Welcome to the August 2021 edition of BLUES JUNCTION.

This has been an exciting summer with some great new recordings finding their way into our library and spinning out here in our little word factory by the sea.

Additionally, we are only 34 days 1 hour and 22 minutes away from the 2021 installment of the San Diego Blues Festival. This according to the festival’s official website. By the time you click on that site it will be even closer than that, meaning you have even less (but plenty) of time to make your plans to visit what has become one of the most anticipated annual events on the BLUES JUNCTION calendar. I’m glad to give you a little preview of the 2021 San Diego Blues Festival which will be held on Saturday, September 11^th.  

One of the festival’s headliners is the great blues band Rick Estrin & the Nightcats. What is universally recognized as the definitive Rick Estrin interview appears here in this month’s edition of BLUES JUNCTION. If you think you know Rick Estrin, think again. You will get to know him better by the time you finish reading this two-part interview.

Another festival performer is Nikki Hill. I reviewed a fairly recent show by this little rock and roller.

This time around our Monthly Artist Spotlight has been dimmed with the knowledge that its glare is reflecting off the departed. Willie Earl Walker left this mortal coil on November 19^th, 2019. We chose to take this time to celebrate the career of the great Wee Willie Walker here in August of 2021, as his final album was just released. It is appropriately entitled Not In My Lifetime.

Our Monthly Album Spotlight illuminates a terrific instrumentalist that we have been following for a few years now. His name is Chis Corcoran and his brand-new album is entitled Inferno.

The new Wee Willie Walker album is, as is the latest release by Chris Corcoran, part of our Recommended Listening feature where brand new and soon to be released albums are discussed.

We urge you to enjoy another installment of Charlie’s Re-Issue Rodeo.

I want to thank all of you who took the time and trouble to contact me regarding what you have read here in the “pages” of BLUES JUNCTION. Your kind words mean more to me than I could possibly express. I hope to see many of you out at the San Diego Blues Festival next month.

Until then be well and be in touch.

-  David Mac