The Revival of Sugar and Spice

The Revival of Sugar and Spice

The Revival of Sugar and Spice

The Revival of Sugar and Spice
Roger White

When it comes to cookin’ Sugar and Spice may be regarded as simple ingredients but when it comes to music Sugar and Spice are tasty delights meant to be savored. Just a decade ago these well-seasoned ladies were described as the undisputed definition of Southern Soul and were heating up stages across the country. True sisters, Myra “Sugar” Glover and Velma “Spice” Glover, were raised in church and juke joints by their mother the late Loretta Glover, a Florida based R&B/Soul and Blues legend.

If you don’t have fond memories of the Sugar and Spice Revue, allow me to clue you in on this Dynamic Duo. We first saw the girls at local Tampa jams before they joined the Souliz Band featuring Sugar and Spice. As the hottest band in town in 2017 the Suncoast Blues Society sent Sugar and Spice and the band to Memphis for the International Blues Challenge where they came in 2nd place out of the hundreds of bands from around the world who came to compete. That win started them on a musical journey, appearing at some of the hottest festivals and clubs on the circuit including the Clearwater Blues Festival. But then came Covid and that changed everything and after the shutdown Sugar and Spice seemed to fade away.

But for these ladies singing and performing is as important as breathing is to life itself and recently Sugar made an appearance at the Suncoast Blues Societies Blues Bash on the Bay, formerly the Beach Bash on August 30, at the Lion’s Club in Gulfport where she reminded members just how talented our hometown gals were. Two weeks later, on September 13 Sugar sat in with the band for Nitro Bozman’s Last Annual House Party and those in attendance said she stole the show.

So, it’s with great pleasure and anticipation we can announce that two months later, on Thursday, November 13 the full Sugar and Spice Revue returns to the Palladium Side Door, 253 5th Ave, St. Petersburg,Florida, doors are at 7:30pm. They are saying this will be just a onetime only show but we can all hope the performance will spark a real revival of Sugar and Spice.

 

 

A Revival Of Blues On the Hilltop, November 8th and 15th

A Revival Of Blues On the Hilltop, November 8th and 15th

A Revival Of Blues On the Hilltop, November 8th and 15th

A Revival Of Blues On the Hilltop, November 8th and 15th

It truly is blues on the hilltop for the next 2 weekends at the Sparacia Winery and Event Center situated at one of the highest elevations in Florida. At 275 feet above sea level this picturesque setting overlooking miles of green rolling hills, it will be the site for the 2nd annual Brooksville Blues Revival Festival, Saturday November 8th and the 3rd Annual Blues on the Hilltop, November 15th.

This Blues Revival kicks in Saturday November 8th at 2 pm with Alex Lopez and The Xpress a local favorite who’s high energy set is likened to a bluey Led Zeppelin. Next up from Chicago the Frank Bang Band, Bang a former member of the Buddy Guy Band, has numerous songs featured on SiriusXM’s Bluesville channel. While the headliners are the acclaimed national touring act  ‘Brothers Again’ a celebration of the Allman Brothers Band, this seven-man band really have their work cut out for them following The Damon Fowler Band. Damon played with two of the real Brothers as guitarist in Butch Truck’s Freight Train band and the Dickey Betts Band. He’s a master singer, songwriter of American roots music and one of the premiere slide and lap steel players in the country. We can hope that Damon Fowler will stay to jam with the ‘Brothers Again,’ as The Allman Brothers Band was always about the jam and that’s where the real fire is let loose.

Sparacia Winery, 21509 Snow Hill Rd, Brooksville, FL, 34601. 

No coolers, outside food, pets or drink containers permitted, please.

For questions and info call Maremil Music Productions: 360-878-3474 or contact https://maremilmusic.ticketspice.com/brooksville-blues…

 The following weekend November 15th the Winery will host to the 3rd annual Blues on the Hilltop festival featuring five blues bands for a full day of music. The lineup includes the Nature Coast blues band Blues By The Drop who’ll play their take on standard and traditional blues classics. The Blues Generators, a rockn’ blues band based out of the Villages, the C J Sterlace band playing classic hits and original compositions the Blues Crewe and Mark Shane.

          The draw may be the bands but the Sparacia Winery and Event Center offer a unique concert experience.  With a newly expanded stage, full light and sound system, a VIP pavilion, and a large patio with tables and chairs there will also be several vendors and food trucks on the grounds and a beer and wine bar inside. Visitors will enjoy a day of music from local and national bands in a casual setting plus experience an amazing view of the skyline as the stars really pop after dark.

Sparacia Winery, 21509 Snow Hill Rd, Brooksville, FL, 34601

The Revival of Sugar and Spice

Suncoast Blues Board Elections and Volunteers Your new Board for 2025

Suncoast Blues Board Elections and Volunteers Your new Board for 2025

Suncoast Blues Board Elections and Volunteers
Your new Board for 2025

President – Ed Kirk
Vice President – Cheryl Spradling
Secretary – Linda Rasor
Treasurer – William Debouver
Membership – Traci Zimmerman

James Randolph is an Emeritus Board Member

Alternates include:
Noray Sarkisian – Volunteer Coordinator
Vinnie Marini – Media
Roger White – Writer
Margaret White – Writer
Cindy Morris – Liaison for Manatee/Sarasota counties

We are honored to be your new Board and will do our best to support our members, musicians and venues.
Looking forward to an exciting year!!

 

Everybody Having a Ball – Billy Price Band

Everybody Having a Ball – Billy Price Band

Everybody Having a Ball – Billy Price Band

Everybody Having a Ball

Billy Price Band @ Cottonmouth southern Soul Kitchen 

On March 29th 2024, Billy Price and his band made their debut in Bradenton’s Village of the Arts and put on one of the best shows seen to date at the venue.

The band set the tone for the evening when kicked off the show playing The Temptation’s classic Can’t Get Next to You, followed by Chuck Berry’s You Never Can Tell. Billy came to the stage and launched a wonderful set of music pulled from this extensive catalogue, and sprinkled in some new material that is forthcoming this fall.

Billy’s band on this tour (Dave Dodd, drums; Tom Valentine, bass; Lenny Smith, guitar; Jim Britton, keyboard; and a horn section with flugelhorn and sax ) expertly backed Billy as he launched into two sets of enjoyable rhythm & blues, blues, and soul. Beginning with I Keep Holding On Billy captured the audience and showed why he is a wonderful entertainer. Billy got the crowd moving by delivering his “signature” song, the Carl Sims classic It Ain’t a Juke Joint Without The Blues.

Billy spoke respectfully about his time touring with Roy Buchannan and performed Nickle and a Nail; and then visited the 2019 recording “Dog Eat Dog” for Lose My Number. What followed next was a highlight. His performance of Mercy from the forthcoming release “Person of Interest” was a powerful, poignant, and memorable performance. This is one beautiful song that touches the heart, and on this night and during this song was Billly at his best.

A standard in Billy’s show is Can I Change My Mind, and tonight was no different. By this time, the audience was beginning to turn Cottonmouth into a dance hall, setting the stage for what to come during the second set. Tyrone Davis songs fit Billy well, and this former number one on Billboards Hot R&B Chart is no exception. The first set concluded with 39 Steps, giving both band and audience a chance to collect their breaths.

Often, between sets in Florida the audience will start to thin out. Tonight, that was not the case. The sold-out show  was packed tight. But that did not deter them – they wanted to dance to Billy Price Band and dance they did.

From the start of the second set  – which featured the band without Billy performing So Sharp, famously recorded by J. Geils Band – the audience was on their feet, moving and swaying to the beat. And they did not retreat to their seats for the remainder of the night. I’ve seen a lot of shows at Cottonmouth, but never have I witnessed the entire audience up and dancing for an entire set.

The songs during set two included: She Checks All The Boxes, Real Time, the wonderful Crying at The Stoplight, and revisiting Roy Buchanan with Can I Make You Change Your Mind. By this time, the kitchen staff joined in the fun and dancing hit a fever pitch to Tyrone Davis’s s Turn Back The Hands of Time and continued with Be Thankful for What You Got. The band wrapped up the set with Expert Witness.

The audience was not ready to release the band, and Billy accommodated with a two-song encore, First, the full band performed Person of Interest. Billy then asked all but keyboardist Jim Britton to leave the stage and the two concluded a wonderful night with a stirring version of Toussaint McAll’s. Nothing Takes The Place of You. A spectacular evening of music by The Billy Price Band.

 

  • Scott Morris, Suncoast Blues Society
  • Photo’s courtesy of Jim Hartzell

 

Become a Suncoast Blues Society Member

Go to our Membership sign up page and choose your Membership! 

Click Here
Helping the Mississippi John Hurt Museum

Helping the Mississippi John Hurt Museum

Helping the Mississippi John Hurt Museum

Helping the Mississippi John Hurt Museum

In late February, the Mississippi John Hurt Museum in Avalon, Mississippi suffered a devastating fire, one that destroyed the museum and the historical artifacts within. To help with the reconstruction and to continue our mission of preserving the Blues and its traditions, the Suncoast Blues Society Board of Directors has donated to the Mississippi John Hurt Foundation on behalf of our membership.

Mississippi John Hurt is one of the more influential Blues and folk artists of all time. So important an artist was Mississippi John, that in 1964 The Library of Congress recorded him. Although Mississippi John passed away in 1966, his music lives on through recordings by Bob Dylan, Jerry Garcia, Taj Mahal, and our own Damon Fowler, who recorded and frequently performs I Shall Not Be Moved.

You can learn more about the efforts of the Mississippi John Hurt Foundation and donate at their GoFundMe page: Mississippi John Hurt’s Legacy Will Rise.

To learn more about the Suncoast Blues Society mission statement, visit our website Suncoast Blues Society

 

 

Become a Suncoast Blues Society Member

Go to our Membership sign up page and choose your Membership! 

Click Here
Message from your President…

Message from your President…

Message from your President…

Message from your President…

It is my honor to represent Suncoast Blues Society in the office of President. This message will be short, as there are a few items in the works that need to be resolved before I can fully comment.

First, I wish to congratulate and thank Terri O’Brien for her dedication and service to Suncoast Blues Society. Terri certainly stepped up and served your society well as President, and prior to that, as Treasurer. Terri is still in the background helping me transition into the role of President.

Thanks to retiring board member Mark Thompson. Mark returned to help fill a gap on the board and now returns to his title as past-President of Suncoast Blues Society.

Thank you, Vinny Marini, for your experience and wisdom with Events.

Thank you, Lynn Degin for your work in transitioning membership responsibility to Traci Zimmerman.

In my short time as President, I’ve been impressed with board members. I appreciate the boards dedication and energy, and I look forward to working aside

  • Ed Kirk, Vice President
  • Carole Peters, Treasurer
  • Linda Rasor, Secretary
  • Cheryl Spradling, Events & Merchandise
  • James Randolph, Outreach
  • Traci Zimmerman, Membership

As alternates

  • Michael Lortz, Content
  • Noray Sarkesian, Volunteer Coordinator

We still seek alternatives to assist with the many tasks this organization has. In future messages I will talk about how I categorize organizational goals as either operational or aspirational. As a 501c3 non-profit we have many organizational tasks that must be taken care of, some of which are legally required. Aspirational goals are dependent on the support from our members as alternates and volunteers.

Alternates to the Suncoast Blues board is a great way to get to know the organization. Many, including myself, started as an alternate. We can certainly find something for you to do that matches your skills or your interests.

Please say hello to me at events. I am interested in the members’ thoughts, but don’t be surprised if you suggest a wonderful idea  – and we receive many of these – if I ask for your support in turning those ideas into reality. Or if you prefer, send a note to President@suncoastblues.org.

Scott Morris, President Suncoast Blues Society.