This is one my favorite photos of Diunna, which captures one her classic looks — it’s so Diunna. Here, 17 year old Gary Clark Jr. is getting the “evil eye.”
Earlier in 2001, when he was 16, Gary represented Houston in the International Blues Competition.
It’s because of musicians like Diunna and Gary that the blues is alive and well –if you think not, you need to check out this KCRW, “Live In Studio” set.
This is one jamming live set by the best Texas has to offer.
Texas Johnny Brown at Miller Outdoor Theater, Houston, 2001
Texas Johnny Brown at Miller Outdoor Theater, Houston, 2001 — It was a hot-humid night in Houston when Johnny left the stage giving his performance a very personal “Texas Johnny” touch.
Texas Johnny Brown at Billy Blues in Houston, 1999 — Images by kenne
Another Houston Blues Legend has passed away. KPFT program host, James Nagel (The Blues Hound) has written the following on the Texas Johnny Brown website:
“It is with great sadness and heavy heart that we share the news of the passing of an American treasure and true blues legend. John Riley Brown, better known as Texas Johnny Brown, was diagnosed with liver and lung cancer this past April and after a short but gallant fight with the disease passed away this afternoon (Monday, July 1) at the age of 85 at his home in Houston, Texas.
With a career that spanned over six decades, Texas Johnny Brown played or recorded with a virtual who’s who of the blues world, including Amos Milburn, Ruth Brown, Bobby “Blue” Bland, Junior Parker, Lavelle White, Buddy Ace and Joe Hinton. One of the all time beautiful blues classics, “Two Steps From The Blues,” was penned by Johnny and considered by many as one of the finest blues songs ever written. His CD, “Nothin’ But The Truth,” on his own Choctaw Creek Records, was nominated for a W.C. Handy Blues Award in 1999 for Comeback Album of the Year.
His accolades are many, but his true legacy lay behind his beautiful smile, warm heart and undying love for his family, fans and the music that brought all of us so much joy.
Final arrangements are pending. Please keep this blues giant and his family in your thoughts and prayers. May God bless Texas Johnny Brown.”
Although made famous by another blues legend, Bobby “Blue” Bland (Bland just past away June 23rd), “Two Steps from The Blues” was written by Johnny Brown and played by him on that hot-humid night in 2001 at the Miller Outdoor Theater, as pictured above. Like most blues lovers in Houston, when I think of “Two Steps from The Blues,” I think Brown, not Bland. (Too bad Wikipedia doesn’t even mention Brown when giving credit to the song. Somebody needs to take care of this!)
Over the years, blues lovers have had much for which to be thankful, and even with the loss of Texas Johnny Brown, the blues is alive and well. If you don’t think so, here’s one reason — on the 2001 billing at the Miller Outdoor Theater was Diunna Greenleaf and playing with her was a 16 year-old kid out of Austin, Texas, Gary Clark, Jr. If you don’t know about this young man, you need to.
kenne
Texas Johnny Brown at Houston’s Big Easy, 2005 — Image by kenne
One of The Original Friends of The Blues Montgomery County, Charlie Parker, November, 2002 — Image by kenne
The Original Friends Of The Blues Montgomery County, November, 1999
(L-R: Kenne Turner, Charlie Parker, Dale Armet, Sweet Mama Cotton, Diunna Greenleaf, A.J. Murphy)
This past weekend we went to the Wild Horse Pass Resort & Casino to see the Texas blues-rock band, the Fabulous Thunderbirds. This group, which has featured the Vaughn brothers, Stevie Ray and Jimmy Lee in its early days, is lead by one of the best harp players you will find anywhere, Kim Wilson. It was a great evening of rocking blues, which included an impressive display of harp playing by Kim Wilson.
Over the years many great musicians have been in the group. Probably the Vaughn brothers were the best known, but one that my friend, Diunna Greenleaf and I talked about during her recent tour in the Tucson area was Nick Curran — having just pasted away. A very talented guitar player out of Austin, Diunna had considered Nick to be her lead guitar player some years ago, but she concluded that he was too flamboyant to be a part of her band. (See the related article below.)
Eddie Turner and Trouble Twins at the 2012 Bisbee Blues Festival — Images by kenne
On the morning of the festival, Joy and I met Diunna Greenleaf, Blue Mercy band members, (Jonn, Josh and Veron) and Bob Corritore for breakfast in Tucson. The plan was for Joy/Kenne and Bob to drive everyone to Sierra Vista to the event hotel, then on to Bisbee. After making a wrong turn (thanks to a smart phone’s DPS), we finally made it to Bisbee. As a result, we were only able to see Eddie’s last few songs before Diunna and the band came on. However, we saw enough to know we missed a great session.
Sunday morning, Joy and I had an opportunity to share a table out by the pool with Eddie — great conversation.
Jonn Richardson, Diunna Greenleaf & Bob Corritore at the Tucson Rhythm & Roots Concert Series
While in southern Arizona, Diunna Greenleaf and her band Blue Mercy (Jonn, Josh & Veron) appeared at the Rhythm & Roots Concert Series
in Tucson and headlined the Bisbee Blues Festival in Bisbee, with special guest, Bob Corritore. At each appearance, they ended their show with Sly Stone‘s “Do You Want Me To Stay?”
This video contrasts the two starting with the Tucson version, changing to the Bisbee version about half-way through. In the club setting, I title it the Koko Taylor version, and the festival is the Etta James version.
Southern Arizona was treated to two super shows.
kenne
Diunna Greenleaf & Blue Mercy with Special Guest Bob Corritore on Stage at the Bisbee Blues Festival.
Diunna with Blue Mercy lead guitarist, Jonn Richardson — Images by kenne
Friends of The Blues: Charlie Parker, AJ Murphy, Kenne Turner, Diunna Greenleaf & Dale Armet
Diunna & Joy
This weekend Diunna Greenleaf and her band, Blue Mercy will be in Tucson and Bisbee — Friday night as part of the Rhythm & Roots Series in Tucson, then Saturday she will be headlining the Bisbee Blues Festival. Diunna is a popular Houston blues singer that Joy and I have known since 1999, when she worked with some Montgomery County blues lovers to form the Friends of The Blues – Montgomery County and start an educational blues series at Montgomery College.
Diunna’s blues style is her own, developed from the legendary male & female Texas blues singers. Diunna and Blue Mercy have performed throughout the United States and Internationally.
This year Diunna has been nominated for the “Koko Taylor Award-Traditional Blues Female” and “Traditional Blues Album-Trying To Hold On” at the 2012 Blues Music Awards in Memphis, TN on May 5th, 2012. Her new CD “Trying To Hold On” s #1 on XM/Sirius Radio Bluesville Chart, #1 on French Blues charts, #1 on Living Blues charts for December, and is at the top of Blues charts in UK, Australia and USA.
If you are in the Tucson area this weekend, I urge you to go see Diunna — you will witness some of the best blues anywhere. We are looking forward to seeing Diunna and the band.
If you are into Arizona blues, then you know Bob Corritore. He will be Diunna’s special guest, both in Tucson and Bisbee.
kenne
Diunna Greenleaf with Bob Corritore at the Rhythm Room in Phoenix
Last year in September we were at the Bisbee Blues Festival where one of the groups was Bob Corritore’s Rhythm Room All Stars. This year, we miss the Bisbee Blues Festival so we could be at the Rhythm Room’s 20th Anniversary in Phoenix, where one of the performers was our good friend from Houston, Diunna Greenleaf. The anniversary event was Friday through Sunday, with Diunna appearing Saturday night. So, Joy and I were there for some great Blues and to see Diunna. On the stage with Diunna was Bob Corritore,Bob Margolin, Mookie Brill and Brain Fahey. As one might expect, the room was SRO, making it more challenging to get some good photos and video. Here’s some of what I was able to get. Enjoy!
Rhythm Room All-Stars at the 2010 Bisbee Blues Festival – Image by kenne
Last year, after being in Tucson for a couple of months, we looked for some good live Blues music and found it at the Bisbee Blues Festival. One of the groups at the festival was Bob Corritore and the Rhythm Room All-Stars.
We had planned on attending again this year, but instead, we will be at the 20th Anniversary of the Rhythm Room in Phoenix (Bob Corritore is the owner), which is on the same weekend. There is another reason for our being there — Diunna Greenleaf. Diunna is a super Blues singer from Houston and a dear friend.
The anniversary event will be three days with many great Blues acts. Click here for more information on the occasion.
Ruthie Foster & Diunna Greenleaf at Heritage Park, Conroe, Texas, 2005 — Image by kenne
Here we are in Tucson listening to the Blues on TBlues, which only occasionally has some Texas Blues, when there was a sound we recognized as familar Texas Blues — Ruthie Foster singing “Stone Love” from her CD, “The Truth According to Ruthie Foster.” Cool, really cool!
February 19th was a busy evening. First, I attended the February Writers in Performance series featuring National Book Award winner, Larry Heinemann, after which I went over to the Corner Pub to spend the reminder of the evening with friends Rich Del Grosso (Four time Blues Foundation Music Aware Nominee) and Jonn Richardson (Blues Foundation Albert King Award Winner at the 2005 International Blues Challenge). Rich and Jonn were playing together for the first time, providing a rare acoustic session.
Topping off the evening at the Pub, Diunna Greenleaf stopped by in support of her award winning Blue Mercy Band member, Jonn Richardson. An evening to remember!
At last Sunday’s fundraiser for Diunna Greenleaf, Mean Gene Kelton was one of several musicians playing for the cause. In addition to being a great musician, Mean Gene is a master storyteller in the oral tradition of what I refer to as “Rural Mississippi Backporch” style — I love it!
In this video Mean Gene shares a Dallas gig experience (This was not a “gig from hell,” but it should be in his about to be published, “Gigs from Hell.”) he and his band had traveled with Diunna, before going into “I Play the Blues for a Livin’.”
Reasonable people all agree that we need a better way of ensuring that all Americans get the health care we need, yet the U.S. remains the only industrialized nation without some form of universal health care. Even so, we spend about twice as much per capita on health care, while living under the myth that we have the best health care in the world.
In today’s Houston Chronicle, Dr. Daniel P. Wirt makes the case for a single-payer system vs. —‘Medicare-for-all’ cure for health woes — which would “…require everyone to buy the same for-profit insurance that is already failing us.” While the debate goes on, 46 million Americans are uninsured and millions who have required hospitalization are now struggling to pay the cost.
Most of us, know people in this situation or may be they’re we, therefore being able to put faces on the numbers. For Joy and I, one such face is our dear friend Diunna Greenleaf – winner of the 2008 Blues Music Award for Best New Artist and winner of the 2005 International Blues Challenge with The Blue Mercy Band. In December, Diunna required surgery and is now facing a five-figure debt. (Ms. Greenleaf is also a veteran and like all of today’s veteran’s, their health care benefits are only a fraction of what they were for my father, a WW II vet. I will leave that issue for another time.)
So, besides working in support of universal health care, what can we do? Well, for those of us in the Houston area we can attend a benefit for Diunna next Sunday, February 15th at The Big Easy (5731 Kirby Drive, Ph 713-523-9999, 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. If you can’t attend, donations may be sent to Diunna Greenleaf, P.O. Box 672552 Houston, 77267.
Gary Clark Jr. and Diunna Greenleaf At Miller Outdoor Theater, Houston, September 21, 2001 — Image by kenne
Texas Johnny Brown at Miller Outdoor Theater, Houston, 2001
Texas Johnny Brown at Miller Outdoor Theater, Houston, 2001 — It was a hot-humid night in Houston when Johnny left the stage giving his performance a very personal “Texas Johnny” touch. 
Texas Johnny Brown at Billy Blues in Houston, 1999 — Images by kenne
Texas Johnny Brown at Houston’s Big Easy, 2005 — Image by kenne
Diunna with Blue Mercy lead guitarist, Jonn Richardson — Images by kenne
Blues Songbird, Diunna Greenleaf
Reasonable people all agree that we need a better way of ensuring that all Americans get the health care we need, yet the U.S. remains the only industrialized nation without some form of universal health care. Even so, we spend about twice as much per capita on health care, while living under the myth that we have the best health care in the world.
In today’s Houston Chronicle, Dr. Daniel P. Wirt makes the case for a single-payer system vs. —‘Medicare-for-all’ cure for health woes — which would “…require everyone to buy the same for-profit insurance that is already failing us.” While the debate goes on, 46 million Americans are uninsured and millions who have required hospitalization are now struggling to pay the cost.
Most of us, know people in this situation or may be they’re we, therefore being able to put faces on the numbers. For Joy and I, one such face is our dear friend Diunna Greenleaf – winner of the 2008 Blues Music Award for Best New Artist and winner of the 2005 International Blues Challenge with The Blue Mercy Band. In December, Diunna required surgery and is now facing a five-figure debt. (Ms. Greenleaf is also a veteran and like all of today’s veteran’s, their health care benefits are only a fraction of what they were for my father, a WW II vet. I will leave that issue for another time.)
So, besides working in support of universal health care, what can we do? Well, for those of us in the Houston area we can attend a benefit for Diunna next Sunday, February 15th at The Big Easy (5731 Kirby Drive, Ph 713-523-9999, 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. If you can’t attend, donations may be sent to Diunna Greenleaf, P.O. Box 672552 Houston, 77267.
LET’S ALL DO WHAT WE CAN TO HELP DIUNNA!
kenne
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