Jukehouse is proud to release in association with 9Below Productions, Alabama Mike’s sophomore release “Tailor Made Blues,” again showcasing Mike’s ability to not only deliver great singing, but also great songwriting. The official release of Tailor Made Blues was on August 15th.

“Tailor Made Blues” draws from many styles of Blues and American Soul Music, the album features the Bay Area guitar talents of Anthony Paule, Jon Lawton, Scot Brenton as well as James Cotton, and sideman, Tom Holland. Also on the recording is Thunderbird bass player, Randy Bermudes.

To listen to powerful clips and get your copy, click here.

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Alabama Mike
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P.S. If you haven’t heard my Day to Day song from my debut CD click here …click here.

Born January 31, 1964, in the Deep South, Alabama Mike tells his story with sincerity and shares his struggles, disappointments, and his hope for the future. After you listen to his powerful story, you’ll get a better sense of what drives this gifted blues vocalist and talented songwriter to continue to produce music which touches the soul. You’ll also understand why everybody is talking about “Alabama Mike” from London to the Bay!

Tune in … this interview will definitely inspire you.

Alabama Mike Benjamin was born in Talladega, Alabama, in 1964, and was influenced by Chicago blues at an early age, as well as the gospel singing of his father Joseph Benjamin. Now resident in California, this is his debut release. I kept asking myself why haven’t we heard of him before, he has a superb soulful voice that brings Elmore James, Buddy Guy, Little Johnny Taylor and a young B.B. King to mind. Scott Silveira, who also provides the in-the-pocket drumming, produced the CD. There are a bunch of top notch players on board, including Jon Lawton, who provides some of the nastiest slide guitar to be heard this side of an Elmore James Trumpet 78, guitarists Charles Wheal and Steve Freund, bassists Vance Ehlers and Kedar Roy (whose big fat toned doghouse bass brings back memories of Dixon at his best), and harp masters R.J. Mischo and Scot Brenton. Alabama Mike confines himself to singing (and he possesses a leathery set of lungs and a voice that could blister paint) and songwriting (seven of the numbers are originals).

Opening with the original ‘Day To Day’, Alabama Mike is backed by a trio of Lawton, Roy, and Silveira on a song on the vagaries of living today, Lawton especially shines in full blown Elmore mode. ‘Death Letter Blues’ is of course the Son House composition with amplified slide and thumping bass (in fact two basses as this cut features Fender and acoustic bass). Mike gets in full blown yellin’ and shouting’ mode – lovely! It’s a complete change of pace on ‘Religion’; with Charles Wheal on guitar Mike harkens back to 1960s B.B. King on a slowie stretched out to a big 6:57 minutes.

With Chris Burns pounding the keys, and Lawton once more on slide guitar, ‘Lay My Money Down’ is a hard charging uptempo blues that nods to the North Mississippi tradition. However, the real keeper, and for me the finest number on this set, is Elmore’s ‘Strange Angels’. With Charles Wheal laying down the guitar, Jim Monroe on piano, Barron Shullman’s languorous tenor sax, and Roy’s fat toned bass, Mike moans and cries the blues; there’s not too many songs these days make me hit the replay button over and over but this little beauty did!

‘Too Many Cooks’ is of course a Willie Dixon composition, originally recorded by Jesse Fortune, it’s a mildly risqué number: ‘you got a real good oven, you got a hotplate too, let me burn in your boiler while you stir the stew’! (At least that’s what I think he says, the Robert Cray version says ‘let me butter your buns while you stir the stew’). Elmore’s ‘Knockin At Your Door’ is another stone classic cut, superb vocal from Mike, with Freund on lead guitar, blueswailin’ harp by Scot Brenton and hard swinging standup bass from Ehlers. ‘I’ve Been Rocked’ once more features the fine piano player Jim Monroe on a classic ’50s Chicago style blues, think John Brim, Jimmy Rogers, that kinda thing. Closer is the original ‘Sara Brown’, once more Lawton is in Elmore mode, R.J. Mischo is featured harpman and Mike wails mightily on the subject of ‘Sara Brown’, who ‘when it comes to lovin’, she knows just what to do’.

Alabama Mike Benjamin is definitely the real deal, he’s a hell of a singer, writes top notch songs, all performed old school style with no hint of trendy rock trappings. I thought this kind of music had all but had its day, it sounds like it should have been recorded fifty years ago! If you dig Elmore, early B.B., classic Chicago era then this is definitely for you.

- Phil Wight

If you’ve ever listened to Alabama Mike sing or heard him in an interview, you’ll know that he was born to sing “the blues.” He is passionate about his craft, spending hours listening to music and studying the history of other blues greats.

Take your time and look around. Learn more about Alabama Mike and discover why he was voted 2010 Best New Blues Artist by the Bay Area Blues Society!