Sean Costello
We are sad to report the tragic death of nationally known Blues guitarist Sean Costello on April 15th, one day before his 29th birthday.

Costello recently released his fourth CD, We Can Get Together on the Delta Groove record label, and was a featured guitarist on the acclaimed new Long Time Coming by Nappy Brown on Blind Pig Records. In 2000, Costello released Cuttin' In, which earned him critical acclaim as well as a prestigious W. C. Handy Award nomination for 'Best New Artist Debut.'

Costello was fortunate enough to earn the respect and admiration of many of his own idols, and had the opportunity to perform with his mentors. He shared stages with B.B. King, Buddy Guy, James Cotton, Pinetop Perkins, and Bo Diddley among many others. He recently said, “All I’ve ever wanted to do was play the guitar well. I’ve been fortunate to be able to make a living doing it, and I plan to keep it up for the rest of my life.”

In lieu of flowers, donations to the singer's non-profit, The Sean Costello Foundation for Bi-Polar Research, are requested. To donate, call 678-384-0063 or e-mail tray@bbandt.com.

The PBPS extends its deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Sean Costello.

Calvin "Skeeter" Brandon
Calvin "Skeeter" Brandon passed away March 20 surrounded by family and friends.

Memorial donations to help defray expenses would be a great help to the family. Checks or Money Orders denoting "Calvin Skeeter Brandon - Acct #2677" can be mailed to:

    Hester, Whitted and Daye Funeral Home
    Attn: Brandon Acct #2677
    603 S. Main Street
    Roxboro, NC 27573

Logie Meachum Wins O.Henry Award
The O.Henry Award, presented by the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce and the United Arts Council of Greensboro, recognizes an individual's contribution to the arts and cultural development.

The award for this year was recently presented to Logie Meachum, who has a wide and varied resume including Blues Artist (Bump & Logie, who performed at the 2007 Carolina Blues Festival), actor, writer, storyteller, and all-around good guy. He was also the winner of our own "Keepin' the Blues Alive" award in 1995. Congratulations to Logie on a well-deserved award.

WQFS Blues Show Schedule Change
The Blues Show provided by WQFS at Guilford College has changed its broadcast days. It can now be heard every Friday from 2:00 to 4:00 pm, at 90.9 FM. Click here for a complete listing of local Blues shows on the radio.

Lee Welker Memorial Scholarship in Need
Lee Welker, son of KBA winner Gaile Welker, passed away on October 15, 2004, ten days before his 20th birthday. Lee attended Appalachian State University where he was studying music. A music student from the age of 4, he played piano, violin, harmonica, acoustic bass and electric guitar.

As part of her dream to keep Lee's memory alive, Gaile established the Lee Welker Memorial Annual Music Scholarship, which awards $1,000 to a music degree student at Appalachian who demonstrates musical excellence and achievement and who demonstrates financial need.

The Memorial is now in danger of running out of funds. With the long history of Triad Blues fans and musicians coming to the aid of those in need, we are asking for you to support this wonderful cause. Donations can be made online (click here, select "Other" in the "Area of Giving" drop down box, and type "Lee Welker Music Scholarship" in the comments box), or by sending a check made out to "Appalachian State University Foundation" with "Lee Welker Memorial Music Scholarship" in the notes section, to the following address:

Appalachian State University
Office of Gift Planning
ASU Box 32007
Boone, NC 2808-2007

All donations are tax-deductible. Appalachian will send a letter as receipt for any contributions.

Go to leewelker.org to learn more about the life of Lee Welker and Gaile's inspirational actions to preserve his memory, as well as more details on donations to Appalachian.

Bubba Klinefelter and the 2008 Blues Grammy Nominees
Grammy news from Bob Margolin: "About 10 years ago when Pinetop Perkins was in town, Bubba Klinefelter and Pine wrote a song together called "I'd Rather Quit Her Than Hit Her." Pinetop eventually recorded the song in Phoenix. I'm a partner in The VizzTone Label Group which, with Sagebrush Productions, put out a DVD documentary on Pinetop called "Born In The Honey." We threw in as a bonus a live CD called Pinetop Perkins On the 88’s Live in Chicago. We put on the Phoenix recording of Bubba's & Pinetop's song as well. Without us pushing it at all, the little bonus album was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Traditional Blues Category. So, I'm sure we in the local Blues Scene will want to congratulate Bubba and be very proud of him."

Click here to see a complete list of Blues Grammy Nominees.

Blues Jam Mama
PBPS Trustee and Archivist Ralph Speas has written an interesting article on Shiela Klinefelter and her blues jam. Check it out by clicking on the "Blues Jam Mama" link on our Learnin' The Blues web page.

Helen Mills' Birthday Party
Helen Mills had a surprise 90th birthday party, with many blues fans and friends in attendance. During that evening Helen became one of Roy's Folks. If you missed that segment on the Fox8 News, you can go to www.myfoxwghp.com to check it out.

Helen Mills was also featured in the News & Record by favorite columnist Jeri Rowe. Click Here to see that write-up.

Chicago Blues Enhanced Audio Tour
Experience the rich tradition of Chicago blues in a new way with the debut of the free Chicago Blues Enhanced Audio Tour, presented by Chicago's Office of Tourism.

Blues legend and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Buddy Guy narrates the tour, with personal anecdotes and memories of the people who became blues legends. Available in five languages, the tour takes you to historic blues sites including locations where the great musicians lived and created the musical tradition that forever changed popular music and American culture.

The tour, complete with images and music cuts, is available either online at www.downloadchicagotours.com/bluesmedia or by downloading it to a MP3 player.

Ralph Speas and the Blues in Southern Living
PBPS Trustee Ralph Speas was recently featured in Southern Living magazine, talking up this area's Blues scene. The article focuses on local Blues in the School efforts, but also covers other Blues events and provides an interesting portrait of Ralph. The article also mentions Logie Meachum, who will be performing with Bubba Klinefelter in this year's Carolina Blues Festival in May. Click here to see a copy of the Southern Living article. (Note: The article make take several minutes to download. Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view the article.

New Blues Podcast
Check out http://bluzndablood.com for a relatively new blues podcast that plays signed artists and independent artists who are extremely talented but just need promoting.

Blues Webcast
WGLT Radio, broadcast from Illinois State University, has created a 24/7 Blues Stream that can be accessed through their website. Check it out at www.wglt.org.

CD Review
Click here to check out Ralph Speas' review of the CD Down in the Basement. Ralph is a Trustee and the Archivist for the Board of Directors of the Piedmont Blues Preservation Society.