MEMPHIS, TN. (Top40 Charts/ Blues Leaf Records) - 'Bad Year Blues,' a track written and performed by Miami-based singer/guitarist Albert Castiglia on his 2008 CD release, These Are the Days, was nominated for 'Song of the Year' by The Blues Foundation in an announcement made today. Winners in all categories will be announced at the 30th Annual Blues
Music Awards Show on May 7, 2009, at the Cook Convention Center in Memphis, Tennessee.
The Blues Foundation nominating committee was obviously taken with the killer guitar hooks and memorable lyrics of 'Bad Year Blues,' the lead-off track on These Are the Days, a CD that helped launch Albert Castiglia to new heights in both critical acclaim and album sales. In addition to 'Bad Year Blues,' his latest CD also contains four other original songs written by Castiglia, including 'Godfather of the Blues,' a tribute to his former boss and mentor, the late, legendary Junior Wells.
'Albert Castiglia shows an expressiveness and originality in approach that identifies him as an emerging star within contemporary blues circles,' said Nashville's City Paper in its review. Miami's New Times cited the CD as 'a worthy platform for his searing vocals, which are authoritative beyond his relatively modest years, as well as his extraordinary performing prowess ... his exceptional solos, sizzling slide guitar, and firebrand execution reflect the thrill of his live sets and make These Are the Days a memorable statement.' Blues Revue summed it up best when it said: 'This is a flat-out, hands-down, unconditionally great record.'
Born in New York and raised in Miami, Albert Castiglia began playing guitar at 12. In 1990, he became a member of The Miami Blues Authority and was later voted 'Best Blues Guitarist' by New Times magazine in 1997. Shortly thereafter, he was spotted by legendary blues singer/harmonica player Junior Wells, who asked Castiglia to join his band as a guitarist and singer. With Wells as his mentor, Albert performed at clubs and festivals across America, as well as in Canada and Europe. During that time, he also got the opportunity to play and jam with many other blues stars, including Pinetop Perkins, Ronnie Earl, Billy Boy Arnold, Lurrie Bell, Jerry Portnoy, Eddy Clearwater and Otis Clay. After Junior Wells passed away, Castiglia toured with Atlanta blues singer Sandra Hall.
In 2002, Albert launched his solo career with the debut CD, Burn, collaborating with his longtime friend, Graham Wood Drout of south Florida band Iko-Iko. Drout's visceral, yet literary songs became the perfect vehicle for Castiglia's soulful vocals, which recall Van Morrison, and stinging guitar playing. In 2006, he released his second album, A Stone's Throw, which included two more Drout compositions, 'Big Toe,' and the amazing 'Ghosts of Mississippi,' which has all the earmarks of becoming a blues classic. Castiglia and Drout also released a live CD together, titled The Bittersweet Sessions, in 2005.
Voting for the Blues Music Awards is now open to all current and potential new members of The Blues Foundation at https://www.blues.org/bluesmusicawards/vote.php4. For more information on The Blues Foundation, visit https://www.blues.org.
For more information on Albert Castiglia, visit www.albertcastiglia.com.
