We put our hearts & souls into this project …
Hola Y’all …
What a whirlwind it has been so far … Never in my wildest dreams did I think my latest recording FROM THE SHOALS (my 12 Independent release) would be so very well received!
Yes, my team and I put our hearts & souls into this project … but we always do … I think we just had a beautiful lunar phase to work with and a wagon full of good karma with us … ok … and maybe a studio full of well-seasoned kickass musicians …
So, this journey began during the 2019 IBC (International Blues Challenge). I went into the Hard Rock Cafe and ran into a group of wild, crazy & talented folks from Novigrad, Croatia. I invited them to come down to my show at Silky O’Sullivans the following evening … they did … and one of them, Davor “Hutch” Hučić, accepted my invitation to join me on stage. We all became fast friends and before I knew it, in 2021 I was booking a flight over to Croatia to participate in a few festivals. I spent almost 3 months over there, it was magical!
Hutch & I then spent the next 5 months online, writing 8 of the songs and it was so exciting the way it all evolved. In Jan of 2022 we began working on recording FROM THE SHOALS at Jimmy Nutt’s Nutthouse Studio. We brought Bernard “Pretty” Purdie back in on drums … David Hood on bass, Will McFarlane on guitar, Clayton Ivey on B3 & whirlie … Hutch tracked some burning guitar … Brad Guin on saxophone & Marc Franklin on trumpet … Mark Narmore also laid down some hot great balls of fire piano … Ms Kimberlie Helton had some smoking’ BGV!
Now as of April 15, 2023 we have enjoyed holding the #1 spot on the RMR Soul Blues Chart for 11 weeks in a row … also charted on Living Blues 3 months in a row … and holding on in the top 25 on most other charts … Just overwhelmed with the love and support. AND we have almost completed the songs for a new CD. I love writing with Hutch and Mark Narmore (from Sheffield AL – we wrote 3 on FROM THE SHOALS) … Not sure when we will start on the NEW recording … but y’all will be the first to know!
I have a few gigs planned … Memphis In May at Silky O’Sullivan’s with Johnny Rawls … Attending the Blues Music Awards … Then a few in PA before heading over to Europe … so check out my website schedule/calendar page for more details … https://barbarablue.com/events/
I appreciate y’all taking the time to read and catch up with me … and THANK YOU FROM ALL PARTS OF MY HEART … for ALL of the love and support!! Y’all make my day and this crazy musical life worthwhile. May your blessing be many and your troubles be few …
Adios for now! XoX BB
