Jimmy Guy Cottengim Memorial Benefit Sunday

Jimmy Guy Cottengim Memorial Benefit Sunday at American Legion, Springfield



BY Monte Lorts, Media Director-Blues Society of the Ozarks

The Blues Society of the Ozarks, in conjunction with the Cottengim family, will hold a musical celebration and benefit in memory of Jimmy Guy Cottengim who passed away suddenly on June 11^th, 2009.

The event will be held on Sunday, June 28^th on the American Legion Post #639 grounds located at 2660 S. Scenic, Springfield, MO 65807.

We will get underway at 1:00 pm and continue throughout the day and early evening. A donation of $10 per person will be accepted at the gates with all proceeds going to the Cottengim family. Children under age 12 will be admitted free of charge. Additional donations on their behalf will be gratefully accepted as well.

Food and beverages will be available on the grounds, and not allowed through the gates. You may bring chairs or picnic blankets.

Among the musical acts confirmed at this time are:

Tripwire, The Bluesberries, Trash Angels, Bud Johnson & the Ringers, Lou Whitney, Bobby Lloyd Hicks, Bert Smith, Clyde Standt, and Andy Coin.

We feel certain that additional musicians from near and far will show up to honor the memory of this musical legend and show support for his family during this difficult time.

Please share this information with your friends so we can turn this benefit into a fitting tribute to the legendary JIMMY GUY COTTENGIM!

Honoring KoKo Taylor while Benefiting National Women in Blues Founder Michele Seidman

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By TERESA BREWER

According to Don Hearon, CEO of Hearon Media, from Las Vegas NV, artists from all over the country are expected to attend and perform the first annual Red, White and Blues Festival June 20th in Lebanon TN, in order to support the national effort to help Michele Seidman, founder of National Women in Blues Festival in Willmington North Carolina, which has been put on hold this year due to Michele's devastating illness and lack of funding or sponsorship for this event, which levels the playing field for women in the blues market.

Earlier this month, Alligator Records, blues artists, radio D.J.'s, family, friends and fans were all very sad to learn that KoKo Taylor died.

As artists, we feel that we can best honor her by remembering her major contribution to the music scene and dedicating this years performance to KoKo Taylor, who's original band is expected to be in attendence and also performing in the All Star Jam! It's gonna be a heck of a show and not to be missed!

Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at the gate of the James E. Ward Agricultural Center or bring your dad for an early father's day celebration and get in for only $20.

Performaning will be: BB Queen, Taylor P. Collins, Debra Ritter, Bobby Warren and many more blues artists will perform during the All Star Jam including Teressa "BluesBabe" Brewer.

QUEEN KoKo: Chicago Blues Icon KOKO TAYLOR DIES at 80

QUEEN OF THE BLUES; Chicago Icon KOKO TAYLOR DIES at 80

By TERESSA "BLUESBABE" BREWER

The world of blues/roots music will never be quite the same without it's Queen, KoKo Taylor, who passed away Wednesday June 3rd at the age of 80, from complications from surgery.

She opened the doors for the rest of us Women in Blues, to say the very least.

When I first met KoKo backstage at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas in the early 90's, I was in awe and wanted to be just like her. I knew I had to develop that growl in my voice if I was ever to be taken seriously as a blues artist who is not African American. But, I've been careful and deliberate not to use her signature sound too much in order to develop my own style.

KoKo was an inspiration to me and the many other Women in Blues, who have been inspired by her and followed in her foot steps since she began recording on the Chess label in the 1970's. When Chess folded, she became Alligator Record's first female recording artist, who's first hit was Wang Dang Doodle by Willie Dixon.

The energy she put out during her performances exhausted her and her entire body was glowing wet with sweat. She dabbed her face and eyes and when I asked her if she was alright, she hugged me and thanked me for my concern but needed her space. She sat down to catch her breath. She was a violent vocalist who sang with her entire body! Her songs told about life as it is for women, the truth and honesty in her songs was burnt into your soul from the first few notes she belted. She paved the way for the female blues artists, such as myself, which have come after her. She was professional, meticulous about her performances, recordings and the leader of the band, in the days when women were usually given the ultimatum of that old casting couch crap we all hated and I refused to play. One look and the stamp of her feet to the tempo she wanted, if the band didn't get it right, had the power to send a musician reeling. When the audience banged and cheered for an encore, the lights went up and she stepped back onto the stage with the command and presence of a woman to be reckoned with. She was in total control of her voice, her band and her audience. KoKo was a woman who drew blues fans from all corners of the world! The house was packed and the audience loved her.

She told it like it is! A straight shooter, no b.s. and all business. While she has had many hits in the blues world, my favorite was the song "Thanks, But No Thanks." I'll be hearing her voice and those words.."When ever I go out, I bring my money to spend, So I don't need no favors from no fast slick talkin men...," all day long. Today I will play every KoKo Taylor album I own in memory and tribute to her life from the cotton fields to Queen of the Blues!

It warms my heart to know that her manager, friend and producer Bruce Iglauer, owner of Alligator Records, along with her family members were with her when she passed.

Yo KoKo! Give "Doc" and all the other great blues legends a hug for me as you jam with them all in the heavens! Wish I could hear the sound of your voice with the Angels as your back up vocalists now. I'll be performing a tribute to you as long as I can! Thank you, for opening those doors that were shut to us for soooo long, for all your inspiration to us Women in Blues and all you gave to the world. I for one will miss you deeply. I believe I can safely speak for the rest of us Women in Blues and say that WE WILL ALL MISS YOU DEEPLY!

My deepest condolences to her family, Bruce Iglauer, Lonnie Brooks and the rest of her band and all her friends and fans who loved her and worked with her, for so long. I know that all of us with National Women in Blues are grieving the loss of her deeply today, which will continue for some time. She will always be remembered as a stong woman who was one of a kind, lovingly, and with gratitude by those of us she paved the way for, such as myself.

There will never be another KoKo Taylor! Rest in peace my blues sister!

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Teressa "BluesBabe" Brewer, will be performing at the RED WHITE AND BLUES FESTIVAL, (just outside Nashville) during the All Star Jam and assisting the performers, recording artists, star and blues award winner, songwriter and guitarist Ms. BB Queen and Hearon Media Inc., and it's CEO Kattman with this event for the benefit of their mutual friend and fellow Blues Woman, Michele Seidman, Founder of National Women in Blues Festival in Willmingon N.C., (which has been held off this year due to Michele's illness and the economy), in Lebanon TN, on June 20th, 2009.

Brewer challenges all other blues artists to do the same and asks friends and fans to buy tickets and attend the festival to show their support for Michele, who has given so much of herself without pay for the past four years. This challenge is in the spirit of unity and to assist the needs of Seidman's medical bills and living expenses.

Brewer is one of the most prolific artists in the business. She is a writer, composer, musician, harmonica player, singer, lyricist, poet, producer, publisher and recording artist who is featured in volume 6, of World Who's Who in Jazz, Cabaret, Music and Entertainment Who's Who book ENTERTAINEMENT GREATS FROM THE 1800's TO THE PRESENT: CINEMA, STAGE, MUSIC, DIVA'S AND LEGENDS by Maximillien DeLafayette and published by Time Square Press in New York, NY.

She is a member of FAMSPA (Federation of American Musicians, Singers and Performing Artists), National Women in Blues & BMI.

BluesBabe Enterprises is a proud member of ASCAP.

Hearon Media Inc presents the 1st Red White and Blues Festival, June 20th 2009 in Lebanon Tennessee with a portion of this years proceeds going to support the founder of the National Women in Blues Festival who has been hit hard with no insurance...and major medical needs like so many in our country today. Hearon Media Inc. President and CEO Kattman says, "he is very happy to be part of this mission to support the woman behind Women in Blues."

The one and only BB Queen who originally hails from Detroit Michigan and now hails out of Las Vegas Nevada. Earning her blues street credits young (13), while teaching herself to emulate BB King and Jimi Hendrix. Paying her dues she earned the BB Queen name and carries it well. Millions viewed her performances as a guest artist on the Jenny Jones shows. Most recently BB Queen joined the Hearon Media INC group and has quickly become their top selling artist airing on over 100 stations around the world. It is no wonder when her surrogate mom, mentor and sometime collaborator Koko Taylor has been part of her blues heritage. You really need to see a woman grind the ax the way she does.

Artists born around the country are coming to play this event including Debbi Ritter, known for her sultry and passionate deliveries and a band with multiple awards, including the Music City Blues Awards Entertainer of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year, Guitarist of the Year, Keyboard Player of the Year and the list goes on. Debbi and her band have gotten to the International Blues Challenge numerous times with good reason. Dubbed by the local media as "Nashville's Blues Vixen" this is an amazing act with a great 'cool' factor you don't want to miss.

Plus Bobby Warren who was born in Corinth, Mississippi in the 1940's. Bobby started playing the guitar at an early age, his first recording came in 1959 with the Zion Trumpeteers. Later he played back-up guitar with "Big" Joe Bush and The House Rockers. With influences like Wilson Pickett and Bobby Womack it is no wonder he has been on stage with Lowell Fulson, Little Walter, Smokey Wilson, Percy Mayfield, "Big Mama" Thorton, Frankie Lee, Pee Wee Craton, and "Big" Joe Turner to name a few. There is always time to listen to legends and this is it.

Add to the mix one Miss Taylor P Collins born in Norfolk, Va on Friday the thirteenth in the middle of the worst blizzard Norfolk had ever seen and later would emerge as one of the leading female vocalists in the San Francisco Bay Area in the world of Blues. Her style of Blues is sophisticated, powerful, and funky with jazz overtones and presented with her commanding presence. She has performed with many legends and in the company of industry legends such as Etta James, The Neville Brothers, Albert Collins, Gladys Knight, and Kenny Neal to name a few. She has also performed with her dear friend and mentor the legendary Ruth Brown and has opened for and performed with John Handy, LaVerne Baker, and Jefferson Starship.including her very dear friend, the legendary Miss Ruth Brown who by chance was born across the river (Portsmouth, Va.) from Miss Collins but a few decades before her. These are sultry tones you can't walk away from without remembering.

By chance, originally hailing from Portsmouth Virginia is the 'woman' that we hope to benefit. Michele Seidman, the founder of the National Women in Blues has been taking care of as many women in the blues genre as possible. With the help of a few people, she started the NWiB Festival in Wilmington NC. It has brought artists like Candye Kane, Gaye Adegbalola, EG Kight, Michele Lundeen, Valerie June, The Grit Pixies, Sarah Lemieux, Suzanne and The Blues Church, Lara Price and Laura Chavez, Juke Joint Judy, Robin Rogers, Big Red and the Soul Benders, Patty Benson, Pat Pepin, Peggy Ratusz and more to a festival in Wilmington North Carolina intended to level the playing field for women in the genre.

In between the festivals, Michele has kept passing on radio station leads and other information to people who subscribe to the NWiB myspace blog and the Facebook WiB Group. She keeps people informed when artists are in medical situations. Yet, when she had her own she did not take advantage of the WiB network and kept her problems confined to her own bands blogs. It was when BB Queen found them that she and Kattman discussed turning part of the proceeds from this years Red White and Blues Festival to the NWiB founder. The intention is to help with medical bills and keeping a roof over her head while she tries to heal from some surgeries and prepares for what we all hope and pray is her last medical procedure for many years to come! BB Queen says "you get what you give". "Michele personifies love, unity, togetherness, determination, and respect. We should all be excited and eager to cheerfully give it back. Michele needs you now!"
The 1st Red White and Blues from Hearon Media Inc. Celebrates not just the blues genre but it also benefits a fellow blues artists who works for no pay to support so many. Now the many can lend a hand simply by coming to this event on June 20th 2009 for a ticket cost of only $25. Four great artists performing, guests artists expected and new details emerging all the time. For tickets, times or more information and updates go to http://www.kattman.com

Stacy Mitchhart Band

Come watch my SyncLive.com show at 7:00 PM on 3/29/2009

Waging War on Corruption-ALEX JONES

YES! It's about time a major media figure covered this issue: A MUST SEE!

Alex Jones rages his wrath on caller CPS "child saver." The death, familial destruction, drugging, raping, beating of children in foster care. Foster children are FIVE TIMES more likely to be abused in foster care than they are in the general population or their own homes. These figures are from the Justice Dept.

Using children to launder money from the Social Security funds is bankrupting America and ruining the American family.

Alex Jones vs. CPS Agent

WHY he did it: Steven "Doc" Betts Suicide Note Revealed

WHY STEVEN “DOC” BETTS' KILLED HIMSELF—SUICIDE NOTE REVEALED

Stevie's suicide letter, detailed his reasons for giving up on life, after being lied to, lied about, his reputation ruined, his bank account robbed (and no action was taken in this matter), falsely accused of assault and then kicked to the curb over and over again. His life was also threatened repeatedly.

All of these evil acts were committed by the same woman who dramatically changed and ruined his life, career, reputation and mental health.

Broken hearted and fed up, when he was informed by other residents that she was AGAIN, having other clandestined encounters with other men for money, he gave up on life and his self.

"I tried to save her, Teresa. I tried to make an honest woman of her and I failed." Betts told me last summer. I didn't realize until he told me so, just how close he came to committing suicide then. He claimed that I was "his life saver."

I was there daily to encourage him and help him heal, wrote songs with him, took him swimming, cooked for him, got him out of the house, helped him slow down his drinking, played music with him, wrote music with him, as well as advocated for him in his legal matters in court.

We were dear friends, each of us blues artists and writers in our own right. I knew him as his true self before SHE came along. Brilliant! That's what he was. He was a world class artist, songwriter, bluesman and guitar player at the very least. I saw him as my beautiful, beautiful mess.

When artists of his depth, sensitivity and brilliance are mistreated, it can unbalance them to a point that they just hurt so much they feel that they can't go on, because the pain is felt so deeply within them. They become blinded by the pain of it all. When mistreatment happens over and over and over, many have given up. Steve was one who did. The loss of him has long reaching affects for many. Artists of his caliber are soooooo rare.

At 56 years old he had never been in trouble with the law, until he allowed (in my experience and opinion), a very evil woman into his life.

His honor had been stolen from him repeatedly. Integrity was very important to him.

He was a man who valued his honor deeply. I've found that military men are usually that way.

He was broken and deeply depressed.

All my attempts to get him into treatment were met with lack of funds to pay for psychological services.

So I was there for him and I helped in anyway that I could. I listened, consoled, comforted and counselled him while he wept and told me all he had done for her and all the abuse and betrayal he recieved in return. The lies she told about him devastated him. He'd been fired from one of his bands because she would start fights in the club, while he was onstage.

His bank account was robbed because he trusted her with the pin number, and she gave it to a relative, who allegedly robbed him of every penny he had via the ATM. The charges he pressed were left abandoned by those who had the authority to seek justice on his behalf. They blamed him, the victim for trusting her with the information in the first place.

When he was out of work, had no money, food or a ride, I provided. That's what real friends do for each other. He busted her several times cheating on him.

After months of encouragement, countless days, nights and hours of talking together, playing the blues together, writing songs together, he started healing and becoming his old philosophical and happy self again.

When I called to tell him some very good news, just before Christmas, SHE answered his cell phone. SHE was back and just as filthy mouthed on the phone as usual. She blatantly and with venon refused to call him to the phone and told me not to call again after calling me filty names. I was shocked that he would let this abusive person back into his life again. I could see him falling into the same pattern that abused women fall into. I was also angry that he let her back after all the the horrors he suffered at her hands. He reminded me of female DV victims and the awful pattern they fall into of going back over and over. It happens to men too.

He never did get the good news I had to tell him, which pertained to both of our careers as blues artists together. It was business and it was looking up. And it was VERY good news indeed. Those plans are now just as dead as he is. Artists as good as Doc, are very very rare. Their level of sensitivity and brilliance is so intense that if mistreated, it can kill them. It did him.

The news of his death absolutely devastated me.

He detailed his reasons for giving up on life in his writings and suicide letter. I've decided (and with his daughter's permission), to let him tell you why he took his own life himself by publishing exactly what he wrote word for word in his suicide note and writings below:

"Dear Misty,

Loving you, has killed me. I've tried to make an honest woman of you, but now realize that is an impossible dream.

I remember when you would touch me and tell me you were in love with me. You used to hold me. Then you left me for him. Then you came back. Then you went back. Then you came back. Then you went back to him again.

I figure that's where you are again. Money. He'll have some so that's all you want.

As soon as I was broke you left me again.

You took everything I had and used it up, I know exactly what you do.

By the time you read this I will be gone. You just don't care about me and it became obvious with you and David.

You made a fool out of me again. You made me walk to see you drinking with him and you wouldn't leave the bar. Take a good look at what you did to me. Take a look at how you treated me last New Year's eve.

You wouldn't even kiss me after I played my ass off for you.

Tonight I'll play for you one last time Misty.

I'll play my heart out and cry one last time for you.

I know you are already gone. You won't stop me. You've been gone before and I always let you come back.

But you can't come back again to nobody. I won't be here for you anymore.

I am looking at the mess you made and looking at the price I paid. And thinking about a vision that turned out wrong. And those promises you made and broke, and you left me the last time I saw that you was with him.

And I killed myself for you?! You were with him."

Misty, was run off by law enforcement after she was spotted by a resident, rumaging through his house immediately after the Coroner took his body away.

If you have information about the theft of Doc's black Fender Telecaster, contact me by email at Teressa.Brewer@gmail.com, Rockaway Beach Police Officer Ben Matthews, or the Taney County Sheriff's office.

All information given to me will be treated with the utmost confidentiality and will be used to assist in the recovery of "Doc's" guitar, for his daughter Brooke.

As Steve said in his song: "If that ain't love, I'll wash your butt and drink the water!"

REWARD Offered for the Recovery of Steve "Doc" Betts STOLEN Fender Telecaster Guitar

By: TERESA BREWER

Stealing from a dead man immediately after his death and before his only surviving child and other family members have been notified of his death, is the ultimate betrayal!

That is what happened on the evening of January 1st, shortly after a resident walked by and witnessed artist and blues man, Steven "Doc" Betts, shoot himself, while he sat in his chair on his front porch at 3030 Hwy. 176, in Rockaway Beach on the evening of January 1st.

Later that night, witnesses saw a suspect rumaging through his house who they claim, was run off by law enforcement officials.

Doc's black Fender Telecaster guitar was stolen from his house immediately after his death and long before his family was ever notified. A police report has been filed with RBPD. Calls regarding this matter, have not been returned to the survivors.

I am hereby, offering a reward to whom ever offers information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for stealing “Doc's” guitar. It rightfully belongs to his daughter Brooke and no one else.

I am asking for your help to get it back to his daughter and to make whomever committed this crime accountable. If you report your knowledge to the police and they do not respond please contact me by privately by email at Teressa.Brewer@gmail.com , or by posting your tip to The People's Press comment section herein. You do not have to give your name to post an anonymous tip. To receive your reward, once the guitar has been recovered, you must email me privately with your information, which will not be disclosed.