American Roots Music

Howland Cultural Center, Beacon, NY

October 6th – 28th, 2018

Opening Reception Oct. 6th from 3 – 5 pm

Little Sammy Davis, Woodstock, New York 7.11.04

It is with a sad heart that I report the passing of Little Sammy Davis,

I will have lots more information and stories to tell soon.

Sam Davis,

November 28th, 1928, Winona, Mississippi –

February 16th, 2018, Middletown, NY

He made his mark on our world & now

he is doing amazing things in the next one.

Sunday, January 14th, 2018 @ 2PM

Dietrich Theater, Tunkhannock, Pa.

The Blues in Art & Music Reception

Come celebrate the rich history of the Blues in the photography and art of John Rocklin,

Scott Nichols, Erika Gibson-Bertaram & Katrina King. Live music by the Matt Bennick Project

& Phyllis Hopkins featuring the Little Sister Band.

Enjoy light refreshments. music and exhibits. (FREE ADMISSION)

For more info please contact: The Kitson Arts Alliance @ 800.495.8145

Otis-Rush,-7.20.02-Syracuse,-New-York

Happy 81st Birthday to one of the greatest blues guitarists of all time.

I only photographed Otis Rush the one time but was lucky enough to have gotten to see him play

many times over the years and he was undoubtedly the most powerfully emotive player I ever

witnessed.   I also had the chance to meet him twice and he was truly a

gentle and humble soul.   I never saw a bad show and was always stunned by how good he was.

Lil’ Ed Williams and the boys tore it up @ The Towne Crier Cafe last Saturday !!  A great show from a great showman and his longtime compadres.  See more photos on my Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154007646998792.1073742055.100970208791&type=3

Lil’ Ed Williams & The Blues Imperials, (James “Pookie” Young, Bass, Mike Garrett, Guitar & Kelly Littleton, Drums). 03.05.16 @ The Towne Crier Cafe, Beacon New York, . Credit: John Rocklin for Towne Crier. Photograph Copyright John Rocklin.

One of the best shows ever at the Towne Crier !!

Bill Evans got snowed in or it would have been even more amazing !

Mike Stern Trio, (Richie Morales on drums and Teymur Phell on bass) , 01.23.16 @ The Towne Crier Cafe, Beacon New York, . Credit: John Rocklin for Towne Crier. Photograph Copyright John Rocklin.

Photograph Copyright, John Rocklin. All rights reserved.

I am honored to part of a group show at the DVAA in Narrowsburg, NY. The Alliance Gallery kicks off the 2016 season with a group exhibition of artworks titled “About Face.” The exhibit opens on Saturday, February 6, with a reception from 2 – 4 pm, and will be on view through March 26.

As the title implies, “About Face” is an exhibition about faces and their complicated expressions. The show depicts “images of happiness, sadness, fear, pensiveness, mystery and intensity,” says gallery curator Rocky Pinciotti. “Each artist has chosen to portray the subject’s charisma, temperament, individuality and psyche in such a way that the viewer is pulled into the subject’s world through the vehicle of the face—the mask we present to the world.”

Caught up with one of my favorite guitar players……

@ The Towne crier in Beacon, NY.

Luther “Guitar Jr. Johnson.  It was good to see Luther again

And it brought back memories of him and Little Sammy being

on the same bill one time on the Poughkeepsie waterfront.   I

took a photo of Sammy & Luther  wearing almost identical blue suits.

I’ll have to dig through my old film prints, find it and scan it so I can post it !!

Luther “Guitar Jr.” Johnson, 01.16.16 @ The Towne Crier Cafe, Beacon New York, . Credit: John Rocklin for Towne Crier. Photograph Copyright John Rocklin.

I always loved Luther’s simple but strong style of playing rhythm guitar and was able to discuss that w/ him in Po’ Town

that day so long ago.  If I remember right he was there as part of the Legendary Blues Band, all players who worked with

Muddy.  A real crew of killers !!

My favorite Mose Allison song would have to be “Everybody’s Crying Mercy”  But the first one that really got me was “Parchment Farm” !!

Check out Greg Browns fantastic Ode to Mose below………..

Mose-Allison, Towne Crier Cafe, Pawling,-New-York-9.15.07

The joint is a dump, The owner is broke
At least that’s what he said, The p.a.’s a joke
The waitpersons are snotty, the bartender’s rude
They want to make sure I know they forgot me, But not their attitude
The bellyachers played last night, Everybody got sick
Don’t even try dancing, your feet would just stick
The band signs their poster, “fuck u miguel”
And that’s all the good part, The bad part’s the smell
And what was your name again, oh – yeah – right – brown
Your crowd just drinks water, Surprised you’re still around

And nobody’s coming, because hey man you see, Advertising’s expensive, hey, what guarantee

But as I set up I am proud to be here, Because once last November, Mose Allison played here.

( lyrics by Greg Brown)