"Sonny News"

10/15/08
"Host David Dye welcomes slide guitar master Sonny Landreth to the World Cafe. On his tenth album, From The Reach, the Louisiana based musician is joined by an all-star ensemble including Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Dr. John, and Jimmy Buffet. Making an album with a crew of his favorite musicians was a long-awaited objective for Landreth, who wrote each song on the disc with specific artists in mind. The result is an in-depth back and forth conversation of guitar riffs and trading of verses on this collection of blues, rock, and zydeco influenced tunes."
World Cafe

7/30/08

The October 2008 issue of Guitar Player magazine will feature Sonny Landreth on it's cover as well as a full article; so be watching the news stands in the month of September to pick up your copy. Congratulations Sonny!

6/1/08

The Aug/Sept 2008 issue of Blues Revue Magazine features Sonny Landreth on it's cover as well as a great interview, so stop by your favorite magazine rack and pick one up. The September issue of Vintage Guitar Magazine also has an interview with Sonny and a review of "From the Reach"

6/08
Here is a copy of the latest "Slide Lines" for those of you who don't receive it in your email or haven't read it on Sonny's website.
(go to Sonny's site and sign up for Slidelines if you haven't already)

"From the Reach" is here!

The week of May 19 marks the first simultaneous worldwide release of a Sonny Landreth album, and you can pick up a copy here now! "From the Reach" will be available all at once in North America, Europe, Japan and Australia, and it's Sonny's first disc on his own imprint, Landfall Records.

The new album features guest appearances from a number of especially noteworthy friends: Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Vince Gill, Eric Johnson, Robben Ford, Dr. John, Jimmy Buffett and Nadirah Shakoor. Longtime collaborator Dave Ranson is again on bass, Mike Burch is on drums, and friends Steve Conn and Sam Broussard are featured on keys and acoustic guitar, respectively. The new disc can also be purchased electronically from iTunes and other digital media outlets.

"It's the classic dream come true," Sonny says of the all-star affair. "I wrote these songs with these guests in mind, as a tribute to their influence on me. Inviting them to come aboard led us down some amazing paths." The album's been in the works for the better part of a year, though a couple of tunes have longer lineages: the riff from "The Goin' On" dates back to Sonny's first stint with John Hiatt and was written years later with Wendy Waldman during pre-production for "Levee Town;" and "Howlin' Moon" came together during demo sessions for "The Road We're On."

"From the Reach" also features Jack Spencer's photography and graphic design by Grammy nominee Megan Barra. "Megan's work has been inspirational and very much a part of the music itself. I’ll always embrace the LP concept with the music and artwork going hand in hand," Sonny says. "And my old friend Jack Spencer's incredible imagery projects the essence of what this album is about."

The disc's title, Landreth notes, pulls in many meanings. "When I write, I try to surrender to the flow of it all and see what bubbles to the top. This time around, the word reach kept coming up. In addition to its obvious meaning, it can relate to an expanse – a reach of sky, desert, water, or in particular a channel or body of water. Also, it can refer to the direction of the wind in nautical terms, so Megan utilized waterway maps in the package design. I felt like that all really fit well thematically with the album. For me, the title is the connecting thread in terms of the writing process and the project as a whole. I reached out to all these great artists and what you hear on this disc is what came back."

"The band was impeccable," Sonny adds. "Though we've recorded before, this time Dave and Mike were involved in every step of my writing process. I wrote the songs specifically for each artist in hopes of catching their vibe and their magic, and together the three of us tested the songs live in various venues."

Catch 'em live

In April, Sonny and the band bypassed the airports and boarded a tour bus for the first time in years, crisscrossing New England and the Midwest, winding up at Houston's International Festival before playing even closer to home. The band then played numerous shows at and around Lafayette's Festival International de Louisiane and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. At Jazz Fest, Sonny also joined Jimmy Buffett and fellow "From the Reach" guest Nadirah Shakoor onstage for several tunes including Sonny's "U.S.S. Zydecoldsmobile."

Also at the Fairgrounds, Sonny joined C.J. Chenier, Stanley "Buckwheat" Dural, Jr., Paul "Lil' Buck" Sinegal, Bruce "Sunpie" Barnes and a number of other legendary artists in a tribute to C.J.'s dad, late great Zydeco pioneer Clifton Chenier. "Playing acoustically in the trailer backstage before the set with C.J. on accordion and David Dopsie on rubboard, it felt like a real coming home weekend for me," Sonny says.

And that's not all: Late Saturday night in New Orleans Sonny also joined Warren Haynes and Gov't Mule onstage for an Albert King tune as part of the band's fifth anniversary celebration of "The Deepest End."

Sonny and the band have many more live dates planned in support of the new disc; please check our Tour Dates section for the latest.

And the Guitar Player readers have selected …

… Sonny Landreth as Best Slide Guitarist! The May issue of the venerable publication unveiled the winners of its 2008 Readers' Choice Awards. "This is a real honor and a surprise," Sonny says, "and this means a lot to me because I’ve been a fan of the magazine forever."

In fact, Sonny and the band had a lot of fun headlining a "Guitar Player Presents" show at New Orleans' Mid City Lanes' Rock 'N' Bowl during Jazz Fest. The show was organized by Jimmy Leslie and also featured fellow hometown artists Roddie Romero & The Hub City All Stars. Plans for a possible second edition are in the works.

Thanks as always for your support, and please spread the word about SonnyLandreth.com and SlideLines.

5/08
This months issue of Guitar Player Magazine lists the results for the "Readers' Choice Awards" for 2008 and Sonny Landreth has been chosen "Best Slide Guitarist!" Congratulations Sonny!

3/28/08
Sonny's newest CD "From the Reach" is due to be released on May 20th! It will be produced by Sonny's own company, Landfall Records, and will be distributed through Ryko. The CD will feature songs that Sonny wrote with his friends in mind, "My hope was to make this different by writing songs specifically for each artist. Because I'm so familiar with their styles, and they've all had such an impact on me, I used that connection to make these collaborations have chemistry. I didn't want this to sound like an album of 'sit ins,' I want it to sound more like these friends are in the band." (Sonny Landreth) These friends who are performing with Sonny and the guys on the newest CD will include: Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Robben Ford, Eric Johnson, Vince Gill, Nadirah Shakoor, Dr. John & Jimmy Buffett. For more info, check out the link below
The USS Zydecoldsmobile.org

Back to website

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11/28/07
Here is a copy of the latest "Slide Lines" for those of you who didn't get it in your email. (go to Sonny's site and sign up if you haven't already) I'm sure it will soon be posted on Sonny's site as well

Crossroads live on PBS and DVD

In July, Sonny and his band opened Eric Clapton's second Crossroads Guitar Festival, where they were introduced by the host himself. "It was amazing," Sonny says, "Every time I turned around I bumped into one of my heroes. I stayed 'til the last note because I felt like I was in the middle of making history and didn't want to miss any of it."

Sonny, Dave and Mike made a little history of their own, in fact, when they welcomed Clapton back to the stage for "Hell at Home," the second of the two Sonny cuts which open the festival's DVD release.

"Eric is the ultimate host: humble, down to earth; and like his guitar playing, straight from the heart," Sonny adds. "It feels like we're old friends, and I've kept his music close to me for many years. As a teenager learning to play, I was really influenced by him as one of the original all-time greatest guitarists/singer-songwriters who made me want to turn it on, turn it up and wail. To have him come out and play with us was one of the greatest moments onstage I've ever had. We're still fired up about it."

The DVDs also feature performances by Jeff Beck, Buddy Guy, Hubert Sumlin, Jimmie Vaughan, Steve Winwood, Los Lobos, B.B. King, Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, Doyle Bramhall II and many other artists.

On Wednesday, Nov. 28, PBS' "Great Performances" series will air a special broadcast edition of the show which will feature several performances not on the DVDs, including Beck's reading of "A Day in the Life." Please check your local listings for details.

New album of Landreth collaborations nearly complete

Sonny's new album is due April 20, and it'll feature guest appearances by Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Vince Gill, Eric Johnson, Robben Ford, Dr. John and Jimmy Buffett.

"The guest thing/duet approach has already been done to no end," Sonny says. "My hope was to make this different by writing songs specifically for each artist. Because I'm so familiar with their styles, and they've all had such an impact on me, I used that connection to make these collaborations have chemistry. I didn't want this to sound like an album of 'sit ins,' I want it to sound more like these friends are in the band."

The ideas behind this project have been germinating for a while, Sonny says. "That's one of the great things about playing so many sessions. I was able to tap back into many of the experiences I've had with all the guests on this project."

"Most of all", he says, "I was very touched by how everyone enthusiastically offered to sign on and worked to make it really easy for me to set it up and to put things in place to make it happen."

Good Medicine ahead

While in the Chicago area for the Crossroads fest, Sonny had the opportunity to welcome a couple of friends and mentors to the stage at Fitzgerald's. "I first heard Harvey Mandel playing with Canned Heat at the New Orleans Pop Festival in 1969 and he absolutely blew my mind," Sonny remembers. "We did a Hawaiian tour together when he was playing with the Chicago Blues Reunion and got to be friends. Last summer we played together at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco."

"I was already familiar with the incredible Albert Lee from his many recordings when we worked together on one of his sessions that John Hiatt produced back in the '80s. When I found out that he and Harvey were both going to be at the Crossroads festival I knew the time was right for something really special."

Looking ahead, Sonny says, "We've only got a few dates left for the rest of the year, and of course we really looking forward to Medicine Show 11." The annual benefit show has been a focal point for fundraising for The Dr. Tommy Comeaux Memorial Endowed Fund for Traditional Music, which is now just about $40,000 away from its goal of establishing a million-dollar Endowed Chair in Traditional Music at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

For the last several years "Sonny's Krewe" and the fans who've bought their merchandise have been major contributors to the cause, and representatives of the amazing group will again be on hand for the big gig at 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 22 at Grant Street Dancehall in Lafayette, La.

"The Krewe has been working hard again all year at our shows," Sonny says. "I'm incredibly grateful for their heartfelt generosity."

For more on upcoming shows, please visit the Tour Dates section of SonnyLandreth.com.

See you down the road,

http://www.SonnyLandreth.com

10/2/07
In speaking with Sonny after their gig at Cache Creek Casino, he tells me that the newest CD (yet to be named) is coming along nicely and should be ready in time for its 4/22/08 release date (just in time for Festival International and Jazz Fest!). This is going to be an incredible CD with numerous guest artists, some of whom he has never recorded with. So be watching Sonny's site for updates and I'll be posting interviews re: the new CD as I get them.

Sonny is also appearing on Eric Clapton's upcoming Crossroads DVD that is due to be released November 20th
check out this link for the info 2007 Crossroads Festival DVD

5/1/07
For those of you who were unable to make it to Jazz fest this year, check out the "Jazz Fest Live" website where you can download or order Sonny's set (which I've been told has 4 new songs on it) as well as many other musicians who performed during this 6 day annual event in New Orleans, Louisiana. I wasn't able to attend this year but I'm sure it was awesome!

3/12/07
Next month, April 2007 will mark this websites 5th Anniversary! I can't believe it's really been 5 years already! I am having a contest to celebrate the event and Sonny has so graciously donated some personally used and autographed items for me to give away as well as some other items that I have bought or were given to me for the contest. I hope everyone has fun with it; I didn't want to make it too simple and wanted everyone to have to think a little about some of the questions and perhaps have fun learning some new things about Sonny and South Louisiana. Have fun with it and good luck! I'll post the winners by April 14th as the contest ends on April 9th (so there is plenty of time to find out the answers for the more difficult questions)

Take care all and good luck!
Genny

2/22/07
Much news from the newest edition of "SlideLines" at Sonny Landreth.com
here are a few "tid-bits", to see the full version visit the "news" section at Sonny's site

"A new Sonny Landreth album is in the works! This as-yet-untitled project is slated to include a number of special guests and maybe a few more instrumentals than usual to accommodate some of the invited players. Stay tuned for more as things develop"

"In other news, Sonny recently picked up another "Best of the Beat" award when he was again named "Best Guitarist" by the readers of OffBeat magazine"

"Sonny and the band will headline the Blues Tent at The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on Saturday, April 28, the same day he'll join the one and only Bobby Charles on stage at the venerable music fest. Later that same evening the band will be joined by Steve Conn for their gig at Grant Street Dancehall with Roddie Romero & The Hub City All-Stars opening up. The next day Sonny will return the favor and join Conn's band to close Festival International de Louisiane's Scene Lafayette. All those gigs will be bookended by Friday and Sunday New Orleans shows at The Parish at House of Blues and Rock'n Bowl, respectively. And a number of second weekend of Jazz Fest gigs are also in the offing"

"Speaking of special events, on Saturday, July 28, Sonny and the band will be part of another stellar lineup for Eric Clapton's second Crossroads Guitar Festival, which is slated for Chicago this go-'round"

And one more bit of info from the newest edition of "SlideLines" re: the Sonny Landreth Signature Stratocaster
"The Sonny Landreth Signature Model Fender Stratocaster is coming! The company's first guitar specifically for slide playing is scheduled for production this year, and Sonny is working closely with Fender on the design"

All news above copyright "SlideLines" and SonnyLandreth.com

So, lots of new and exciting "Sonny News" out there!
Also be watching this site for something special the first part of March as I get ready to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the "Broken Hearted Road" website

Back to website

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News from 2006

12/27/06
Sonny's Krewe came through again for the Dr. Tommy Comeaux Memorial fund! The Krewe raised $10,000 this year through the hard work of it's members selling tee-shirts, hats and various other items at Sonny's shows all over the USA as well as on their website. A check was presented to Sonny at the annual Medicine Show this past Dec. 23rd and helped to bring the fund to within $50,000 of it's one million dollar goal! Great work Krewe! If you haven't already picked up a tee-shirt or hat, check out there site at Sonny's Krewe.org and order one today, they're great shirts and the money goes to a great cause.
Dr. Tommy Comeaux Memorial Endowed Fund for Traditional Music

12/13/06
Medicine Show to be held at Grant Street Dance Hall

The annual Medicine Show is set for 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 23 at Grant Street Dancehall. The performance, which includes Zachary Richard and Sonny Landreth in the lineup, benefits the Dr. Tommy Comeaux Memorial Endowed Fund for Traditional Music at UL. The fundraising effort is about $50,000 from its $1 million goal.

The lineup also includes Sista, featuring Susie Aycock, Dana Duhon and Kathy Martin, The Clickin' Chickens Reunion, Jeffrey Broussard & Creole Cowboys and the Traiteurs.

Doors open at 7 p.m. for the highly anticipated annual event. Tickets are $15 each, available at the Acadiana Center for the Arts at 101 W. Vermilion St. in downtown Lafayette. Charge by phone by calling (337) 233-7060.

5/5/06
"Sail Away: the Songs of Randy Newman" which features Sonny Landreth's version of "Louisiana 1927" is now available for purchase at Sugar Hill records. Click link above for ordering information

Sonny also plays on four tracks of the newest Irma Thomas CD "After the Rain" on Rounder Records. I was able to see Irma at Festival International this year and she put on a fantastic show! Her smile is still as beautiful as ever and she really did light up the stage!

4/26/06
From the Lafayette Independent:

Comeaux Endowed Fund for Traditional Music at UL Lafayette Nears Goal
By Cherry Fisher May 4/26/2006

Occasionally life presents us with a challenge that takes a lot of hard work and dedication, but it's worth it because it's the right thing to do. The realization of the Dr. Tommy Comeaux Memorial Endowed Fund for Traditional Music at UL Lafayette is one of those special projects. And thanks to the incredible commitment of Tommy's many friends, medical and musical colleagues and fans; both of his music and of the need for the study of indigenous music at UL; the goal of raising $1 million to create a fund in his memory is within reach.

Tommy was a respected and compassionate physician, the head of pathology at Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center. In addition to being a man of science, he received four Grammy nominations as an accomplished musician, playing guitar, mandolin, dobro and bass with BeauSoleil. He also played with The Basin Brothers, Coteau and The Clickin' Chickens, with whom he performed for a fundraiser for The Artists Alliance the night before he died. A committed cyclist, Tommy was riding in rural Lafayette Parish early one morning in 1997 when a motorist suffered a seizure and crossed the road and struck him. Tommy was 45 years old.

In the nine years since, a committed group has raised almost $600,000 through a series of donations, special events and concerts, an amount that will be matched with $400,000 from a state fund. The annual Medicine Show series of concerts each year during the Christmas holidays and accompanying CD sales have provided the funding backbone. Nashville's premier dobro player, Jerry Douglas, has supported the cause in a big way, performing at a Comeaux fundraiser with Acadiana's world-renowned slide guitarist Sonny Landreth and, most recently, dedicating his solo set during the Alison Kraus concert in Lafayette to Tommy's memory. With only $120,000 left to go, an upcoming event titled Une Soiree des Etoiles (A Night of Stars) could perhaps bridge the gap.

Dr. Bradley and Mary Chastant will graciously host the event in their home on Saturday, May 20. In addition to wines provided by Marcello's and fabulous food provided by a dozen restaurants, including Charley G's, Blue Dog Cafe, Monelli, Prejean's, Bella Figura and Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, some of Lafayette's finest musicians will perform throughout the evening. Roddie Romero and the Hub City Allstars will provide the backdrop for the grand finale with Michael Doucet, Landreth and other special guests sitting in. Tickets are $250 per person and sponsorship opportunities start at $1,000.

In addition to commemorating the life of a fine man, supporters of the fund will help pioneer the study of folk music at UL with an emphasis on Acadiana's unique musical genres. For more information, contact event chair Chef Patrick Mould at 983-0892.

4/3/06
Sonny Landreth will be featured on the new Randy Newman Tribute CD that will be coming out in May on Sugar Hill Records

Sonny's tune is also available for download on itunes
Release date for this CD is May 9, 2006
Here is some info about this new Tribute CD

VARIOUS ARTISTS
SAIL AWAY: THE SONGS OF RANDY NEWMAN

SAIL AWAY: THE SONGS OF RANDY NEWMAN pairs an iconoclastic songwriter with artists young and established to breath new life-and newfound relevance to modern times-into the eternal song craft of RANDY NEWMAN.

Produced by Steve Fishell (THE MAVERICKS, THE DIXIE CHICKS, NITTY GRITTY DIRT BAND)

TRACK LISTING

Tim O'Brien, Sail Away
Sonny Landreth, Louisiana 1927
The Del McCoury Band, Birmingham
Reckless Kelly & Joe Ely, Rider In The Rain
Allison Moorer, Marie
Steve Earle, Rednecks
Bela Fleck , Burn On
Sam Bush, Mr. President (Have Pity On The Working Man)
Guster, Memo To My Son
The Duhks, Political Science
Marc Broussard, You Can Leave Your Hat On
Kim Richey, Texas Girl At The Funeral Of Her Father

2/22/06
The 36th annual New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival announced earlier this week the lineup for this years festival Festival Lineup and again Sonny will be a part of this musical/cultural event. Sonny will appear on the first Sunday, April 30th. Tickets may be purchased through their website.

Back to website

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News from 2005

12/16/05
The 2006 "Blues Music Awards" Nominees (formally the "W.C. Handy Awards") have been announced
Sonny has been nominated in two categories this year! And the nominees are...

Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year
Alvin Youngblood Hart
Kim Wilson
Sonny Landreth
Tab Benoit
Tommy Castro

Instrumentalist-Guitar
Bob Margolin
Charlie (Little Charlie) Baty
Hubert Sumlin
Kirk Fletcher
Ronnie Earl
Sonny Landreth

For full details click here
Congratulations to Sonny and all the other Nominees! Here's hoping 2006 is the year!

9/12/05
Great news!
"Sonny Landreth was among the winners at the 4th annual Americana Music Association Honors & Awards. Landreth, whose guitar work earned him the instrumentalist of the year, was in his hometown of Lafayette, La., for the first of a two-night hurricane relief benefit with zydeco musician Zachary Richard. The two-hour event will be telecast nationally September 26 at 8pm and 11pm ET on the Great American Country (GAC) cable channel"
Congrats guys! It's way over due!
For more info on this and other winners, click on this link GACTV

9/5/05
Sonny Landreth, Micheal Doucet (Beau Soleil) & Zachary Richard will perform at the Red Cross benefit for Hurricane Katrina in Lafayette Louisiana this Saturday night at 8 pm. Admission only $5 or whatever you can give. All proceeds from refreshments will be donated as well. See the info below for more details.
KRVS is planning to broadcast this event live as well so if you can't attend, perhaps you can tune in. Don't forget, KRVS also broadcasts live via the internet at KRVS.org

Band Together for Hurricane Katrina Benefit!
LAFAYETTE, LA. A variety of Lafayette-based organizations have banded together and issued a call to the Acadiana community to join them for 'Band Together,' an outdoor concert set for Saturday, September 10 at 8 p.m. at Parc International in downtown Lafayette. Admission is a $5 suggested minimum donation and gates will open at 7:30 p.m. All admission and concession proceeds will go DIRECTLY to the American Red Cross.
Band Together promises an evening of great live musical entertainment and organizers are busy lining up artists.
The Acadiana Arts Council (AAC), Louisiana Crossroads, Lafayette Downtown Development Authority / Downtown Lafayette Unlimited (DDA/DLU), Performing Arts Society of Acadiana (PASA), Louisiana Folk Roots and Festival International de Louisiane have come together to organize the event and to issue a call for support of the gathering. Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission (LCVC), Teche Drugs and Saul Sonnier Real Estate are corporate sponsors already committed to the effort.
'Artists and our community will turn September 10 into a great event,' says Buddy Palmer, executive director of the AAC. 'The arts community knows that if we band together, great things happen and we felt compelled to do our part for our state and our fellow citizens. We hope to raise at least $15,000 and all proceeds from the event will go directly to the American Red Cross.'
'The weather forecast looks great for this event,' says Gerald Breaux, director of the LCVC. 'People can expect to have the same sort of festive good time that we always have at Parc International. Bring chairs or something comfortable to sit on. We'll have refreshments on sale and hope to have a great time doing a great deed.'
Just like with Festival International, and Downtown Alive! pets and ice chests should be left at home. Parking is available in Parc Auto du Centre-ville on Vermilion Street, located just a block away from the concert site.
The Acadiana Center for the Arts, also in downtown Lafayette, will still open its newest exhibit--"The Greatest Album Covers that Never Were" September 10 during Artwalk, but the "Party like a Rock Star" opening party will be rescheduled to a later date.
To offer support for Band Together or for more information, call the Acadiana Arts Council at (337) 233-7060.

6/16/05
For those of you who aren't on my mailing list, there is a new CD out that you need to check out. "Long Goners" by Waterline.
(from their website)
"Waterline worked with two Grammy award winning producers, Tony Daigle (2003 Grammy award with B.B. King) and Steven Heller (2003 Grammy award with Doc Watson & David Holt) to create this record. Backed by slide guitar legend, Sonny Landreth, and his band, this record proves to be more "cranked up" than their debut record. Members of the power-packed band have worked with Jimmy Buffett, Marc Knopfler and Shawn Colvin, and as a group, they've has backed up John Hiatt as "The Goners" since the late 1980's."
Here is a link to their website so you can check them out Waterline

5/1/05
For those who were not able to attend the festivals in Louisiana this past April/May, I will be posting some photos in the "Sonny photos" pages from Grant St. Dance Hall, The Rock n' Bowl as well as some from the Traiteurs show on Thurs the 21st.

Sonny was in for a big surprise at the end of his show at Grant St. Dance Hall on the 23rd. He was presented a plaque by Don Kight, owner of the club that stated

In appreciation of Sonny Landreth
25
For continuing the twenty-five year tradition of live music at Grant Street Dancehall
by providing musical greatness, loyalty and fine friendship
April 23, 2005

Thanks Don for recognizing Sonny this way, I'm sure it meant a lot to him and it means a lot to us as fans!

3/12/05
Well, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and the Festival International de Louisiane are rapidly approaching and Sonny will be making the rounds playing many dates and different venues during those two weeks.

Thursday, April 21st:
The Traiteurs will be playing at Festival International in Lafayette, LA at 6:00pm.

Friday, April 22nd:
catch Sonny and the boys at Jazz Fest during the day, then Mid City Lanes (aka Rock n' Bowl) that night. It says show time is 9pm but I've never seen them go on that early

Saturday, April 23rd:
Sonny will be returning to Grant Street Dance Hall in Lafayette, LA to recapture some of the magic of last year when he recorded his live CD "Grant Street". Come early as Michael Juan Nunez will be opening for Sonny that night and though I've not seen him play live myself, I've heard he's a MUST SEE guitarist

Sunday, April 24th:
Sonny is back at Mid City Lanes. Also appearing that night, "Li'l Band of Gold", Theresa Anderson and Amanda Shaw. Stated show time is 9pm

Wed & Thurs, April 27th & 28th:
Sonny will be playing at Rosy's Jazz Hall in New Orleans LA

Friday, April 29th:
Sonny is back at Mid City Lanes. Also appearing that night, Tab Benoit and "Rebirth Brass Band". Stated show time, 9pm

Saturday, April 30th:
Sonny will be playing from 4-6pm at SoGo Live in Baton Rouge LA

Then Sonny is off to Europe!
Hope everyone that is going has a GREAT time! Can't wait to hear some of the "Sonny stories"

2/22/05

Get your official Sonny Landreth tee-shirt designed by Megan Barra with proceeds going to the "Dr. Tommy Comeaux Memorial Endowed Fund for Traditional Music at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette". This shirt can be purchased at some Sonny Landreth shows or purchased online at sonnyskrewe.org who is sponsoring and coordinating the sales.

2/10/05
Fender Guitars soon to release a Sonny Landreth signature series guitar.
From Guitarplayer.com
"I�m excited, because later this year, Fender will be releasing a signature Stratocaster in my name, and one of its custom features will be a wide neck radius, which translates into a nearly flat fretboard. For me, this is another crucial element of a good slide set-up, because it makes all the strings level with each other, allowing you to slide cleanly on all six strings at once."
So, keep an eye on Fender.com for the release of Sonny's signature guitar. I am on the Fender mailing list and it wasn't on the "new products" list for 2005 but perhaps it will show up later this year. As soon as I hear something, I'll let everyone know.

1/26/05
Congratulations to Sonny for winning offBeat Magazine's 2004 "Best of the Beat" award for "best guitarist"! Many other great musicians also received awards including Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown who picked up three awards for "Best Band, Best Album and Lifetime achievement as a performer" Congratulations to all the winners!

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News from 2004

11/9/04
Ok everyone, here is the latest scoop on the CD release party for the live "Grant Street" album. There will be a CD release party at the Rock n' Bowl (Mid City Lanes) in New Orleans, LA on Feb. 19th and another one in Lafayette, LA at Grant Street Dance Hall on April 23rd. I guess Sonny thought it would be great to have the Lafayette CD release party during the Festival International de Louisiane So save up your pennies, book your hotel rooms and I'll see you in Lafayette!

10/11/04
Hey all you Sonny fans out there, this just in! There is a CD release party planned for Feb. 18th or 19th 2005 at the Grant Street Dance Hall! I know many of you would love to go to this so you may want to mark your calendars and save up your spare change. Now, I wouldn't book my flight just yet in case something happens and it gets cancelled or the date is changed but it's a pretty good bet. Those of you who go will have to tell me all about it as I wont be able to attend :o( I have to save up all my pennies for Festival International. I've also heard that the new CD sounds FANTASTIC (from a little birdy that already has an advanced copy) and really captured the feeling of the shows. But for the rest of us, I guess we'll just have to wait until after the first of the year when it hits the store shelves... and you know I'll be one of the first in line to pick it up!

8/26/04
Just a quick update on the new "Live at Grant Street" CD. I saw Sonny in Lake Tahoe at the Crystal Bay show tonight and he mentioned a January release date for this CD. Jason (Sonny's guitar tech.) said the sound quality is wonderful and it's going to be a great CD. Can't wait to hear it!

4/15/04
Ok, there are quite a few Sonny Landreth fans that are making the trip out to Lafayette this year for the recording of his live CD and since I'm going to be there too, I'll be taking lots of photos to share with everyone (so long as Sonny and the guys don't mind). I'm hoping to get some photos of the many people that visit here too so that I can make some kind of a page for this event (if you have photos you would like to contribute, let me know). I'm looking forward to meeting so many of the nice people out there that have emailed me and visited the message board. We're going to have a GREAT time at Grant St. Dance Hall and I hope to see many of you there!

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News from 2003

12/22/03
Yes, it's been confirmed! Sonny is indeed recording a live album this April 23rd and 24th at Grant Street Dance Hall during the Festival International de Louisiane! This gives everyone time to plan for this big event and hopefully many of his fans will be able to attend. The Festival International de Louisiane is a wonderful cultural/music event and if you have never had the chance to attend, this would be a great year to do so.

12/19/03
Ok, I've heard a rumor that Sonny will be recording a live album this year and it's a possibility it will be in April at the Grant St. Dance hall dates. I'm going to see what I can find out about this and if it IS the case I'll let everyone know. Stay tuned! This would be VERY exciting news!

12/5/03
YEEE HAAA! Sonny Landreth's newest CD "The Road We're On" (Sugar Hill Records) has been nominated for a Grammy Award in the category "Best Contemporary Blues Album" (vocal or instrumental)
Sharing this honor are:
Marcia Ball "So Many Rivers"[Alligator Records]
Etta James "Let's Roll" [Private Music]
Howard Tate "Rediscovered" [Private Music]
Susan Tedeschi "Wait for Me" [Tone-Cool/Artemis Records]
This is very exciting news and it's wonderful to see Sonny being recognized like this. Let's all wish him the best of luck and congratulations on the nomination! Yeah guys!

7/12/03
Steve Conn will be releasing his new self-titled CD on August 5th (Sonny Landreth plays on some of the songs). For info on buying the CD, go to Steve's website. Take a listen to the MP3 clips and check out the lyrics page for the new songs. For those of you not familiar with Steve, check out the discography page on his website. This will be Steve's third CD release; he has also played on many other CD's by other great musicians. You can also hear Steve playing on all of Sonny's CD's as well.

2/10/03
Ok, so by now most of you have probably listened to "The Road We're On". I'd LOVE to hear some feedback about the new CD so hop on over to the Message Board and let me know what you think. Also I see that Sonny will be doing an instore in Chicago at the Virgin Megastore this Thursday night at 5pm for you Chicago locals. For those within the listening range of WXRT Chicago, he will be doing a live broadcast that day also.

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News from 2002

12/09/02
Sonny's newest CD "The Road We're On" will be out on Jan 28, 2003! If you'd like to pre-order a copy, go to the Sugar Hill website for details. If you are one of the first 100 people to order, you will receive an autographed copy of the CD.

Other news: It looks like Sonny's concert at the Margaritaville Cafe on Dec 31, 2002 will be broadcast over the internet! Check it out at Margaritaville.com Hope a lot of you will be able to tune in for this and have a fantastic holiday season!

10/9/02
Sonny Landreth will be in Lafayette on 10/16/02 at the Vermilionville. I was told this will be broadcast on the internet by KRVS. Show is 6:30 - 9:30 (Louisiana time of course) with the music starting at 7pm. Hope some of you more local people can make it out there and if not, tune in and listen! Here is a link to the web info
KRVS Events Calendar
Hope some of you out there can attend or at least tune in.
Take care!

7/2/02
I am hoping to do an interview with Sonny sometime in the next month; if you can think of one question you would like to ask Sonny, what would it be? Please send your question to me and I will add it to my list of questions and fit in as many as I can. Thanks!
sonnylandrethfan

5/02/02
Well, it looks like Sonny will be heading back into the studio this summer to record another CD! At the last two shows I attended the guys played a few new songs that they will be putting on the new album (they were VERY well received). I asked Sonny when he thought it would be out and he said hopefully by the first of the year, can't wait guys!

Don't forget to check out the John Hiatt website. I see that the Goners are doing some more dates with him again this summer so check John Hiatt's tour dates for those dates.

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