Welcome to the August edition of BLUES JUNCTON. As always we have a whole new batch of features we hope you enjoy.

However, right out of the gate I want to direct your attention to an old interview I conducted in the summer of 2012. It was with the one and only, Richard “Lynwood Slim” Duran. Slim passed away on August 4^th exactly one year ago. I know that loss still weighs heavily on the minds of many of our readers. Writing an appreciation of him was the hardest assignment of my life. This interview was by way of contrast the easiest and one of the most enjoyable assignments with which I have ever been tasked.  Getting Slim to open up and talk about...well just about anything wasn’t difficult. Let’s just say, it didn’t require any particular journalistic skills. I know many of you have read this before, but I thought it would be appropriate to put this back on the top shelf and pull it out of the Interview section of our archives. So here it is again, celebrate the life and times of Lynwood Slim In His Own Words: A Conversation With David Mac.

Our  Monthly Artist Spotlight for August is Gerry Hundt. He just released a terrific album entitled, Gerry Hundt’s Legendary One Man Band.

Our Monthly Album Spotlight shines on Ron Thompson’s Son of Boogie Woogie. It is the master work from the long time California based musician. The CD is being released on Little Village Records.

I also review the soon to be released album by Nikki Hill, Heavy Hearts, Hard Fists.

Our popular Re-Visited feature, examines an early career highlight of the young Kirk Fletcher, which is his second album and the first album that was released on the fledging Delta Groove Music label entitled, Shades of Blue.

Charlie Lange also has rounded up some old noise and discusses some great brand new re-issues which are available on his Bluebeat Music website.

Last month we “published” an editorial I wrote and as expected that garnered its fair share of attention. Thanks for all of you who shared this piece on Facebook and for your thoughtful comments by way of letters to the editor and social media. I rounded up a small sampling of some of the thoughtful commentary by our readers.

It is always so wonderful for me to meet up with so many of you here at the JUNCTION. Thanks for the kind words of support as well as alternate points of view regarding what you read here in our little corner of the cyber world. Until we meet again, be well and be in touch.

- David Mac