Blues shouters were blues singers, usually men, capable of singing unamplified with a band. Their voice projected fervour and energy and got audiences to their feet, driven by the power of the music.

The talented and suave Modernist beat poet that is Jason Disley, has produced a collection of poems, Beat To A Pulp, to add to his increasing body of work.

On the 7th February this year Albert Finney passed away after a suffering a chest infection. Finney was described in the media as a powerhouse of the acting profession.

John Henry Hammond II (Born Manhattan, New York City, December 15, 1910 - Died Manhattan, New York City, July 10, 1987) was an American talent scout and producer, whose achievements in the record business will never be surpassed. As well as producing several significant American musical icons, he was a civil rights activist, a music critic, a philanthropist, and had a career that spanned six decades. His name is synonymous with Columbia Records (now Sony Records), and with artists from Billie Holliday to Stevie Ray Vaughan.

The Melody Maker was always considered the serious music paper in the UK and catered for "minority" interests like folk and jazz as well as regularly including detailed reviews of musical instruments. The publication was aimed at musicians and was often used as a credible source of advertisements for professional musicians. 

The Mersey Beat was a fortnightly newspaper started by Bill Harry and his partner in 1960. The purpose of the broadsheet was to cover the emerging beat scene of the sixties in Liverpool. An early “Gig Guide” the Mersey Beat was full of information about the groups, photographs and who was appearing and where.