IN LIVING BLUES #164
July 2002

Dear Friends, Summer started off with a bang at last week’s Chicago Blues Festival. Among many terrific sets, the highlight for me was an explosive Saturday...

IN LIVING BLUES #162
March 2002

Dear friends, With all the troubles that the record industry is going through right now (including the recent bankruptcy of Valley Media/DNA Distributors w...

IN LIVING BLUES #160
November 2001

Dear Friends, In this time of emotional turbulence, it seems that we need the soul-soothing power of the blues more than ever. I’ve never considered blues ...

IN LIVING BLUES #158
July 2001

Dear Friends, I’m still recovering from the whirlwind of the W.C. Handy Awards weekend in Memphis (including the annual meeting of the Blues Music Associati...

IN LIVING BLUES #156
March 2001

Dear Friends, As we move into Alligator’s 30th year of recording the blues, I have very little time to reflect on the past. As has been true since 1971, I’...

IN LIVING BLUES #154
November 2000

Dear Friends, I can’t tell you how thrilled we are with the initial reaction to Shemekia Copeland’s new album, Wicked. Between the radio play for “It’s 2 A...

IN LIVING BLUES #153
September 2000

Dear Friends, I hope that, as you read this, you’re enjoying some of our latest releases, like That’s My Partner! by Elvin Bishop and Little Smokey Smothers...

IN LIVING BLUES #152
July 2000

Dear Friends, I’m writing this from BMG Studios in New York where we’re beginning the mixes for Shemekia Copeland’s second album, Wicked. It’s a thrill to ...

IN LIVING BLUES #151
May 2000

Dear Friends, Last night in the studio, I put the final touches on the long-awaited new album by the Queen of the Blues, Koko Taylor. It’s called “Royal Bl...