Blues on Air - Peter Feenstra

Blues On Air

Pete Feenstra

Each month we look at one of the many Djs that play The Blues and ask them three questions. This month we profile Pete Feenstra.

I’ve spent 40 years as a promoter, an arts administrator, music librarian, record buyer, agent, writer, author, Mystic records employee, grant bid writer, copywriter, features editor, blues judge, reviewer, interviewer, broadcaster, blues DJ, stage manager, emcee, lyricist, songwriter and er, a band manager without port folio. I’ve promoted over 50 venues in 7 countries, written or researched 4 books, 30 plus magazines, 3 brochures and penned 60 or more album liner notes. I’ve appeared on TV, radio and received a European and UK Lifetime Achievement Awards for services to the blues and 2 other awards for my 2 radio shows on Get Ready To Rock Radio.

Idiscovered the blues via Muriel Young’s 5 O’ Club TV show which featured Alexis Korner Blues Inc, as the house band. Although primarily a Beatles fan, singles by The Pretty Things, John Lee Hooker, Big Bill Broonzy, Spencer Davis Group and albums by Jethro Tull (This Was) and Zappa’s Hot Rats led me to the blues.

The 1970 Nottingham Blues & Prog Festival with Family and Rory Gallagher was a seminal event for me, while Nottingham’s Colin Staples and Leicester’s Mick Pini kept the blues flame alive.

My first ever promotion was in June 73 with Welsh band Man in Nottingham, but a combination of further education and travel meant a stuttering start to my vague ambitions.

By the late 70’s The Falkoner Teatret in Copenhagen and a cutting edge bikers bar in the city’s Christiania commune gave me the experience of promoting, while Albert Collins ‘Ice Pickin’ and Alligator records provided a bluesy port in a post punk storm.

Imoved to South East London in search of a “proper job, accepting a full time post with LB of Southwark libraries.

Former Salt local heroes Stevie Smith, Mick Clarke along with the late Steve Waller and Stan’s Blues Band (i.e. 9 Below Zero), fed my blues addiction.

Apost-grad course in Ealing led to some short term BBC library contracts and then a job with LB of Hounslow, initially as a music librarian and then as an arts officer, as part of a groundbreaking ‘Outreach’ programme.

Ibooked and marketed rock, blues, jazz, folk, fusion, Afro beat, world music, cabaret and talk shows in theatres, leisure centres, town halls, festivals and spent 7 years promoting the 600 capacity Feltham Rox, featuring early Walter Trout and Sherman Robertson shows etc...

Ilearnt from promoters like Bill Kerr (Kings Head, Fulham), blues harp player Shaky Vic (100 Club) and George Blevings - 35 years at The Torrington N12 - who I later superseded for 12 years.

Iwrote a music column in 3 local newspapers and became a contributing co-editor of Real Music and Sound Check magazines.

Ifreelanced for Capital M, Highly Strung, Classic Rock Blues, First Hearing, Jazz FM magazine, Music Week, Jazz Journal, British Blues Review, Rock & Reel, Folk Roots, Irish

World, British Blues Connection (later Blues In Britain) and penned a few obits music for the Independent and The Guardian.

Ilater became Rock & Blues Features Editor for Get Ready To Rock.

In the mid 80’s I formed the Urban Rumour agency with Greg Upchurch, booked Paul Lamb and established a European circuit including Paris’s La Locomotive club.

My big break came with The Shepherd’s Bush Bottom Line, the SB Empire and The Mean Fiddler in Harlesden.

Iestablished The Boom Boom Club/Sutton Utd, (20 years), The Stormy Monday Club at Bulls Head Barnes (20+), The Beaverwood club, Chislehurst (14), Worcester Park Club (8), Beards Blues, Tooting (5) - Joe Bonamassa’s 1st London shows.

Also The Torrington N12 (12), Rayners Hotel, Harrow (7), The Half Moon’s in Herne Hill and Putney, Catford Blues club, Farnborough FC, The Cool Room, Croydon, Real Music Club N20, All Saints Arts Centre N12 and Astor Theatre in Deal Kent.

Iemceed the Skegness Rock and Blues stage (2014-16) Minehead Giants of Rock (2015-16) and the blues stage at the 2014, 3 day Hop Farm, Kent.

Ialso promoted at The Fairfield Halls Croydon, 100 Club, The Astoria, Borderline. Songwriting: Albums with Zoe Schwarz & Blue Commotion, Zed Mitchell, Marcus Flynn, and The Sharpeez.

In progress: Boris Zamba (Voodoo Ramble), Black Pearl (Marcus Malone & Muddy Manninen), Ivana Gallic’s Soulbeat.

Book tentatively titled ‘One Night Stand –Waiting For The Walk Up’.

Link to Radio shows: https://getreadytorockradio.com/members/ pete-feenstra/

Club News

Each month we bring you a summary of events, posts and news from your Forum, The Blues Club.

Club News

********** 150,000 Members ************

Another month of growth and yes we’ve reached 150k members in the Blues Family, so a big thank you for your friendship, your blues stories, pictures and videos. Your Posts and comments are up by 75%!! on last month and the amount of views steady at 1.25 million. A big thank you as well, once again, to Jeff Godoy and all the moderators on the night shift for processing all the many participants each day and night. A big thanks also to my fellow Admin Linda Robinson who does a welcome post of over 300 each day, and to Charlie Sellers who became our 150,000th member.

Posts Review

The first one up this month is “I’ve never got into the blues. Please help me change my mind. I just get bored after 10 minutes even when Eric did the TV blues programme”

Dear Member,

The general opinion in the replies to your post, given that you have given Eric as your reference, is that you’re not been listening to The Blues. They have also recommended that your take a dose of Muddy Waters, Lighting Hopkins, Buddy Guy, Howlin Wolf and any mix of the likes of Christone Kingfish Ingram, of an hour each day for a week. If at the end of the week you’re still not “into The Blues” then you should see a doctor and have him or her take your pulse.

Not The Blues

We are still having to remove posts on a regular basis. In many cases they just don’t have enough blues content to stay as a post, and of course we have to remove scammers, T Shirt sales and all the other fake profiles. In total we’ve blocked over 9k of them.

Artists

We’ve always attracted talented painters as well as talented musicians, but we’ve attracted even more this month and many have posted their work. Keep on joining and posting your painting and sketches of our favourite blues artists. I especially like a painting by John Clark inspired by Robert Johnson’s Crossroads.

The Blues Club Radio

So pleased to tell our members that as of the 18th July, The Blues Club Radio will become part of Feelgood FM 95.5. This is all thanks to Geoff Strobridge who founded the Radio Station. It means that our Blues Family will be able to pick up our Monday Night Blues Radio show on FM and Alexa, as well as via the Internet. It will also move to the later time of 9pm CET, to allow our UK and European members, as well as our worldwide members an oportunity to tune in.

If you’re local to Almanzora Valley, Almeria Province, Spain, then from Antas to Cantoria you can listen in on 95.5 FM. For Alexa go to https://feelgoodfm.es/alexa-skill/ and to listen via the Internet go to https://feelgoodfm.es/ and click on the Player Button, top right.

Backtracking to The Delta Radio Show will also be moving with us and will start just after Monday Night Blues, at the new time of 10pm. We also remember JOHNNY WINTER. (February 23, 1944 - July 16, 2014) Who gave so much to many for his interpretation of The Blues.

Admin

Monday Nght Blues 9pm C.E.T. Click to listen

B.B. King

I never knew where B.B. King’ final resting place was until Jeff Ferguson, posted pictures of it in Indianola, MS. Many thanks Jeff.

Johnny Winter

Monday Nght Blues 9pm C.E.T.

My Recently Found

Playlist

My top 5 recently found Albums

1Delmark Treasure Chest

As the oldest continuously operating blues and jazz record label in the world, Delmark Records released this little Blues Jem of an album featuring the likes of Junior Wells, Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Magic Sam, Otis Rush, Memphis Slim, Little Milton, Sleepy John Estes, Matt Murphy, Big Walter Horton, Big Joe Williams, Big Boy Crudup, Robert Jr. Lockwood, Robert Nighthwak, Jimmy Dawkins.

https://delmark.com/shop/ 2 Dave Specter Six String Soul

Currently Specter is going through a very creative and rewarding phase. After his critically acclaimed album “Blues From the Inside Out” received rave reviews and major airplay worldwide, his song “The Ballad of George Floyd” has been selected for the exhibit SONGS OF CONSCIENCE, SOUNDS OF FREEDOM at the Woody Guthrie Center, curated by the GRAMMY Museum.This double CD release constitutes a definitive testimony to one of today's most tasteful and versatile blues artists at the top of his game, featuring Specter in a wide variety of styles, all played with six string soul.

3Linsey Alexander - Two Cats

“My woman got two cats, one in the front, the other in the back!” From the searing “Where Did You Take Your Clothes Off Last Night” to the tender “Til I Kissed You”, from the comedic “Facebook Woman” to the political “Comb Over Blues” Linsey weaves his colorful stories throughout this album of blues, soul, R&B and funk. It’s great fun and serious music at the same time. ‘Cause the blues don’t mess around and neither does Linsey. 5 James Kinds - Love You From

The Top

James Kinds has always possessed a powerful voice, cutting his teeth on southern Gospel and developing his own distinctive style as a young man. Born in 1943 in Drew, Mississippi, he first sang in the church choir, which led to his joining the Gospel quartet, Spirit Of Joy. https://delmark.com/shop/

https://delmark.com/shop/ 4 Mavis Staples - Have A Litte Faith

with Have A Little Faith, Mavis Staples is building on a family tradition of joining gospel fervor with shades of soul and R&B. Her importance in both the music world and as a driving force of social change makes her a true icon-an artist who continues to create music that will inspire a whole new generation of people to have faith in the healing and uplifting power of her remarkable gift. Alligator Records

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Volume 1: Issue 06 June/July 2022

Errol Linton