A Few Words From The President

The holidays are over and we enter the New Year with high expectations for both Delta Groove Music and Eclecto Groove Records. With our country in the midst of tumultuous times economically and the constant media blitz reminding us that the record business is through, I can honestly report that we close 2008 recording record profits for both labels. We are mindful of the fact that many people in America, as well as in other countries, are worried about their own future. But, while acknowledging that, we see a bright and unlimited future for our artists and our labels. Music will always be a force in our lives, no matter what transpires elsewhere, and our hope is that our music will continue to brighten the moment for our fans throughout the world.

Eclecto Groove Records, though barely in existence for two years, has shown consistently encouraging numbers over the past year and 2009 will bring us new albums from Ana Popovic and Jason Ricci, as well as a mid-February release from The Soul of John Black, an exciting new sound from John Bigham. Already receiving major airplay a month prior to its release, we feel this album can be one of our most acclaimed albums yet.

Ana Popovic is set to record a new album in late February in Los Angeles with the legendary David Z handling its producing chores. David Z, of course , has impressive production credits, including albums by Prince, Buddy Guy, Jonny Lang, Mike Zito and Etta James, as well as co-producing Ana’s first album, “Still Making History.” That album remains our number one and best selling album and had an impressive run last year, spending 19 weeks on the Billboard Blues Charts, at one point hitting #3.

Ana plays a prominent part in the new documentary, “Turn It Up,” aka “Tone,” a story of the power and passion of the guitar and the perfect tone. I had a chance to see a preview of the current, although temporary, trailer narrated by Kevin Bacon, and featuring the likes of Les Paul, B.B. King, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, Slash, Nancy Wilson, John Memili, Jerry Cantrell, John 5 and Robby Krieger, and of course, Ana. Check out Ana’s segment: http://loudandlouder.com/videos/Anamov.

Jason Ricci has just recorded a new album called “Done With The Devil.” The album is slated for an April release. Recorded at Shadow Cave studio in Nashville, Tennessee, I think all you Jason Ricci fans are going to be blown away by this album featuring special guests Shawn Kellerman, Rudy Miller, and producer/engineer Phil Wolfe on the piano and organ. And, the album features Jason’s lead guitarist (and one of Guitar Player Magazine’s Top 10 New Guitar Players), Shawn Starski, and his vocal debut.

Jason has also been invited to act as host of the Blues Foundation’s 25th Annual International Blues Challenge. The event will take pace in Memphis on February 4th through 7th. And, Jason has been nominated as the Best Instrumentalist-Harmonica for the 30th Annual Blues Music Awards, set for May 7th at the Cook Convention Center in Memphis.

And speaking of the Blues Music Awards on May 7th, mark your calendars for May 8th. The annual Delta Groove/Eclecto Groove Blues Music Extravaganza will take place at the New Daisy Theatre in Memphis and feature many incredible blues acts. Last year’s event was fantastic and if you are a real Blues fan, you won’t want to miss this show.

Mike Zito’s album, “Today,” re-entered the Billboard Blues Charts in late January at #15. This is the sixth week the Eclecto album has appeared on these charts. And, the airplay continues to widen, and Zito’s music has become a staple on Sirius Satellite. Meanwhile, Mike continues his full touring schedule, most recently as the Southern Troubadour Tour with Anders Osbourne and Grayson Capps.

The Soul of John Black’s new album “Black John” is set for release on February 17th, but it’s also picking up significant airplay and reviews almost a month ahead of schedule. The first single of the album, “Betty Jean,” continues to pick up rotation throughout the U.S. and was added to Southern California’s leading NPR affiliate KCRW on January 1st. John Bigham is The Soul of John Black and has been featured on the House of Blues Radio Hour, KPFK’s Global Village and just now the overwhelmingly positive reviews in the major publications throughout the world are showing up. We foresee great impact from this release.

I know you are going to hear some great music in 2009 and I am confident that at least some of it will come from Eclecto Groove! We continue to feel optimistic about the music we are releasing and its effect on fans everywhere. We’d love to hear your reaction to all of our artists and hope you get a chance to check them out at a venue near you. You can find all of our artists’ schedules in this newsletter.

Enjoy!