butler (Sting, George Michael, Chris Botti) on guitar, and Andy Hess (Gov’t Mule, Black Crowes) on bass, to young gun guitarist Emmanuel Rossillo working his first major studio project, the record resonates with innovation and flare. The finishing touches of the brilliant mix provided by Dave O’Donnell (James Taylor, Sheryl Crow, John Mayer) and the mastering of Greg Calbi (numerous hits over the past 20 years) make this record a true meeting of the best of the best.

The evidence is clear on A Different War that DANIELIA COTTON continues to evolve and challenge herself as a musician. Fifteen years since her breakout as an Artist to Watch by influential Philadelphia public radio outlet WXPN, Cotton remains a true indie artist fighting for independence – the space to create her own sound and an audience that would journey with her.

Available NOW at Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon, and where music is consumed on-line.

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"Cheap High"

Danielia Cotton

FIERCELY AND DEFIANTLY, DANIELIA COTTON

RELEASES ‘CHEAP HIGH’ MUSIC VIDEO TO CONFRONT

ADDICTIVE POWER OF WEALTH IN THESE DIFFICULT TIMES  

Premiering Now at American Songwriter, Socially Distant-Shot Video from 5/29 Album Release A Different War

Finds Widely Acclaimed Blues-Rocker Addressing the Isolation that Comes with Addiction

RadioWoodstock 100.1 WDST Celebrates Album Release Day with ‘Sofa Sessions’ Livestream Concert Event, 5/29 @ 7 p.m. ET

"Danielia Cotton has not had it easy. But lucky for us, she channels her pain and suffering into kick-ass musical creations we can all enjoy.” - Guitar World

The music video for widely acclaimed blues-rocker DANIELIA COTTON’s new stomping anthem, CHEAP HIGH, from next week’s album release, A Different War, premieres today at American Songwriter, noting how “Cotton’s raspy voice is tinged with anger and frustration, but she channels her powerful vocal delivery into a cathartic triumph by the song’s end.”

Cotton drew on childhood memories of surviving as a poor multi-racial youth in an upper middle-class New Jersey community. While creating the video, she was astonished witnessing the addictive power of a “cheap high” surge through our communities during the pandemic, further highlighting our economic disparities. 

“Right now there are so many people in their homes with no money coming, yet they’re frantically ordering all kinds of items online,” says Cotton. “It’s still going on. It’s even coming down to buying ridiculous things like designer brands for masks. It’s crazy. And then there are those who wear masks made from a handkerchief because that’s all they’ve got.”

Writing CHEAP HIGH, now active at Triple A radio, made Cotton think a lot about the things she didn’t have as a kid – like running water, which she went without until she was in high school. And not having traditional heating, instead having to chop wood for the stove with her sister when they came home from track practice. And being laughed at by the other kids in junior high for wearing cheap supermarket sneakers. The result was that spending became a formidable drug for her that substituted for other substances she found less desirable. The song speaks not only to personal unhappiness arising from greed but also to the dangers of a society mired in an economic disparity that even the pandemic cannot break.

“We haven’t had such a disparity between the rich and the poor like this in a long time,” she says. “Showing off things to prove you have money is a cheap high. That’s where we all are right now. Spending is an epidemic in our country, but what makes you truly happy in life is people and love.

The pandemic shutdown limited filming inside her Manhattan apartment and on the building’s roof deck, just her and videographer Ray Foley, socially distanced from each other during the entire process. Fittingly, the song is about isolation − the isolation that comes with any addiction, such as spending, and when one is besieged by self-doubt. The video forcefully conveys that sense of isolation and emptiness, courtesy of COVID-19.

CHEAP HIGH is the second single from A Different War, her most politically charged album in a widely heralded career that has drawn praise from the New York Times, Billboard, the Los Angeles Times, NPR, and USA Today, among many others. Set for release May 29 on all major digital platforms through Cottontown Music, the album will be celebrated that evening by RadioWoodstock 100.1 with a Sofa Sessions Livestream Concert Event at 7 p.m. ET. Watch it here.

A Different War finds Cotton, whose voice gives her songs “stunning power” (No Depression), speaking to these extraordinary times by unloading her sin while the world around her is gripped in a turbulent spin. Cotton frames the six-song opus by confronting race, gender, and wealth − deeply personal and pervasive issues that have plagued folks like her for an eternity.

A Different War will be available May 29 at Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon, and where music is consumed on-line.

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"Forgive Me"

FIERCELY AND DEFIANTLY, DANIELIA COTTON

RE-EMERGES FROM THE SHADOWS WITH ‘FORGIVE ME’

1^st Single From ‘A Different War’ Out 2/28/20

https://music.apple.com/us/album/forgive-me-single/1500173385

“Ms. Cotton testifies to pain, need, revelation and redemption in a voice that’s as raw as it is indomitable.” – The New York Times

Hailed by The New York Times for music that’s “soulful enough to fill a revival tent,” DANIELIA COTTON has spent the past few years since her last album pulling herself out of the shadows, and she’s rising again into the light, fiercely and defiantly.

FORGIVE ME, the first single, due Feb. 28, off her newest album, A Different War, arriving later this year, sends a potent message that the “fiery rock vocalist” (American Songwriter) whose voice gives her songs “stunning power” (No Depression) has re-emerged and is delivering even more powerfully moving music than ever.

The hypnotic rhythms of the opening guitar chords transfix us, while Cotton’s somber opening vocals blossom into soaring flights of rocking soul. The evocative and transporting music of FORGIVE ME mimics the lyrics, which the Hopewell, NJ, native wrote with her sister, Catherine Fulmer-Hogan, stressing the necessity of forgiveness in any relationship.

“The only way you survive a relationship is through forgiveness,” says Cotton. “‘Don’t get lost in the fight,’ as I sing in the song. If you’re gonna last, then you’re gonna forgive each other a million times.”

Additionally praised by Billboard, the Los Angeles Times, NPR, and USA Today, among others throughout her career, Cotton, as always, inhabits a song, turning it inside and out, creating transcendent music and lyrics, and carrying us higher and higher with her in her musical flights.

Available at Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon, and where music is consumed on-line.

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Genre: Rock, Soul, Blues

“Forgive Me” credits

Words: Danielia Cotton and Catherine. Fulmer-Hogan

Music: Danielia Cotton

Players: Andy Hess (Bass), Aaron Comess (Drums), Ben Butler (guitar), Danielia Cotton (guitar, piano, vocals)

Production: JCS (Jw Johnson, Danielia Cotton & Craig Shofed)

Feeling Blues?

Get the "Hump Day" Blues!

Professor Louie & The Crowmatix "Crowin' The Blues"

coming to CD on April 7th

Roots music royalty return with a collection of classic Blues covers and original songs

"The Band lives again. Professor Louie and The Crowmatix echo the sound they had in their heyday. Just like The Band, it takes in a lot, but gives it all back and then some."

- Grant Britt, No Depressio

On Crowin' The Blues, The Crowmatix dig down into the origin of many great Blues songs from the Texas Rhythm & Blues style of "I'm Gonna Play The Honky Tonks" by Marie Adams (Peacock) to "High Heel Sneakers" that is a Rock 'n' Roll standard. The Crowmatix combined the Soul tune, "On Broadway" with a blues by Jimmy Reed for our arrangement of "Bright Lights, Big City." They also remember Big Bill Broonzy recording his hit "Why Did You Do That To Me" and the shuffle blues by Elmore James, "Fine Little Mama."

Levon Helm taught us Jimmy McCracklin's hit "I Finally Got You" and a gut wrenching blues by Jimmy Rogers "That's Alright." The Crowmatix originals "Love Is Killing Me," "Blues & Good News," "Prisoner Of Your Sound" are featured, and the band gives a nod to Buckwheat Zydeco with "Blues For Buckwheat." Many performers walked the fence between the straight path and the Honky Tonk Chitlin' circuit lifestyle and recorded Gospel songs, here The Crowmatix chose "I'm On My Way." 

We're Feeling Blues

Crowin' The Blues, their thirteenth studio CD, was recorded in three days live in the studio . Grammy nominated PL&C from Woodstock. The band was inducted into Blues Hall Of Fame, New York Chapter and hold a permanent place in the Canada South Blues Museum.

The Crowmatix are... Professor Louie (vocals, accordion, piano, Hammond organ, keyboards); Miss Marie (vocals, percussion, piano); Gary Burke (drums, percussion); Frank Campbell (bass, vocals); John Platania (electric /acoustic guitars); Josh Colow (lead guitar) special guest Michael Falzarano (guitar).

Professor Louie & The Crowmatix have an upcoming tour and are available for in-person interviews, appearances, etc: http://www.crowmatix.com/sched.html