Best Blues Album of 2012
(New Recordings)

TAIL DRAGGER &
BOB CORRITORE
“LONGTIME FRIENDS IN THE BLUES”

“One of the great personalities of Chicago blues is the unstoppable Tail Dragger, whose charisma fills up any room he plays in.” – Bob Corritore

“One day this boy (Tail Dragger) will take my place.” – Howlin’ Wolf

“…a damn good harmonica player (Bob Corritore) with a lively sense of history.”– Downbeat

“If Phoenix, Arizona, had a blues mafia, then Bob Corritore just might be its resident godfather.” – Living Blues

Best Blues Album of 2012
(New Recordings)

THE MANNISH BOYS
“DOUBLE DYNAMITE”

“With personnel ranging from duets up to horn-fired big-band charts,
this quintessential backup band takes center stage on their way to deserved
recognition as a premier blues group in their own right.” – All Music Guide

“…an infectious revival of both ’40s jump and ’50s to ’60s Chess-like styles
from a band that lives inside the music…”– Wall Street Journal

“The Mannish Boys’ dedication to preserving the past is matched only by their musical aptitude.” – Living Blues

Best Blues Album of 2012
(New Recordings)

SMOKIN’ JOE KUBEK
& BNOIS KING 
“CLOSE TO THE BONE”

“King’s jazzy guitar work is the perfect foil to Kubek’s more incendiary style. They are simply the best guitar tandem on the scene today.” – Blues Revue

“Potent, undiluted 100-proof Texas blues honed to a razor’s edge.” – Guitar One

“I’m very excited to have them in the Delta Groove family. I’m blown awayby
their great songwriting and performances – a true Texas duo.”– Randy Chortkoff (Founder and President of Delta Groove Music)

Most Outstanding Musician (Guitar)

KIRK “ELI” FLETCHER

“Fletcher favors toothy Strat tones, stinging bends, and flurries of tight, staccato riffs that seem to pop from his fretboard like little firecrackers.” 
– Guitar Player Magazine

“Fletcher clearly has ensemble dynamics down, suggesting that his years as a sideman have been fruitful. But he’s also unabashed as a bandleader, and his guitar work earns its prominence.” – Blues Revue Magazine

“Kirk Fletcher is a young man with a big reputation… he exudes class and style, knows all the classic licks but never resorts to mere copying, always with his own take in his trick bag.” – Blues & Rhythm Magazine

Best Blues DVD
(2012)

ELVIN BISHOP
“THAT’S MY THING” (DVD)

“Before Eric Clapton was old enough to shave, Elvin Bishop was hanging out in Chicago with the first generation of electric bluesmen.” – Guitar World

“Forever a crusader for fun blues and rock ‘n’ roll, Bishop gives his cherry red 1959 Gibson ES-345 a hug and places emphasis on his terrific slide guitar chops…” – Downbeat

“…Bishop’s muscular guitar provides the sets pulse, as his soulful slide ripples through R & B classics and rowdy blues alike.” – Relix

Most Outstanding Musician (Harmonica)

BOB CORRITORE

“An incredible harmonica player.” 
– Hohner Harmonica’s Easy Reeding Magazine

“Corritore’s taste in studio partners is matched by his musical execution.”
– Living Blues Magazine

“…from party-time boogies to melancholy after-hours serenades, Corritore’s got the Blues for you.” – Omaha Reader

“(Bob Corritore’s) a damn good harmonica player with a lively sense of history.” – Downbeat Magazine