May 2008 (Volume 1 Issue 77)

Among the many artists touring the UK, Sherman Robertson is one of the most popular. His soulful voice and guitar skills endear him to blues fans everywhere. In this issue, he talks to Trevor Hodgett.

The late Rory Gallagher was beloved by rock-blues fans. He is being celebrated with a re-mastered double CD of his work called The Essential Rory Gallagher. His brother Donal Gallagher has written about some of his memories of Rory for Blues In Britain. You could win a copy of the album in this month's magazine competition.

The independent film director, John Sayles, has just released a new film called Honeydripper. The story line concerns the birth of rhythm and blues and rock and roll in the fifties. It stars Danny Glover as the owner of the Honeydripper Lounge, which has lost its customers to the juke joint up the road, and Gary Clark Jnr as a young guitarist who saves it from closure. The film also features Keb Mo', Dr Mabel John, and saxophonist Eddie Shaw. I interviewed John Sayles, for Blues In Britain, when he was in the UK promoting the film.

The Burnley Festival took place over the rather cold and snowy Easter weekend. This didn't stop people enjoying themselves. Our reviewers were out in force but there was still more music than we could cover, at the Mechanics, on the canal and in the fringe pubs. You can read about the events we did review in this issue. The highlight for me was the Duke Robillard Band. Who was it for you?

Just occasionally, a contributor will send in a review of a CD or a band with which the editorial staff disagrees. We keep faith with the reviewer by printing their pieces unaltered. However, we wish to stress that views expressed by the writers are not necessarily those of the editors. For example, I love The Dirty Robbers CD and will be meeting with guitarist Oliver Darling, soon, to interview him.

This year will be a busy one, looking at the festivals, blues weekends and tours in the Blues News section and the Gig Guide. If you see me at a gig, come up and introduce yourself.

Fran Leslie ( )