Songwriters Nite: the March edition of Caffeine Music's monthly New Orleans Songwriters Night will feature Theresa Andersson, Ron Hotstream (of Isaac's Guns), and Sue Ford (of Won Ton Lust); the event takes place at Carrollton Station on March 29th (9:00 pm).

Weekend Ticket Alert: tickets for the Eric Clapton, Eve 6, and Offspring concerts go on sale on Saturday, March 24th; see the concert page for more info.

RIAA Certifications: congrats to rap superstar Mystikal, who's latest album "Let's Get Ready" was certified with sales of 2 million copies (double Platinum) on March 12th; teen queen Britney Spears' 2nd album "Oops... I Did It Again" was certified 9 x Platinum on March 9th; her 2nd home video, "Britney in Hawaii: Live and More" topped 2 million copies sold in March also.

Pepsi Generation: pop star Britney Spears' first commercial for Pepsi will make it's premiere on the Internet just hours before being aired on TV (during the Academy Awards) on March 25th; the ad will debut online at Yahoo.com at 5:00 pm on 03/25, and behind the scenes clips of the ad will be available there starting at 8:00 pm tonight (03/20); Britney signed a multiyear global marketing deal with the soft drink vendor in February; terms were not disclosed, but her earnings are expected to top the $5 million that Michael Jackson received for his 1984 ads.

Ambassador Marsalis: jazz man Wynton Marsalis will be named as a United Nations Messenger of Peace by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in ceremonies being held on Tuesday (3:45 pm ET), March 20th; Marsalis joins an elite group of seven other entertainers who serve as goodwill envoys for the U.N. (others include Muhammad Ali and Magic Johnson).

Hall of Fame Update: guitarist and prolific session player James Burton is among the music legends who will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Monday, March 19; the Shreveport native, being inducted by fellow Hall of Famer Keith Richards, enters the rock & roll shrine in the "Side Men" category; the induction ceremonies and concert will air tape delayed on VH1 on Wednesday, March 21st (with several repeats; see TV Page); Burton will also appear on the David Letterman show on Tuesday night, March 20th; he and Johnnie Johnson (also being inducted this year) will be jammin' with Paul Shaffer & the CBS Orchestra throughout the show; read more on Burton.

Homage To Satchmo: this week's edition of "JazzSet with Branford Marsalis" features "Homage to Louis Armstrong", taped at the 2000 Marciac Festival; Director Patrice Caratini assembled twelve musicians from trumpet to tuba for spirited, customized charts of early Armstrong; check out the show airing on WWNO FM on Saturday night, March 17th, at 9:00 pm.

Get Juiced at Jazz Fest: New Orleans Juice has been added to the line-up for this year's NOLA Jazz Festival; the funksters are scheduled for the Fair Grounds on Sunday, April, 29th.

E.C. Coming To Arena: guitar god Eric Clapton is embarking on an extensive North American tour in support of his new album, "Reptile"; stops include the New Orleans Arena on May 15th; here's more on the tour.

Branford Talks: sax man Branford Marsalis discusses his new classical album ("Creation"), his next jazz album, American audiences and more in an interview with CDNOW editor Steve Holtje.

New Music: a plethora of new CD's will be hitting store shelves in time for Jazz Fest; keep up with them at our NOLA Music Store's upcoming releases section; new CD's and reissues are out now from The Meters, Keith Frank, John Boutté and Donald Harrison; coming soon are CD's from Tommy Malone, Los Hombres Calientes, Anders Osborne, Kermit Ruffins, Lucinda Williams, and Lil Romeo (Master P's 11-year-old son).

On The Radio: artists appearing on upcoming editions of the Mountain Stage radio show include Victoria Williams and Sonny Landreth (week of 03/23), and Marcia Ball and Terrence Simien (week of 03/30); Mountain Stage is not carried locally, but you can pick it up via the Internet from many online radio stations.

Top Tunes Named: the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) recently announced the “Songs of the Century” project, a nationwide education initiative intended to promote a better understanding of America’s musical and cultural heritage in our schools; the 365 key recordings of the 20th century, selected by ballots sent out to music lovers across the country, included recordings by Louis Armstrong (2), Gov. Jimmie Davis, Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis, Sidney Bechet, Tim McGraw, Little Richard, The Boswell Sisters, Leadbelly, Mahalia Jackson, Louis Prima, Hank Williams Jr., Jelly Roll Morton, and The Original Dixieland Jazz Band; see the complete list.

Batter Up: the Annual City of Hope Celebrity Softball Challenge is scheduled for June 14th at Nashville’s Greer Stadium; LA music artists scheduled to take part in the charity event include Andy Griggs, Chris Cagle and Trini Triggs; highlights will air on CMT (Country Music Television) on Saturday, June 16th.

NAACP Image Awards: congrats to Aaron Neville, who was the winner in the "Outstanding Gospel Artist - Traditional" category (for "Mary, Don't You Weep") at the 32nd Annual NAACP Image Awards; the event will be televised on FOX TV on March 9th; here's the complete list of musical winners.

Soul Train Winner: rapper Mystikal picked up the award for Best R&B/Soul or Rap Music Video (for "Shake Ya Ass") at the Soul Train Music Awards held on 02/28 in Los Angeles; Mystikal also performed the tune at the event; catch the show on TV on Saturday, March 3rd.

LA Grammy Winners! winners at the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards held on February 21st included Dr. John, Tim McGraw, and Branford Marsalis; congrats to all Louisiana music artists who won awards or were nominated; visit our 2001 Grammy page for more info.

Meters Honored: the original Meters will be reunited again in Memphis on April 5th for the 16th Annual Premier Player Awards; the funky bunch will receive the prestigious Governors Award from the Memphis Chapter of the N.A.R.A.S., and they are also scheduled to perform at the event; others scheduled to play are homies Galactic and Astral Project; for further info, call (901) 525-1340 or e-mail "memphis@grammy.com".

Shepherd Nabs Guitar Award: Shreveport's Kenny Wayne Shepherd was among the winners at the 2001 Orville H. Gibson Guitar Awards held in Los Angeles on February 20th; Shepherd was named Best Male Blues Guitarist, an honor he also won in 1999; see the complete list of winners.

Raven at Opry: country crooner Eddy Raven will perform at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry on Saturday, February 24th; you can catch Eddy, along with Allison Moorer, Keith Urban, and others on TNN's "Grand Ole Opry Live" (airing at 7:00 & 10:00 pm Central).

Ambulance Chasing: Monroe, LA native and rising country country music star Andy Griggs was arrested in Tallahassee, FL on Friday (Feb. 16th) and charged with grand theft auto after he and band member Kevin Weaver stole an ambulance and went for a joyride; read more ... in related news, Griggs is in the running for two awards at this year's TNN Country Weekly Music Awards (Discovery Award and Collaborative Event); nominees are in the semi-final round now, so he may or may not make it to the finals; you can help out by voting for Andy in the online poll located at the TNN web site. While you are there, cast your vote for the other Louisiana music artists who have been nominated; they include Trace Adkins, Tim McGraw, and Brooks & Dunn.

Pause For A Cause: Mid-City Lanes (Rock 'N Bowl) is hosting a Mardi Gras bash to benefit radio station WWOZ 90.7 FM on Monday, February 19th; an $8.00 cover will get you barbeque and jambalaya, plus great music from local stars Kermit Ruffins, Ingrid Lucia, Dave Bartholemew, Mark Mullens, and Bone-a-rama; the fun starts at 6:00 pm.

Drifters News: the Continental Drifters have completed work on their third album (tentatively titled "Better Day"), and it is scheduled for release on May 15th (Razor & Tie Records); a remixed and remastered version of the Drifters' debut album is sceduled for release on Feb. 20th (also on Razor & Tie).

Songwriters Night: blues is the theme of February's edition of Caffeine Music's "New Orleans Songwriters Night", scheduled for Thursday, February 22nd at Carrollton Station; performing in the round and discussing their music will be Coco Robicheaux, Jeremy Lyons and John Carey; music starts at 9 pm.

Leroy @ The Hall: trumpeter and band leader Leroy Jones, currently on tour in Europe, will be in town this weekend and will be holding down his Friday night (Feb. 16) gig at Preservation Hall; Leroy returns to Europe on the 18th for a 5 night stand at Marians Jazz Room in Bern, Switzerland.

On The Radio: Buckwheat Zydeco is among several artists featured on the Mountain Stage radio show this week (airs after Feb. 16th); Mountain Stage is not carried locally, but you can pick it up via the Internet from many online radio stations ... the locally produced show American Routes will focus on Mardi Gras for it's February 21st edition; American Routes airs locally on WWNO-FM (89.9) on Sundays at 9:00 pm, and is also available via webcast; the February 22nd edition of NPR's JazzSet with Branford Marsalis features the Branford Marsalis Quartet in a performance from Yoshi's in Oakland, CA - the show, hosted by Reese Marsalis (Branford's son) - airs locally on WWNO-FM (89.9) on Saturday, 02/24 at 9:00 pm.

Carnival Notes: trumpeter Kermit Ruffins has been named as King of Oshun; the grand marshall of the parade will be Jackie Harris, executive director of the New Orleans Music and Entertainment Commission; the Krewe of Oshun parade rolls on Friday, February 16th ... Harry Connick, Jr. will participate in this year's Orpheus parade (Feb. 26th); Harry founded the Krewe of Orpheus in 1993 ... country music stars Brooks & Dunn and music group K.C. & the Sunshine Band will be featured in the Krewe of Endymion parade (Feb. 24th) ... the Krewe of Bacchus will feature 30 school marching bands including the legendary St. Augustine High School Marching 100.

Satchmo Honored: Two recordings by Louis Armstrong were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame on February 12, 2001; the single "Hello, Dolly!" and the album "Porgy and Bess" were among the 31 recordings added to the Hall of Fame this year; Armstrong now has a total of 8 recordings enshrined; read more.

Guitar Awards: nominees for the 2001 Orville H. Gibson Guitar Awards include Shreveport natives Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Kix Brooks (of Brooks & Dunn fame); Shepherd is nominated for Best Male Blues Guitarist (an award he won in 1999), and Brooks is nominated for Best Male Country Guitarist; winners will be announced on February 20th in Los Angeles; read more.

Hoop It Up With Harry: Harry Connick, Jr. and a 15-piece big band (featuring local trombone titans Mark Mullins and Lucien Barbarin) will provide the halftime entertainment at the 50th NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, February 11th (game airs on NBC beginning at 5:00 pm Central).

Hank Jr. Loans Dad's Suit to HoF: country star Hank Williams, Jr. has loaned one his famous dad's suits to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, due to open in May in Nashville; the presentation was made to the Hall of Fame by Hank Jr.'s manager, Merle Kilgore; read more.

Shreveport Band Makes TV Debut: Shreveport-based group The American Tragedy will make their national TV debut on USA Network's "Farmclub.com" on February 16th; see the TV Page for air dates & times.

Blues Party Resumes: blues man John Carey's weekly "Blues Party" shows resume upstairs at the Hard Rock Cafe on Wednesday, February 7th; tonight's special guest is guitarist Brint Anderson; upcoming guests will include Sarah Kramer, Big Chief Smiley Ricks, and Marc Adams; the shows kick off at 9 pm each week, and there is no cover charge!

WWOZ Weekend Events: radio station WWOZ 90.7 FM will be broadcasting from the Old Point Bar on Friday, Feb. 2nd in celebration of DJ Bill deTurk's birthday (and his 500th recording of the Livewire music calendar!); the party and 'OZ coverage will be from 11 am to 2 pm, and the party will feature music from Sansone, Krown and Fohl with special guests Ingrid Lucia and Derek Houston (The Iguanas) ... on Saturday, the WWOZ remote truck heads to the grand opening of Kermit Ruffins Jazz and Blues Hall - Kermit's new club - located at 1533 St. Philip Street in the Treme (the old Trombone Shorty's club); the 'OZ radio coverage will run from 4 - 6 pm; the grand opening celebration kicks off at 3 pm and runs til it's over! If you're not around, you can also catch WWOZ broadcasts via the Internet.

All Aboard! congratulations to rapper Mystikal, who's mega-hit "Shake Ya Ass" was nominated in the Best R&B/Soul or Rap Music Video category for this year's Soul Train Music Awards; here's more on the awards show, which will be held on February 28th in L.A.

Harry Connick TV Notes: actor & musician Harry Connick, Jr. will appear on a celebrity edition of the TV quiz show Jeopardy! on February 5th; Harry also stars in the made for TV film "Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific", which airs on ABC in May (click here for press photo from South Pacific).

Dove Awards: congrats to Aaron Neville, who's latest album "Devotion" was nominated in the "Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year" category for the 32nd Annual Dove Awards; winners will be announced on April 26th at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, TN.

Blockbusters: nominees for the 7th Annual Blockbuster Entertainment Awards were announced in L.A. on January 26th; Britney Spears is up for 3 awards (Favorite Female Artist of the Year, Favorite CD, and Favorite Female Artist - Pop); country music star Tim McGraw was nominated in the Favorite Male Artist - Country category; the event is scheduled to take place on April 10th and it airs tape delayed on the FOX channel on April 11th.

Local Musician on Millionaire: congrats to local music artist Bobby Hoerner (Metal Rose), who made it to the "hot seat" on the ABC quiz show "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire"; he appeared on two episodes, the second of which airs on Thursday, January 25th; Bobby, is also the sound man for local group Bag of Donuts.

Britney at Super Bowl: Britney Spears has joined the line-up of performers for the Super Bowl XXXV halftime show on Sunday, January 28th; also performing are 'N Sync, Aerosmith, rapper Nelly, and Mary J. Blige; prior to kick-off, the Backstreet Boys will sing the National Anthem, and the legendary Ray Charles will perform "America the Beautiful".

Our Sympathy goes out to the friends and family of drummer Frank Parker, who passed away on January 23 at age 81; Parker, a New Orleans native, worked with Teddy Buckner, the Johnny Otis Band, Fats Domino, Roy Brown, Ray Charles, Louis Jordan, and many others; he toured with the cast of the musical "One Mo' Time" in 1979, and was a regular at Preservation Hall in the 1980's;

Bonerama To Cut Live CD: local favorites Bonerama will be cutting their debut CD, live at the Old Point Bar in Algiers, on Saturday January 27th; the funk-laden trombone-based brass band was founded by 'bone vets Mark Mullins and Craig Klein, and the line-up for the live recording will include trombonists Mullins, Klein, Rick Trolsen, Brian O'Neill and Steve Suter, with the ultra-funky rhythm section of Matt Perrine on tuba, Bert Cotten on guitar and Russell Batiste & Kevin O'Day on drums; if you've missed the band around town or at their critically acclaimed Jazz Fest 2000 show, now is the time to catch them!

Kids' Choice: congrats to teen queen Britney Spears who receieved two nominations for Nickelodeon's 14th Annual Kids' Choice Awards, which will air live from the Barker Hanger in Santa Monica, CA, on Saturday, April 21; Britney will be in the running for "Favorite Song" (for "Oops ... I Did It Again") and "Favorite Female Singer".

2001 W.C. Handy Blues Awards nominees were announced this week in Memphis; artists in the running with Louisiana connections include Bobby Rush (Blues Entertainer of the Year, Soul/Blues-Male Artist of the Year; & Soul/Blues Album of the Year for "Hoochie Man"); Larry Garner (Contemporary Blues - Male Artist of the Year); Marcia Ball (Contemporary Blues - Female Artist of the Year and Blues Instrumentalists - Keyboards); Mighty Sam McClain (Soul/Blues-Male Artist of the Year and Soul/Blues Album of the Year for "Blues For The Soul"); Irma Thomas (Soul/Blues - Female Artist of the Year and Soul/Blues Album of the Year for "My Heart's In Memphis") Carol Fran (Traditional Blues-Female Artist of the Year); Henry Butler (Blues Instrumentalists-Keyboards, plus the Henry Butler & Corey Harris album "Vu Du Menz" is up for Acoustic Blues Album of the Year and Blues Album Of The Year); and Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown (Blues Instrumentalists - Other for Fiddle); Dr. John will host the event, which takes place in Memphis on May 24th.

Gone But Not Forgotten 2000: our annual tribute to people associated with Louisiana music who left us during the year; passings in Y2K included Zydeco ambassador Warren Ceasar, "Toot Toot" drummer Tony Charles, two-time LA governor and country music legend Jimmie Davis, influential jazz drummer Vernell Fournier, blues man Harmonica Fats, Coasters vocalist Will "Dub" Jones, bandleader Leon Kelner, Cajun music great Jessie "Jay" Stutes, jazz piano giant Phamous Lambert, bassist and music educator Richard Payne, and Basin Street Records co-owner Patti Samuels; read more.

BMA Names New Executive Director: congratulations to our good friend Maggie Mortensen, who has just been named as the Executive Director of the Blues Music Association; read this press release for the full details!

Snake, Rattle and Roll: hoodoo man Dr. John will be the narrator for an upcoming segment of the TV series "National Geographic Explorer" which will focus on "Snakes In The U.S.A."; the segment, titled "Arkansas Anaconda?", also features new music performed by Dr. John; the show premieres on January 21st; see the TV Page for more info.

Pause For A Cause: the African American Historic Preservation council of the Preservation Resource Center will hold it's first ever fundraising event, "Ladies in Red: An Evening of Elegance", on February 9th; proceeds from the event will assist the AAHP in their grassroots effort to landmark, market and preserve the homes of early New Orleans jazz, blues, and gospel musicians; the evening will include a silent auction which will allow guests to bid on plaques for houses associated with their favorite New Orleans musicians, from Jelly Roll Morton to Professor Longhair, plus entertainment from the Treme Brass Band, The Batiste Brothers Band, and special guests such as Dave Bartholomew, Allen Toussaint, Kermit Ruffins and Henry Butler.

Wynton Confirmed for Armstrong Tribute: jazz superstar Wynton Marsalis has confirmed his participation in the "Marsalis Family Tribute to Louis Armstrong", a concert scheduled in conjunction with events celebrating the centennial of Satchmo's birth in August of this year; patriarch Ellis Marsalis, along with sons Branford, Wynton, Delfeayo, and Jason, are scheduled to perform together in a "once in a liftime" event; also participating is another local jazz giant, Harry Connick, Jr.; see our Armstrong Centennial section for info on this and other events related to the memory of Satchmo.

Griggs Plays Opry: rising country music star and Monroe, LA native Andy Griggs will be appearing at the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday, January 13th; Andy's performance will be included on TNN's "Grand Ole Opry Live", which airs on Saturday at 7:00 pm Central; see the TV Page for more info.

Leroy Hits The Road: local trumpet great Leroy Jones will be heading off to Europe for a series of gigs in January (with the Danish Radio Jazz Orchestra) and February; a partial line-up of shows includes: Jan. 20th Concert in Odense (Isle of Funen); Jan. 21st Concert in Vejle (Jutland); Jan. 22nd Concert in Copenhagen (Jazzhouse); Jan. 23rd Concert in Copenhagen (Jazzhouse); Jan. 25th Concert in Aalbörg (Jutland); Jan. 26th Concert in Esbjerg (Jutland); Jan. 27th Concert in Holbaek (Zealand); Jan. 28th Concert in Aarhus (Jutland); Feb. 5th - 10th (with the Leroy Jones Quintet) at Storyville Jazz Club in Helsinki; Feb. 20th - 24th at Marians Jazz Room in Bern; fans of Leroy can catch him locally on Mardi Gras Day, playing with the Storyville Stompers in the St. Ann street parade; prior to heading off, Leroy will be at the Palm Court on January 10th and leading the Preservation Hall Jazz Band on January 12th.

Chris Thomas King: The Coen Brothers film "O Brother, Where Art Thou?", which features blues man Chris Thomas King in a prominent role, opens nationwide this week; check local theater listings for details; a song by Chris will be featured in the MTV film "Anatomy of A Hate Crime", which premieres on the cable music channel on January 10th (with repeats on Jan 12, 13 and 14); visit christhomasking.com for more info.

Jazz Fest 2001: we have posted preliminary info on some of the folks you can catch at the 2001 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival; check it out on our Jazz Fest Page.

Grammy Nominations Announced: congratulations to all Louisiana music artists who received nominations for 2001 Grammy Awards; nominees with ties to Louisiana include Britney Spears (2), Tim McGraw (2), Terence Blanchard, Branford Marsalis, Mystikal, Aaron Neville, Dr. John, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Bobby Rush, Jo-El Sonnier, Brooks & Dunn, Pantera, and Nine Inch Nails; read more.

RIAA Certifications for LA Artists: recent certfications by the RIAA include Cash Money Millionaires (Gold status for the "Baller Blockin'" soundtrack); Cash Money rapper B.G. (Gold for "Checkmate"); Tim McGraw (Platinum for "Greatest Hits"); Kenny Wayne Shepherd (Gold for "Live On"); Juvenile (4 times Platinum for "400 Degreez"); and Britney Spears (13 times Platinum for "Baby One More Time").

Cover Boy: rapper Master P is featured on the cover of the January issue of Ebony Magazine; the cover story is about the CEO's of hip-hop.

Britney News: for the 2nd year in a row, Britney Spears was the 2nd hottest artist in terms of album sales according to the RIAA; her sophomore release "Oops! ... I Did It Again" sold over 8 million copies, second only to label mates 'N Sync, who's "No Strings Attached" sold over 10 million; Britney's 1st album, "Baby One More Time", sold another 3 million copies in Y2K pushing it to the 13 million mark; Britney was also named the "Most Searched For Person On The Net" in 2000, according to a poll of web portals conducted by Yahoo Internet Life magazine.

Best of the Beat: OffBeat Magazine's annual "Best of the Beat" Awards will be held at the House of Blues on January 3rd; the event, open to the public for the first time, will bestow Lifetime Achievement Awards to local (and international) music legends Kidd Jordan and Earl King; performers will include Lil' Band O' Gold, Bleu Orleans, and Coffee featuring Ernest Scott. Contact the House of Blues or Ticketmaster for additional info; The "Best of the Beat" Music Business Awards will be held on January 4th; a Lifetime Achievement Award will be given to Floyd Soileau, of Flat Town Records and Maison De Soul Records, for his lifetime contribution to promoting and developing Louisiana music and musicians.

Burton To Join Rock Hall of Fame: congratulations to legendary guitarist and prolific session player James Burton, who will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (in the Side Men category) in ceremonies scheduled for March 19, 2001 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City; Burton, a native of Shreveport, came to fame for his twangin' on Dale Hawkin's 1957 hit "Susie Q"; he was Ricky Nelson's guitarist from 1958-1965, then replaced Scotty Moore as Elvis Presley's guitarist in the late 1960's; Burton later hooked up with Gram Parsons and joined Emmylou Harris and The Hot Band after Parsons' death; Burton's session work can be heard on albums by The Monkees, Johnny Rivers, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and dozens of others. The induction ceremonies will air tape delayed on VH1 on March 21st; check out our list of current Hall of Fame inductees from Louisiana.