Record label serves up blues by the plane load for annual awards program

Rand Chortkoff is bringing a caravan of blues artists from his L.A.-based Delta Groove and Electro Groove record labels to the Blues Music Awards in Memphis.

Today, Rand Chortkoff is scheduled to board a plane at Los Angeles International Airport with 40 other blues musicians headed for Memphis.

The caravan of music talent has become an annual pilgrimage for Chortkoff, 59, and the artists on his Delta Groove and Electro Groove record labels. The practical reason for the trip is to pick up the slew of awards Chortkoff and his artists annually win at the Blues Music Awards, set for tonight at the Cook Convention Center.

Rand Chortkoff is bringing a caravan of blues artists from his L.A.-based Delta Groove and Electro Groove record labels to the Blues Music Awards in Memphis.

But increasingly, he says, the trip has become a musical homecoming.

"If nothing else, just to have some of those dry-rubbed ribs at the Rendezvous," he said jokingly from his L.A. office.

The Blues Music Awards, now in its 30th year, has grown into an internationally recognized event that draws the biggest names in the blues. More than 46-nominated performers are scheduled to appear. B.B. King will present the B.B. King Entertainer of the Year award, named in his honor in 1986 after the former Memphian won the category a record eight times.

Piggybacking on the music awards for the fourth straight year, Friday night Chortkoff hosts his annual showcase of Delta Groove/Electro Groove talent that includes the label head's own band, the Mannish Boys, as well as such other blues artists as the Jackie Payne Steve Edmundson Band, Lynwood Slim, porn star-turned-blues diva Candy Kane, J.T. Lauritsen, Los Fabulocos featuring Kid Ramos, and the Hollywood Blues Flames featuring Junior Watson and Johnny Dyer. Electro Groove signees on the show include acoustic R&B singer the Soul of John Black and jam rockers Jason Ricci & New Blood.

The breadth of talent that will be on display is testament to how far Chortkoff and his enterprise have come in a short time. In only a few years -- Delta Groove, which emphasizes traditional blues, was started in 2004; its more eclectic sibling, Electro Groove, in 2007 -- Chortkoff's labels have become a juggernaut in the blues world.

This year the companies combined account for 18 nominations at this year's blues awards, more than any other label.

"They've become a force to be reckoned with, that's for sure," says Jay Sieleman, executive director of the Blues Foundation, the nonprofit organization that present the BMAs. "Most of their releases get attention. Delta Groove has presented some traditional music and guys who weren't getting too much attention. And then Electro Groove brought in some younger guys. So they've given a lot of guys a lot of a chance to play their music."

Chortkoff, a film producer by trade, developed his love for the blues at a young age. His father, a carpet layer, was a huge jazz fan who became friends with Louis Armstrong, who became a frequent visitor to the Chortkoff household.

"I think that kind of sunk in," says Chortkoff. "Later I was fortunate enough to live through the music scene in San Francisco in the '60s, and then in Los Angeles I lived near the Ash Grove where (club owner) Ed Pearl used to bring people like Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf in. ... I've always just been drawn to blues."

After becoming a successful producer of B films -- credits include the Dirk Benedict-directed 2001 feature "Cahoots" and the upcoming "Spring Break '83" -- Chortkoff joined the L.A.-based blues group the Mannish Boys on harmonica. The 10-piece band, led by singer Finis Tasby and Bobby Jones with members ranging in age from their mid-30s to their 70s, became the first Delta Groove artist in 2004 and, like the label, have quickly become stars on the blues scene.

Despite a music industry landscape that can charitably be described as challenging, Chortkoff continues to expand his blues empire. One of his most recent signees was the Memphis-blues duo of Cedric Burnside and Lightnin' Malcolm.

"It's been tough for true blues musicians to make a living," he says. "We're hoping we have a resurgence. There's been a few resurgences of this music, including in the '60s with the British invasion. We've got some very, very young artists on our label who are playing the music right and we feel if people are exposed to the right music it will touch them."

The 30th annual Blues Music Awards

Tonight (May 7) at the Memphis Cook Convention Center, 255 N. Main. Pre-party at 5:30 p.m.; sit-down banquet-style main show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $125 per person and are available online at blues.org or by calling 527-2583.

4th Annual Delta & Electro Groove All-Star Blues Revue

Friday (May 8) at the New Daisy Theater, 330 Beale St. Tickets: $30 in advance, $40 at the door. Tickets available at all Cat's Records, Pop Tunes, Re-Plays, Spin Street, Freewheelin' Franks locations, by phone at 888-468-7630 and online at newdaisy.com. For more information, call 901-525-8979.

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