The Soul of John Black and his Yellow Dog Records debut album The Good Girl Blues are nominated for “Best New Artist Debut”, in the just-announced 2008 Blues Music Awards.
The Blues Music Awards (formerly known as the W.C. Handy Awards) are universally recognized as the highest honor given to Blues artists. The awards have been presented by The Blues Foundation in ceremonies since 1980 to celebrate excellence in recording and performance during the previous year. This year’s awards ceremony will be held May 8, 2008 at the Grand Casino Event Center in Tunica, MS, and will reveal the results of voting conducted by members of the Blues Foundation at its web site.
The Soul of John Black is the nom de performance of soul/roots guitarist John "JB" Bigham, an accomplished performer who has toured and recorded with artists as acclaimed and diverse as Fishbone, Miles Davis, Eminem, Dr. Dré, and Nikka Costa. Bigham’s new album The Good Girl Blues, a "funky blend of blues, soul, and rock" that merges rootsy, bluesy fundamentals with modern soul, funk, and hip-hop influences, was released by Yellow Dog Records in 2007 to critical acclaim, also earning widespread airplay and reaching the #2 position on XM Satellite Radio’s Bluesville channel. The album was recently named one of five Blues finalists for Album of the Year in the Independent Music Awards (three of the other four finalists are also Blues Music Award nominees), and is currently featured in Blues listening posts throughout the Borders Books and Music chain.
Another Nomination for The Soul Of John Black
The Soul Of John Black - Finalist for Indpendent Music Awards
The Soul Of John Black's "The Good Girl Blues" has been named a finalist in the 7th annual Independent Music Awards! Please vote for us by clicking the “2008 Independent Music Awards” Link (see above) and scroll down to the Blues category.
The Good Girl Blues - Downbeat Magazine
Check out the December issue of Downbeat magazine's review of The Soul Of John Black's "The Good Girl Blues" at your favorite newstand or bookstore.
Billboard Magazine Review - The Soul Of John Black
The Soul Of John Black is the collaboration of John Bigham and Christopher Thomas, multi-instrumentalists who have worked with an impressive array of acts, including Miles Davis, Betty Carter, Eminem, Henry Butler, Everlast, Fishbone, Joshua Redman and the Brian Blade Fellowship. Their musical backgrounds are so much more inclusive than exclusive that the result of their collaboration must have been wildly unpredictable. What has emerged, however, owes primary allegiance to funk and funk/jazz, hip-hop breakbeats and R&B. These tracks do cook. From the sexy remembrance of “Carolyn” to the monster groove of “Supa Killa”, the genre-crunching “Lost & Paranoid” and the acoustic tune “Joy”, The Soul Of John black have created a distinctive collection of polished, very hip tunes.
Esquire Magazine on The Soul Of John Black's "The Good Girl Blues"
“A testament to the strength of African American music and the undeniable influence of the blues... Bigham’s anguished wail will grab your gut and turn it inside out."
