After recently announcing his retirement (Bluegrass Today, The Bluegrass Situation, WTVF NewsChannel 5), bluegrass giant Doyle Lawson has decided to pass the baton for his 41-year annual festival, held at Denton FarmPark in Denton, NC, to The Malpass Brothers. The Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver Bluegrass Festival will now be named The Malpass Brothers Bluegrass and Country Festival, sponsored by Springer Mountain Farms.

On February 11th, Greenwich Entertainment will present Ronnie’s, the definitive chronicle of the life and times of saxophonist Ronnie Scott and his world-famous London jazz club. Directed by Oliver Murray, the film features previously unseen and unheard performances by some of the most iconic figures in musical history — Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Nina Simone, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Chet Baker, Van Morrison, and so many more — including a never-before-heard bootleg of Jimi Hendrix sitting in with Eric Burdon and War at Ronnie’s.

Singer, songstress and guitarist Sara Jean Kelley releases the video for her song, “I am the Ocean” directed by Thomas Chi.  The video finds Sara alone in a wood paneled living room, meditating and then rising from her stillness to destroy everything in the room.
 

Richard Thompson’s 1976 album of (at the time) career-spanning retrospective unreleased recordings – (Guitar, Vocal) A Collection Of Unreleased and Rare Material 1967-1976 – will be reissued on double 180-gram vinyl March 25th via Island/UMe in celebration of its 45th anniversary.

Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and musician Brent Cobb’s debut gospel album, And Now, Let’s Turn To Page…, is out now via his own label, Ol’ Buddy Records. Stream/purchase HERE.

Today Petaluma Records released the official video for “Stompin' Ground” featuring Aaron Neville and Dirty Dozen Brass Band. The new recording is the second single unveiled from the upcoming soundtrack release Take Me To The River: New Orleans. The music video for “Stompin' Ground” features footage taken from the forthcoming feature documentary film Take Me To The River: New Orleans, which celebrates the undeniable musical history, heritage, legacy, culture, and influence of New Orleans and Louisiana.

Today, the torch-bearing Grateful Dead tribute act Dark Star Orchestra announces the lineup for their ninth annual Dark Star Jubilee music festival. Produced by All Good Presents, the event was created as a band-curated continuation of the ongoing celebration of the music of the Grateful Dead, the Dark Star Jubilee has become a Midwest tradition for kicking off the summer season with three-nights of music, camping and community.

For those of us not on the East coast, Scott Metzger may be known as the guitarist alongside Tom Hamilton from JRAD or as the guy that stepped up to tour with CATS after Neal Casal’s passing.

In 1971, Bobby Rush released the single “Chicken Heads” on Galaxy Records (later sold to Fantasy Records and Concord Music) and in the subsequent months it inched up the Billboard R&B chart, marking his first career hit. (The B-side was a track called “Mary Jane.”)

Stony Plain Records announces a March 18 release date for They Called It Rhythm & Blues, the exciting new CD from two-time Grammy nominee and multiple Blues Music Award-winning guitarist Duke Robillard. The new album will also be released as a vinyl LP on August 5th.