News

"Steady" - Remembering Jerry McCain

Jerry McCain died this week in his hometown of Gadsden, Alabama. I heard about it on Facebook, but it must have been on the wind. I had just been talking to one of my students about him. The previous week we had started working on “Steady,” the downhome harp instrumental widely regarded as a standard, and I told him some stories about going to Gadsden to visit Jerry, or Mr. McCain as I quaveringly called him, in 2009.

Paul's Blog - Remembering Angelo Dundee

In 1978, I had a little band, and occasionally this horn player would sit in with us. He was going out with Angelo Dundee's niece. He got some tickets for all of us to go to the Hynes Auditorium in Boston and watch Sugar Ray Leonard fight a 10-round exhibition match against the Welterweight Champion of New England, Dick Ecklund.

New Songs Posted on Reverbnation

January 29, 2012: Paul's upcoming solo CD, Talking Guitar will be released on April 17. The album features Paul returning to his country blues roots with 13 wonderful songs played on acoustic and resonator guitars as only Paul Rishell can play them. Here's a sneak preview of "Big Road Blues" featuring Annie on harp, plus some favorite songs from earlier albums on our Reverbnation music player:

October News

TO HELL AND BACK:, The intrepid blues duo recently returned from playing the Hell Blues Festival in Norway. Says Raines: "I didn't think I'd like Hell, but I met so many great musicians there." Also on the festival bill were Duke Robillard and his excellent band; Janiva Magness; Johnny Nicholas; Henry Gray and Andy Cornett; and Paul Jones and the Blues Band from the UK.After their return from Hell, the duo played a church service in downtown Boston. So the score is sitting at 1-1 so far.

Sinus is Golden

Hello and greetings from the syncopated and ever-more multi-instrumental world of Paul Rishell & Annie Raines. We’re happy to be trading our layers of snow, salt and polar fleece for a fresh dusting of pollen. Those itchy eyes tell us it’s time to see the world, and we’re hitting the road again this month, for short jaunts to Bethlehem and Barto, PA, and gearing up for longer trips in early and late summer. But first, we’re making our official “Mojo Rodeo” debut this Saturday, May 7 at the Bull Run in Shirley, MA (click on "Read More" to read more...).

Paul's blog - Baseball

In 1960, when I was 10 years old,  I returned to the U.S. after living in England.  A lot had changed since I had left the country 3 years earlier.  My old team, the Brooklyn Dodgers, were no more.  We lived in New York, and occasionally I'd go to Yankee Stadium and watch the Yankees play.  I never liked the Yankees.  It never seemed that they needed me as a fan; they had plenty of fans. The worst team in the league in 1960 was the Baltimore Orioles.  I chose them as my team because I felt they needed my support. 

Road Diary - Countdown to Blues Cruise

We're driving to Florida where on Saturday, January 23, we will embark on our first Blues Cruise. Other performers on the boat include Taj Mahal, Keb' Mo', Johnny Winter, Guy Davis, Ruthie Foster, Joe Louis Walker, Duke Robillard, Jason Ricci and about 20 more acts and 1800 blues fans. It's a long trip so we thought we'd share some of the highlights of the 1500-mile drive from Boston to Fort Lauderdale as they happen (well, almost):

Sunday: Rain, germophobia and a surprise for Paul

A Different Kind of Prize

May 2009: We just returned from a 3-week tour that centered around the 30th Annual Blues Music Awards in Memphis, Tennessee. It turned out to be a star-studded, action-packed gala: Bonnie Raitt, B.B. King, Bobby “Blue” Bland, Hubert Sumlin, Koko Taylor, Taj Mahal, Maria Muldaur, Curtis Salgado and too many others to mention were on the stage or in the crowd, along with some of the most enthusiastic blues friends and fans who walk or wheel on this earth.

And we're....Live!

Paul Rishell and Annie Raines’ first live album, A Night In Woodstock, releases today as the flagship recording on their Mojo Rodeo label, distributed worldwide by Burnside Distribution. The album features special guests John Sebastian (harmonica), Bruce Katz (keyboards), Reed Butler (bass), Chris Rival (guitar), and Billy MacGillivray (drums) joining the duo for an eclectic, high-energy set of acoustic and electric originals and classic blues songs.

California Beamin'

Have you ever had a really vivid dream that was like a movie? Not a nightmare, but a story with such a happy ending that you still felt good even though you woke up and realized it never happened? That's how I feel right now, only it really did happen.

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