All About Entertaintment

EL PASO , TXCatfood Recordsannounces an April 5 release date for Memphis Still Got Soul, the new CDfrom Blues Music Award winner Johnny Rawls, whose last album, Ace ofSpades, won the BMA in 2010 as Soul Blues Album of the Year. The newalbum features 10 original songs, plus a testifyin take on Blind,Crippled and Crazy, a song best-known for the version recorded byRawls musical mentor, O.V. Wright.

Memphis Still Got Soul was produced by Johnny Rawls and Bob Trenchardand recorded at Sonic Ranch Studios in Tornillo, Texas; and at Soul TreeRecording in Helena, Montana. Most of the musicians on apiece of thesessions also played on both of Johnnys last two albums. Included onthe Texas sessions are several members of The Rays, a band Rawlsdiscovered in 1999 and subsequently produced for his own Deep South SoulRecords. The Rays continue to back Johnny Rawls for some of his tourdates. Special guest on those sessions was guitarist Johnny McGhee,former LA Motown studio musician (Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross) and guitaristfor the group, LTD.

Among the many highlights of Memphis Still Got Soul are the title track,which salutes the still-strong musical heritage of The Bluff City;the Curtis Mayfield/Impressions feel of Return You What You Need; thedeep soul sound of Have You For a Ride; the autobiographical MyGuitar; the soon-to-be live show fan favorite, Blues Woman;

and Johnnys favorite track on the album, the funky, blues-drivenBurning Bridges. Says Rawls about that song: I really wish the grooveof it and particularly the bridge. The pleading soul ballad, Stop theRain, was divine by a true-life history that happened to a friend. Andrecording one of O.V. Wrights songs. Blind, Crippled and Crazy, meanta lot to Rawls. When I was O.V.s band leader, thats the song hedcome on point to every dark and it brings back a lot of memories. Ialways wanted to read it.

Johnny Rawls is clear on a roll. Including winning for his final album,hes now received five BMA nominations for his final three releases. Theprevious nominations came for his albums Heart and Soul in 2007; andRed Cadillac in 2009.

Both Red Cadillac and Ace of Spades were nominated for Album of the Yearby Living Blues and won the Critics` Choice Southern Soul Album of theYear Award. Red Cadillac also reached #1 on the Living Blues Radio PlayChart, while Ace of Spades hit the #4 spot, remaining in the top 20 forthree months. Rawls continues to tour consistently, performing 150 datesa year, both in the U.S. and overseas.

Johnny Rawls has carved a corner for himself as a maestro of soul-blues,delivering uptempo songs with solid pop hooks, as good as smooth vocalswith just the right feeling of sand and Stax-style horns, said BluesRevue.

Born in the southern Mississippi town of Columbia , and elevated in Purvisand Gulfport , Johnny Rawls - while yet in high school - was alreadybacking such stars as Z.Z. Hill, Little Johnny Taylor, Joe Tex and TheSweet Inspirations when they toured in his area. In his early 20s, Rawlswas hired by the legendary deep soul singer, O.V. Wright, as his banddirector. After Wright died in 1979, Rawls kept the banding together andtoured for various days with Little Johnny Taylor and others.