BUDDY TIME. When it's January in Chicago, you know what that means: It's Buddy Time at Legends. At press time, according to the Legends website, two shows were already sold out: with Bobby Rush (tonight) and with Ivy Ford on Saturday, Jan. 7. I thought I also saw something that said the Jan. 21 show with Mike Wheeler was also sold out, but who knows. 
ONE MORE THING: During the month of January there will ONLY be the Buddy Shows at Legends; in other words, NO BLUES JAMS on Wednesdays.
BUDDY GUY PHOTO © chicagoBLUESnews/Karen Murphy

JAMMIN'. There's a new pro blues jam tonight at West on North (2509 W. North) in Humboldt Park. It is hosted by Nate Manos with Alicia 'Ya Ya' and Ivan Singh. Starts at 8pm. 

MEMPHIS BOUND. Win Noll and the Rockin' Souls (band) and Bill Grady (solo) will be representing Chicago and the Windy City Blues Society at the International Blues Challenge Jan. 24–28 on Beale St. in Memphis. Photos from the finals of the Chicago Blues Challenge are in the Around Town section below. Send those positive vibes.

WHO NEEDS EXERCISE? The Journal of the American Medical Assn. (JAMA) recently published a scientific review that concludes that that music’s benefit to mental health is actually comparable to that of exercise. Music therapists note even broader implications: “Both music listening and active music-making have been shown to activate the dopaminergic pathways,” Elisha Ellis Madsen, a board-certified music therapist, told Nice News. Drag out your playlist right now (and, while you are at it, look up what dopaminergic means)! LEARN MORE

PRESERVING THE BLUES. More than 590 reels of sound recordings, interview transcripts and photographs from the Robert “Mack” McCormick archive have been donated to Smithsonian. McCormick, who died of esophageal cancer in 2015, was a folklorist who dedicated his life to the preservation of the blues. According to an article in Pitchfork, scholarly access to the collection will be available this summer at the National Museum of American History. There also will be upcoming releases of some of the material from Smithsonian Books and Smithsonian Folkway Recordings. LEARN MORE

NOT DEAD YET. A limited-edition, eight-song vinyl LP titled Paris Blues was issued Nov. 25 as part of Record Store Day's 2022 Black Friday event. It features the last known unreleased studio recording by The Doors. The current vinyl price I am seeing on Amazon is $109. OR...as usual, here is a link to the recording on YouTube. Note that Albert King plays, but doesn't sing, on three tracks––supposedly at Peppers on 47th and Racine (that's what Morrison says on the recording). 

LEND A HAND. There is a fundraiser for local Atlanta acoustic blues musician Bill Sheffield on Sunday, Jan. 22 @ 3pm at Blind Willie's (828 N. Highland Ave., Atlanta; 404-873-BLUE (2583). Sheffield suffered a stroke on Nov. 30 while driving and needs help with medical expenses. If you cannot attend the fundraiser, you can donate to the GoFundMe.
HAVE A LISTEN

KEEP HIM IN YOUR THOUGHTS. Guitarist Jimmy Vaughan had open heart surgery in December, but according to all reports, is recovering nicely and plans to be back on the road some time in 2023. Apparently, he has had heart issues for some time, based on this 2013 article in the Austin Chronicle. LEARN MORE
PHOTO: Jimmy Vaughan with Bonnie Raitt at Eric Clapton's 2019 Crossroads Guitar Festival. © chicagoBLUESnews/Karen Murphy

GRAMMY TIME AGAIN. I am done whining about the Grammys, but you should know that the event will be broadcast Feb. 5, 2023 @ 6pm CST. I doubt that the blues awards will make it to the show, but here are the nominees:
Best Traditional Blues Album
    •    Heavy Load Blues  | Gov't Mule
    •    The Blues Don’t Lie | Buddy Guy
    •    Get On Board | Taj Mahal & Ry Cooder
    •    The Sun Is Shining Down | John Mayall
    •    Mississippi Son | Charlie Musselwhite
Best Contemporary Blues Album
    •    Done Come Too Far | Shemekia Copeland
    •    Crown | Eric Gales
    •    Bloodline Maintenance | Ben Harper
    •    Set Sail | North Mississippi Allstars
    •    Brother Johnny | Edgar Winter

Aaron Neville with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band got a nomination in the Best America Roots Performance category for Stomping' Ground. I also was amused to see that Dr. John was nominated for Best Americana Album for Things Happen That Way and is up against Keb' Mo' (Good To Be...). Weirdest one for me was that the Blind Boys of Alabama featuring Black Violin are in the Best Americana Performance category against Brandi Carlile, Bonnie Raitt, Asleep at the Wheel and someone named Eric Alexandrakis doing a tribute to Michael Nesmith. I guess I just don't understand the categories.