Houston Blues Society

Blues Scene Mourns Loss of Keyboardist Marie English

The Houston blues community is mourning longtime local musician Marie English, who friends say passed away earlier this week after complications from knee surgery. English, a keyboardist and singer, was 49 and had been a member of Tommy Dardar's band. She had been in the local blues scene since the ... More >>

John Egan Gets His Mojo Working For IBC Challenge

John Egan has been brushing up on his networking skills, while working up his mojo for the world's leading blues competition. "They told me I needed fresh business cards," says the solo Houston bluesman known for twisting barbed licks out of his his silver hollowbody Resonator guitar. "It's totally ... More >>

Dr. Richard Patt, Healer and Mainstay of Houston Blues Scene, Passes Away at 58

Dr. Richard Patt, a former anaesthesiologist and longtime member of the Houston blues community, passed away early Sunday morning, according to a post by Houston Blues Society president Gail Singer on the HBS Facebook group. Rewind: Dr. Rick, Physician Turned Patient, Learns to Enjoy Every Sandwic ... More >>

RIP Martin Miglioretti: Houston Blues Society Poster Artist Was 58

It's been a rough weekend for the Houston blues community. Martin Miglioretti, a graphic artist who designed dozens of posters and other images for the Houston Blues Society, even its Lightnin' Hopkins-themed logo, passed away suddenly Saturday night. He was 58 and signed his creations "Martino." H ... More >>

Rest of the Best

Houston's top 5 local music venues.

The Rest of the Best: Houston's Top 5 Blues Clubs

5. THE SHAKESPEARE PUB Congratulations to the owner of Shakespeare Pub for the place's spruced-up digs. Now patrons can enjoy acts like the James Reese Band and Little Terry Rogers in plusher surroundings, not to mention sliding all night to zydeco. Of the nervous sort when it comes to public danci ... More >>

The 5 Best Shows In Houston This Week: October 22-25

Rodriguez House of Blues, October 23 Had he not fallen victim to slow sales in the early '70s, Detroit-born rocker Rodriguez could have been one of the biggest acts of the decade. After releasing two sturdy, Dylanesque albums, 1970's Cold Fact and Coming From Reality the next year, Rodriguez left r ... More >>

7 Cool & Cheap Weekenders: Bang Bangz, Praia Urbana, Greezy Wheels, Etc.

First up: Damn. According to Space City Rock (via Pegstar), the upcoming Guided by Voices show next Monday (Sept. 24) at Warehouse Live has been canceled. That would have been cool. Anyhow, if you're a fan of shimmery guitars and sad songs, get thee to Cactus Music this evening at 5 p.m. sharp, for ... More >>

Dr. Rick, Physician Turned Patient, Learns to Enjoy Every Sandwich

Rewind: RIP Leo Aston: Local Guitarist, Leo Trio Leader Passes Away There's an old saying about what happens when a doctor becomes a patient. Dr. Richard Patt, once a high-placed anaesthesiologist at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, became a musician first. Patt, who musically goes by "Dr. Rick," left ... More >>

Rebecca Laird, Mojo Girl

20-year-old Katy guitar slinger could be a budding Bonnie Raitt.

RIP Leo Aston: Local Guitarist, Leo Trio Leader Passes Away

Local blues guitarist Leo Aston has passed away. According to posts on the Houston Blues Society and Houston Blues Museum Facebook sites, Aston finally succumbed to cancer in the early hours this morning. The leader of the Leo Trio, Alston was one of the good guys in the Houston blues scene. He had ... More >>

RIP Leo Aston: Local Guitarist, Leo Trio Leader Passes Away

Local blues guitarist Leo Aston has passed away. According to posts on the Houston Blues Society and Houston Blues Museum Facebook sites, Aston finally succumbed to cancer in the early hours this morning. The leader of the Leo Trio, Alston was one of the good guys in the Houston blues scene. He had ... More >>

7 Cool & Cheap Weekenders: Susan Alcorn, Steel Lounge Underground, Etc.

This ain't honky-tonk: Presented by They, Who Sound and Signal To Noise, Baltimore-based composer and avant-garde steel guitarist Susan Alcorn performs three sets starting 8 p.m. tonight at 14 Pews (800 Aurora): One solo, and two in trios with David Dove (trombone) and Damon Smith (bass), and Jo Bir ... More >>

7 Cool & Cheap Things To Do This Weekend: Crawfish, Scott H. Biram, Blaggards, Etc.

It's crawfish season, as Rocks Off may have mentioned recently. All weekend - today through Sunday, in other words - the Houston Blues Society is sponsoring the stage at the Kemah Crawfish Festival, featuring dependable locals such as Mojofromopolis, the Paul Ramirez Band, Texas Johnny Brown, Don Ke ... More >>

8 Cool & Cheap Things To Do This Weekend

Scoremore presents a release party for up-and-coming local rapper Doughbeezy for his new CD Blue Magic at Warehouse Live tonight ($15). The album features Dough's collaboration with Killa Kyleon, "F*ck You," which should not be mistaken for the Cee-Lo song of the same partially censored name. Watch ... More >>

Dan Workman, Blues Bassist But Not SugarHill President, Passes Away

Dan "Uncle Mojo" Workman, host of the Thursday-night blues jam at the 19th Hole bar in The Woodlands, passed away over the weekend. He had a stroke last Thursday and died Saturday morning, the Houston Blues Society said. According to reports, he had played his regular gig earlier Thursday night. "H ... More >>

Thanks, Houston

What we appreciate most this year.

What We Are Thankful For This Year

Like most years, 2011 has been...complicated. We've heard some great music, seen some killer shows and lost some amazing people. We also nearly lost one of our own. That's how it goes in this world and it's why the things we are thankful for take on added meaning as the year begins to wind down. Th ... More >>

Houston and the Blues

Viva the Houston Blues Scene.

Old School

Musicians in their 70s and 80s are keeping Houston's traditional blues scene real.

The Napkin Files: Deep Thoughts From Shallow Waters

Charles Simms/fineartamerica.comJoe's Cozy Corner in New Orleans​Lonesome Onry and Mean spends quite a bit of night time in bars and music venues writing random thoughts on bar napkins. Lots and lots of bar napkins. Usually LOM is laboring under the delusion that he's having a brilliant idea, ... More >>

Lady Gaga Sings The Big Easy Blues

Photos by Annelia WililamsEugene Moody​Rocks Off woke up to Lady Gaga on Good Morning America this morning. It looked like she was having a little trouble with her zipline. The reason Rocks Off woke up to Lady Gaga on Good Morning America this morning, instead of Channel 13's Eyewitness News ... More >>

Houstonians Place High In International Blues Contest

​This past week, Ezra Charles & the Works and The Mighty Orq, both long-running pillars of the local blues scene, each represented Houston and the Houston Blues Society at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tenn. The week-long competition brought in 110 performers from all over the ... More >>

Blues Christmas

Sam's Place

Lightnin' Hopkins finally gets his own historical marker.

Lightnin' Hopkins Historical Marker Dedication

Blues Benefit Honors Late Drummer "Butch" Dempsey

​Longtime Houston blues scenester Mark May is hosting a benefit this afternoon at the Continental Club for his longtime drummer Clyde "Butch" Dempsey, who passed away this past July. Joining May on the bill will be local favorites Luther and the Healers as well as Cold Feet, Gonadz and the u ... More >>

A Long Night Of The Harmonicas At Minute Maid Park

Photos by Groovehouse​ For more photos from Friday's Harmonica Night, see our slideshow here. Rocks Off spent a lot of time last week wondering what Minute Maid Park was going to sound like this past Friday. In cooperation with the Astros, the people behind last year's harmonica documentary ... More >>

Into the Jungle

The Jungle Rockers are wound too tight for Vietnam...what about Texas?

Win A Pair Of Toots & The Maytals Tickets

Ed. Note: Rocks Off is giving away a pair of tickets to Toots & the Maytals at high noon on our Facebook page. Please add us here. ​If Toots Hibbert didn't actually give birth to reggae, he certainly dated the midwife. Hibbert's legacy traces itself to the earliest reggae recordings as ska slo ... More >>

More Good News In the Lightnin' Hopkins Historical Marker Campaign

​ Eric Davis, whose application to erect a state historical marker for iconic Texas bluesman Lightnin' Hopkins was approved by the Harris County Historical Commission in November, said today his campaign to raise money to pay for the marker reached its goal of $1,800 dollars last month. "I'm just ... More >>

More Good News In The Lightnin' Hopkins Historical Marker Campaign

​ Eric Davis, whose application to erect a state historical marker for iconic Texas bluesman Lightnin' Hopkins was approved by the Harris County Historical Commission in November, said today his campaign to raise money to pay for the marker reached its goal of $1,800 dollars last month. "I'm just ... More >>

KISS Off

The makeup-clad rockers may be hilarious, but they're hardly metal.

Lightnin' Hopkins Historical Marker One Step Closer To Reality

​Over the weekend, our sister blog Rocks Off received some very encouraging news from Eric Davis, whose efforts to secure local blues legend Lightnin' Hopkins a long-overdue historical marker we wrote about a couple of weeks back. Davis says his proposal was unanimously approved by the Harris Cou ... More >>

Sonny Boy Terry

Breakfast Dance (Radiola Records)

Social Distortion

Ask your local rocker to stop (over-)using his wah-wah pedal

Soul Survivors

The '70s Soul Revue and The Lone Star Shootout and Gulf Coast Blues Blowout

Back to Her Roots

More Blues Than You Can Use

Night & Day

September 3 - 9, 1998

Static

Press Picks

Static

Static

Static

Heaven's Gatemouth

Juneteenth brings a blues great back to Houston

On the Blues Highway

Trudy Lynn recalls her journey to musical acclaim

Blues Kudos & Burb Buzz

Handy Houston bluespeople, and the next great wave from -- Katy

End Game

This is the way the year ends, this is the way the year ends, this is the way the year ends, not with a bang but a ... year-end roundup

The Chill is Gone

Texas guitar legend Albert Collins passes at age 61