MEMPHIS

A SPOONFUL OF WILLIE DIXON – new album from Teesside’s Rhythm & Blues singer Emma Wilson

/ Alikivi

Following on from the success of her debut in 2022 ‘Wish Her Well’ and the highly acclaimed 2023 release ‘Memphis Calling’, which was recorded at Sam Phillips Recording Studios in Memphis, Teesside singer Emma Wilson releases her third album ‘A Spoonful of Willie Dixon’.

The recording is always a joyous experience and not like work at all said Emma if I could be in the studio every day of my life I would – well so long as I could gig in the evenings!

After recording Willies’ Hoochie Coochie Ma (ma) on ‘Memphis Calling’ – prompting pianist Archie ‘Hubbie’ Turner from the Hi-Rhythm Section to exclaim “She’s not from Middlesbrough, she’s from Mississippi!” Emma was inspired to sing more of Dixon’s songs and record them with her British band. 

Even though I have a distribution deal with ‘Select-O-Hits’ and a great publicist in Frank Roszak, I do the rest of the work myself regarding the release of the record, such as PRS, PPL, coding, mastering and publishing which I have had to teach myself – I’m like my own record company.

Returning to her beloved Memphis in May 2024, Emma performed at the inaugural Riverbeat festival with The Bo-Keys – who’s bandleader Scott Bomar produced ‘Memphis Calling’.

The Riverbeat Festival in Memphis was amazing, it’s held right beside the Mississippi in Tom Lee Park, I felt so thrilled to be there, even checking into the backstage was an experience. I think I was the only British artist there, you become a bit of a novelty “Wow you’re from England!”

Everyone was very welcoming particularly the musicians I played with – Scott Bomar – who produced my album ‘Memphis Calling’. My pal Archie ‘Hubbie’ Turner who also played piano on ‘Memphis Calling’ and the wonderful Bo-Keys.

The stage was openair and even though the heat was sultry there was a cool breeze coming off the river giving it an even more cinematic atmosphere, everything felt sort of slowed down, or maybe that was me trying to take it all in or the ‘Purple Rain’ wine Hubbie gave me!

The audience was vast and I was buzzing to get on. In fact, when we did What Kind Of Love it lasted so long I think we played the 12 inch remix! I also got to watch all the other bands from the VIP area including The Fugees who were pretty spectacular.   

Emma then drove down the Blues Highway to Clarksdale to sing at the legendary Ground Zero Club at the invitation of the Pinetop Perkins Foundation. 
Playing at Ground Zero the iconic club in Clarksdale, Mississippi – which is owned by Morgan Freeman – was a different experience again. It’s a super cool club seating around 300. I was invited to sing at the annual fundraiser the Pinetop Perkins Crawfish Boil.

I performed with the Pinetoppers – students from the Pinetop Perkins Foundation – they were fantastic, full of soul, groove and most of all blues. Backstage they asked so what do you want to play? got a key? got a groove?

Look out for Harrell ‘Young Rell’ Davenport, Danny ‘Guitarwood’ Garwood, Wyly Bigger and Six String Andrew, they really are the blues stars of the future. 

We played five blues standards including House of the Rising Sun where I managed to get in a plug about being from the North East of England and mentioning The Animals.

The club itself is great, it looks like a really old vintage venue with cool graffiti on the walls, flags hanging from the ceiling and long wooden tables which the gorgeous waitresses seem to glide between serving beer and wings.

It’s a special place and I loved it. Everyone should go to Memphis and Clarksdale it’s easy just drive down the Blues Highway.

Emma & Hubbie Turner at Riverbeat Festival, Memphis.

You have a few UK gigs scheduled – anymore in the pipeline?

Yes, we have a lot in the UK and more coming in all the time, thanks to the new album release which has boosted our profile. We have a headline at the Texel Blues Festival in the Netherlands, I’m also going to Germany to do some guest spots and then back to USA to promote the record in September.

‘Good to the Last Drop’ 2025 UK tour dates >>>

Saturday 21 June ‘Blues & Soul Revue’ + Trevor Sewell & Lola-Rose, Hutton Rudby village hall, North Yorks. 7:30pm

Tuesday 24 June ‘Bletchley Blues Club’ special guest Terry Marshall (sax) Bletchley, Milton Keynes. 8pm

Sunday 13 July ‘Flying Circus’, Newark. 4pm

Tuesday 29 July ‘The 100 club’, London. 8pm + Thomas Heppell

Sunday 3 August ‘Tyne bar’, Newcastle 4pm

Saturday 9 August “Blues & Soul Revue” + Robin Bibi & Lola-rose Hutton Rudby village hall, North Yorks 7:30pm

Saturday 13 September ‘Flying Circus’ ‘Not the Newark Blues Fest’ 4pm

Friday 10th October Texel Blues Festival, Netherlands

Friday 17 October ‘Crawdaddy club’ The Turk’s Head, Twickenham 8pm

Sunday 7th December Looe Blues Festival, Plymouth

Thursday 18 December ‘Leeds blues club’ Christmas party.

For further information contact >>>

emmawilsonmusicuk@gmail.com             

www.emmawilson.net

Instagram : EmmaWilsonMusicUK                      

Facebook : EmmaWilsonMusicUK

Alikivi   April 2025

EMMA SINGS THE BLUES – with Emma ‘Velvet Tones of Teesside’ Wilson

/ Alikivi

Emma first appeared on this site back in 2019 talking about her influences in music and how she got started…

“It was ‘Aretha Now’ and ‘Aretha Sings the Blues’, both records shaped my development as a singer. I used to sit for hours listening to the songs on vinyl”.

Last Christmas as the sun went down on a cold, dark night I filled me hot water bottle, turned on the TV and watched an exhilarating performance by Aretha Franklin. The live concert from Amsterdam in 1968 was an absolute joy to watch.

In the packed audience the front row laid flowers for the Queen of Soul as Aretha ripped into (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction wiping away the painful memories I have of the Stones version.

With Aretha at the piano my mind flips back to Christmas Eve 1975. I was a 10 year old kid watching Freddie Mercury singing Bohemian Rhapsody on his white piano, the BBC were broadcasting a Queen concert from Hammersmith Odeon. Live events like these on the telly stood out as really special.

With fast cutting, crash zoom and whip pan camera shots, Aretha’s black and white film captures a danger – giving the concert an air of at any moment this could all fall apart. I can see why the show has acquired legendary status. Closing out at 35 minutes my only complaint was why so short?

Here we are in 2024 and life for Emma is coming at her fast, she kick started the year being pictured on the cover of Blues Matters magazine which features her new album ‘Memphis Calling’ recorded in Sam Phillips studio, USA.

“The studio breathes, it has an immense presence. The live room is awesome, beautifully designed. I let my emotions out on the recording” said Emma.

Check the article here > https://bluesmatters.com/ 

USA publications Downbeat and Living Blues have also featured Emma. Keeping the momentum up live dates see Emma hitting the North during March, first up is Bowness Bay Festival on 16th then Boom Club in Leeds on 23rd.  More gigs are planned during spring.

A gig in the North East is a quickie on the coast in May with an acoustic set at the Harbour View, Sunderland on the 23rd where you might see Emma on Roker beach plodging in the sea. For non-Geordie or Mackem speakers that’s when yer ankle deep in water.

More dates during summer are being fixed in the diary with venues lined up through to the autumn. Details to be released soon.

Download the album here >

https://EmmaWilson.lnk.to/MemphisCallingNE

For tour dates & ticket info check the official website here >

 www.emmawilson.net

Alikivi   March 2024

THE NASHVILLE SONG with Teesside rhythm & blues singer & songwriter Emma Wilson

/ Alikivi

‘Watching You Leave’ is the new single by Emma Wilson released on Friday 29 September. It’s the second from her new album Memphis Calling out on 27 October 2023.

“Watching You Leave’ is about accepting that every time your lover leaves you just know they are going to come back” explained Emma.

The track is written by Emma and Gary Burr. Emma travelled to Nashville, USA in January 2023 to spend four days writing in Gary Burr’s studio.

‘He has a home studio so it’s a very relaxed environment, yet when we start work it’s intense. I learned from Gary that songs are like movies, you visualise the story’.

Emma, who was winner of the Emerging Blues Artist of The Year at the UK Blues Awards 2022, was in good company as Gary Burr is a Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, Billboard Country Songwriter of the Year, written fifteen #1 hits and had songs recorded by Garth Brooks, Carole King, Ringo Starr, LeAnn Rimes, Christina Aguilera and Ricky Martin.

‘It was a real masterclass in songwriting. I consider myself at the beginning of my songwriting career however Gary has been at the forefront of the Nashville songwriting scene for decades, in fact, he’s internationally recognised having won many awards’.

What did you learn from the songwriting sessions?

‘I learned that simplicity is often the key, I was trying all sorts of ‘flowery’ lyrics and Gary just said “Imagine you’re having a coffee with a friend. What would you say?” And it works you can get your message over like a conversation’.

‘I’ve also been used to repeating the same lyrics in verses but Gary says “A line is never to be wasted, you have to finish the story”. We wrote four great songs together’.

‘I really enjoyed my time, Gary made me feel very much an equal, professionally and musically. I did smile to myself though when I looked over to his cabinet full of awards!’    

How do you think the single has come out ?

‘I’m absolutely thrilled with the single, Gary and I demo-ed it with guitar, bass and drums. Then he said to me you need a really groovy band to record this. Of course the band in Memphis loved it and put a great feel on it’.

‘We picked a great key for my vocal so I can really deliver it, that’s another great thing about writing your own songs, you can pitch it however you want to get the best out of your voice’. 

Have you any live dates booked ?

‘Yes I’m playing Leeds on Friday 3rd November at The Cross Keys as part of Leeds Blues Club with my UK Band who are excellent’. 

Tickets:

https://www.ents24.com/leeds-events/the-cross-keys-leeds/emma-wilson-band/6859418

Emma added ‘I hope we’ll get to gig in Europe in the New Year and maybe I will go back to Memphis for a gig with the Memphian band! 

The single ‘Watching You Leave’ out on Friday 29th September. Pre Save it to your chosen digital music provider through this link –

https://EmmaWilson.lnk.to/WatchingYouLeave

For more information and extra tour dates contact the official website: www.emmawilson.net

Alikivi    September  2023