Inspired Home May June 2019

Ulrich Schnauss presents ‘Now is a Timeless Present’, a career-spanning retrospective encompassing key works from the past two decades. The German electronic composer will be selecting fundamental music from his back catalogue.

Thirty-seven years later, we have the iconic songs of Texas-born singer Z.Z. Hill brought to us by Grammy-winning bluesman Mississippi-based Grady Champion on the same Mississippi-based Malaco label. Champion is a producer/singer/songwriter/musician who has won a Grammy, several prestigious Blues Music Awards as well as the 26th International Blues Challenge. Amazingly, he is one of his father’s 28 children, born October 10, 1969 on a farm in Canton, Mississippi. Originally a rapper, he gravitated to the blues, first learning harmonica and releasing his first album, the self-released Goin’ Back Home (1998.) He was quickly signed by Shanachie Records, with whom he released two albums. Champion and Kevin Bowe co-wrote “Trust Yourself” which was included on Etta James’ album Let’s Roll (2003) and winner of a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album. The album also won a Blues Music Award as the Soul/Blues Album of 2004. Dreamin’ (2011), was a #1 album on the Sirius XM’s Bluesville chart, as well as earning two BMAs. This is his third release for Malaco, a self-produced effort entirely in tribute to Z.Z. Hill who died 35 years ago April 27, 1984. Champion says, “I’ve been particularly inspired by Z.Z.’s efforts to restore blues music to modern black consciousness.”

Liszt, according to the great British pianist John Ogdon, was responsible for ‘breaking the Germanic stranglehold on nineteenth-century composers, and scattering the seeds of modern music almost literally to the four winds. His music shows an avant-garde attitude to the problems of composing which was without parallel in the nineteenth century.’

“Winds Of Change” is the follow-up to Jim Peterik’s now legendary “Jim Peterik’s World Stage” album. Set for release on April 26, 2019, The new album, “Winds of Change”, is another musical masterpiece featuring brand new Peterik songs in collaboration with a who’s who of melodic rock’s greatest superstars, including Kevin Chalfant (ex-The Storm), Dennis DeYoung (ex-Styx), Matthew and Gunnar Nelson, Kelly Keagy (Night Ranger), Lars Safsund and Robert Sall (Work Of Art), Toby Hitchcock (Pride Of Lions), Danny Vaughn (Tyketto), Mike Reno (Loverboy), Kevin Cronin (REO Speedwagon), Jason Scheff (ex-Chicago), and a very special previously unreleased track by the late great Jimi Jamison.