Top 15 2004
Tuesday, November 30, 2004
Da’ Blues! An American art form that delights the soul and celebrates life’s trials.
A quick glance at Homer’s Top Selling Blues albums for 2004 revels some interesting facts.
Joe Bonamassa, an artist that has become familiar with Omaha fans, was the best selling artist this year with two albums in the Top 100. His newest album, Had to Cry Today, sold well enough to give Bonamassa two albums in the Top Five (and three in the Top 100) but was classified as a “rock” album instead of a blues record.
Proving once again that death has great marketing potential, legendary Floridian Ray Charles had three albums in the Top 12. No doubt sales were also impacted by the release of the crucially acclaimed film, Ray.
Past sales indicate that B. B. King and Stevie Ray Vaughan are the areas best selling blues artists. Interestingly King came in at #31 with his album, Why I Sing the Blues’ while Vaughan’s #15 seller hails last year’s “Year of the Blues” promotion featuring the PBS series, “Martin Scorses Presents the Blues.”
Not one but two artists see the positive effect of Reader columnist B. J. Hutchtemann with Top Ten placements that she has championed over the years; Keb Mo and Curtis Salgado.
Omaha’s Indigenous Jam clearly launched the local success for a likely contender for finest living blues guitar player alive today with Robben Ford coming in at #6 which was produced by John Wooler, former EVP of Virgin Records and founder of the defunct Pointblank Record label.
The increasingly significant Omaha Blues Society flexs it's impact muscle when the appearance of Renee Austin who was one of their guest artists this summer on their very popular Missouri River Boat cruises. If you're not yet a member of the OBS - GET OUT'YER WALLET and help make Omaha the live music Mecca it so richly deserves!
Last but hardly least, one of my top five favorite blues albums of all time Etta James’ “At Last” places #7 in the year’s best sellers. If you haven’t heard this album, and have even a casual affinity for the blues, this is a MUST OWN album by a towering figure within the genre. A great record by any standard.
1 BLUES DELUXE BONAMASSA,JOE
2 GENIUS LOVES COMPANY CHARLES,RAY
3 KEEP IT SIMPLE KEB MO'
4 SANCTUARY MUSSELWHITE,CHARLIE
5 VERY BEST OF RAY CHARLES
6 KEEP ON RUNNING FORD,ROBBEN
7 AT LAST JAMES,ETTA
8 SWEET TALK AUSTIN,RENEE
9 ANTHOLOGY RAY CHARLES
10 STRONG SUSPICION SALGADO,CURTIS
11 WAIT FOR ME TEDESCHI,SUSAN
12 WHISKEY STORE LIVE TAB BENOIT & JIMMY THACKERY
13 ELECTRIC MUD WATERS,MUDDY
14 BOTHERED MIND BURNSIDE,R.L.
15 MARTIN SCORSESE PRES VAUGHAN,STEVIE RAY
Be sure to tune into KIWR’s Pacific Street Blues on Sunday, December 19th when Rick Galusha begins his 16th year of hosting this three-hour radio program. PS Blues airs Sundays from 9:00 – Noon. PS Blues is now preceded by Mike Fratt’s three hour program, Sunday Morning
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