CHICAGO BLUES CONCERTS

December 10, 2016: Buddy Guy’s Legends; Chicago, IL
January 6, 2017: Birthday Celebration at SPACE; Evanston, IL


Eddy, Bennie Turner and Bob Kieser


Congratulations to my adopted son and my guitar and harp player for over 15 years...

It was great to be at the Blues Blast Awards in Champaign



Shoji Naito began coming to my club, Reservation Blues in Chicago just to jam. He was new to Chicago a student at Columbia College. He didn’t speak English — the only languages he knew were Japanese ...and the BLUES! Well it has been over 15 years and his Blues is not only his second language, but he surely speaks english very well. He has been a great gift to me, my band and my family.

I was so honored to accompany Shoji to Champaign, IL where he was a nominee for 'Best New Debut Album' from the Blues Blast Awards for his CD, ‘NEW COOL — OLD SCHOOL’ an album I got to record five songs on. It was such a great time recording this CD too as Shoji and I just played some of our favorite traditional blues songs (there were so many), there was no song list we just played like we were at a club, but we chose just the right ones. This album deserved the recognition and I am so proud of him.





Click for a review of the album by Blues Blast Magazine



Eddy Clearwater, Bernie Turner and Bob Keiser


Congratulations to Alligator
Boss Man, Bruce Iglauer on receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Blues Blast Music Awards. And to all of your artists on your label who won, Curtis Salgado, Shemekia Copeland and Lil Ed & The Blues Imperials.

It was great to be at the Blues Blast Awards in Champaign, IL to celebrate the nominees and see so many of my old friends. It was great to spend time with Benny Turner and founder of the Blues Blast Awards and Blues Blast Magazine, Bob Keiser. I am so grateful for the recognition of the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015.


Click here to take a listen.

Eddy Clearwater remembering Chuck Berry on his 90th birthday. I had fond memories of seeing Chuck Berry at Roberts Show Lounge the club that brought together class and culture on the south side of Chicago. Before the Civil Rights Act, Herman Roberts’ club defined black nightlife on the south side | Music Feature | Chicago Reader &ladquo;I wasn’t going to play any of that west side blues shit-no down low dirty blues,“ said Roberts. But, Eddy ‘The Chief’ Clearwater played there and so did BB King.

“I PLAYED MORE Rock N Roll more Chuck Berry.

Dick Gregory introduced me to Herman Robert’s, Redd Fox Guitar Red. It was legendary, a first class show lounge and we had top notch entertainers and a place we could call our own,” said Eddy Clearwater remembering the great times he had performing and seeing some of the greatest entertainers of the time.

Eddy is Chuck Berry’s number 1 Fan for many years. “I remember learning my first Chuck Berry songs-Oh Babydoll, Johnny B Good & Sweet Little Sixteen" In Stone Park at a club I met Chuck Berry I was playing there with Bobby and The Jesters. The next weekend Chuck was playing I came to the club .... Chuck looked at me and said, I thought I was looking in the mirror, we looked so much alike. That night Bobby from the Jesters asked me to come up and play. My guitar was already up there. The audience was screaming my name and wanted me to play ‘Johnny B Good’ and I was like no way not in front of Chuck Berry himself. Chuck said go ahead and play it. I did play and he was very complimentary.“

Happy 90th Birthday Mr. Berry.



BOOGIE WOOGIE BABY — ALL NIGHT LONG
Eddy’s first release on ATOMIC H Records and being delivered in the CLEAR WATERS LUV MOBILE.
You have to love the station wagon!

Click to view on YouTube

More Memories:

My first job was as a dishwasher at a restaurant on Madison Ave. in Chicago, Little Jack’ Restaurant where some of the best cheesecake was being made, rich cheesecake with a graham cracker crust bottom filled with raisins — I can just close my eyes and taste it now.

Lynn found the recipe and I think she and Renee are going to make me one.

Mrs. Little Jack’s favorite cheesecake recipe. These cheesecakes were famous all over Chicagoland, the hotels, the restaurants, the celebrities and me a young black from Mississippi. That is where I met the Levin's and the first time I ever met Jewish people. The restaurant was one of a kind and they were too.

Across the street was a pawn shop where I had my eye on a guitar — it was an epiphone. The guitar and the amp cost $150.00. I saved all my money, put it in the bank so I could buy it. I made $37 a week so it seemed like it took forever to finish paying off my deposit. I was so excited the day I walked in and said I can take the guitar and amp home with me. And I did I carried it all the way home on the bus. That was my first guitar.


Ingredients
Cheesecake Filling Ingredients
• 3, 8-ounce packages of cream cheese
• 1 1/2 cups pure-cane sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Graham Cracker Crust
• 1/2 box graham crackers finely crushed
• 1/2 stick melted unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
Topping Ingredients
• 2 cups sour cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla


Instructions
Make filling: Bring eggs and cream cheese to room temperature. Add sugar 1/4 cup at a time and stir until smooth with a wooden spoon. Add eggs, one at a time, still stirring with wooden spoon. Add salt and vanilla. Make crust: Finely crush graham crackers with a rolling pin. Place in a medium-sized bowl along with sugar and cinnamon. Melt butter; stir into crumb mixture. Assemble cake: Press buttered crumbs into bottom of nine-inch springform pan. Carefully pour the cream cheese batter into the crust in the springform pan. Bake: On a rack in the center of the oven, place a sheet of foil; Place cheesecake on top of the foil. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Turn oven off and crack open the door. Allow cake

to rest in oven an additional 15 minutes with the door slightly ajar. Remove cake to a cooling rack. Rest cake for another 15 minutes or until cake is just lukewarm.

Heat oven to 450
Make topping:
Mix topping ingredients and smooth over cake. Place in oven at 450 and bake for 10 minutes. Cool cake on rack. Refrigerate at least 24 hours before serving.


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Eddy will receive a proclamation and a Key to the Village from the Mayor of Westmont on Thursday, October 27th.

Westmont Mayor and Eddy Clearwater
The Westmont Mayor with Eddy Clearwater and one of Eddy’s guitars.

Westmont Mayor and Eddy Clearwater
The Westmont Mayor (in headdress) and Eddy Clearwater.

Eddy will receive the Key to the Village of Westmont and proclamation for his dedication to blues music & the city of Westmont when they honor him for his contributions to Blues music and a longtime resident of Westmont.

Blues Hall of Fame Inductee - Chicago Tribune

According to the Chicago Tribune, “prominent blues musician, Eddy “The Chief” Clearwater... lived in Westmont and recently paid a visit to the town.” Click to read full Chicago Tribune Story
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LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION

‘Enjoy Illinois’ — Ad Campaign Reboot

The creative team of J Walter Thompson and director of advertising for the Illinois Department of Tourism love Eddy so much they invited him back again this year to be a part of their national ad campaign, ‘Enjoy Illinois’ which will kickoff in March of 2017. Eddy was the perfect attraction for guests (Stewart Talent Agency extras) visiting the #1 Blues spot for tourism in Chicago, Buddy Guy’s Legends.
Enjoy Illinois Ad Campaign 1
Enjoy Illinois Ad Campaign 2
‘Documentary focuses on John Primer

Storytelling is a part of the Blues. Eddy has always been the front man except when he played at the Last Resort in Round Lake where he played with the Belairs. He tells filmmaker, Pete Griffith the humble story of being a young man with a guitar, who could sing, but once had to stay in the back of the club because of the color line, racism and segregation. Eddie Blazoyniak was an advocate for Eddy and asked the club owner if he could come on out and mingle with the young fans, he assured him that Eddy was a gentleman and wouldn’t cause any trouble. Times were tough in the ’60s during the civil rights movement. Eddy was an instant hit and the audience embraced him and his music. From then on the young blues musician from the south felt at home in the north. The documentary directed by Pete Griffith will feature the life of guitar player, John Primer (Muddy Waters last guitarist) and the life of a bluesman coming to Chicago.
Lights - Camera - Action
Lights - Camera - Action

This bluesletter is dedicated to Amy van Single who I met many years ago with Jim O'Neal. Amy and Jim brought my music to life on record and on the pages of Living Blues Magazine - The Harrington family was very important to her especially my uncle's record company, Atomic H Records. They called Amy, Atomic Mama and she was that. Rest In Blues Heaven Amy and thank you from the bottom of my heart.

MISSISSIPPI BLUES MARKER DEDICATION TO THE
HARRINGTON FAMILY ATOMIC H RECORDS AND
EDDY ‘THE CHIEF’ CLEARWATER.


The Blues Foundation
The Blues Foundation

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Connect With Eddy
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Listen to Eddy’s Music on...twitter
...and see Eddy on...YouTube

Renee Greenman Entertainment Mgt.
PHONE: (847) 679-6311

Email:  rgch@blueschief.com

www.EddyClearwater.com
Between his slashing left-handed guitar work, his room-filling vocals, his self-defined "rock-a-blues" style (a forceful mix of blues, rock, rockabilly, country and gospel), his boundless energy and even his signature Indian headdress, Clearwater is among the very finest practitioners of the West Side blues working today.
Find Eddy Clearwater on Alligator Records
Alligator Records

Artist"s Web site: www.EddyClearwater.com

Bookings: Tina Terry Agency: (336) 273-0446
Tina Terry Agency


Bluesletter content and creation:
Lynn Orman Weiss / (847) 452-6469 / 
ormanmusic@gmail.com


(847) 452-6469

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES:
Media Contact: Lynn Orman Weiss / (847) 452-6469 / 
ormanmusic@gmail.com


Bluesletter Content: Lynn Orman Weiss