Hello, Readers! This is our first news report of 2011- time does fly.

Congrats to the FREQUENT FAN winners of 2010. The #1 winner is Judy Rada with over 40 gigs attended, followed by Terry, Judi & Barry, Priscilla, Dan, Mary, Jim, Art, Harriet, Wayne, Linda, Marlyn, Ralph & Hildegard, & Genevieve. We truly appreciate your ongoing support at our shows.

The 2ND ANNUAL BOOGIE WOOGIE BLUES PIANO STOMP at the Palladium Theatre on January 29th was a huge success with over 700 in attendance. Thanks to Bob Seeley, Rob Rio, and Joe Krown for lending their immense talents to the show. We were also delighted that our Belgian friends Andre & Lil Hobus were there! The concert garnered rave reviews from Pittsburgh Post-Gazette & France’s Soul Bag magazine, & the one-hour video of this event is posted on YouTube (just enter “Liz Pennock” on YouTube & the video will come up). The next Boogie Woogie Piano Stomp is scheduled at The Palladium for January 28th, 2012.

Our three biggest gigs of this year so far all occurred within one week! We followed the Boogie Woogie Stomp by returning to the Palladium the following week for our show with the ST. PETE BLUES ALLSTARS on Feb. 5th. Unfortunately, Doc pulled several ligaments in his foot during this week, resulting in his wearing a special boot for the next two months. The day before the Allstars show, we were scheduled to open for PINETOP PERKINS with WILLIE “BIG EYES” SMITH & his band at Skipper’s Smokehouse in Tampa. However, Pinetop was snowed in at the Austin airport & had to cancel, so we did the show with Willie “Big Eyes” Smith for a 600+ audience. Seeing, hearing & hanging out backstage with these true Chicago blues veterans, along with MADISON SLIM on harp, brought back wonderful memories of when we first heard them in the 1980’s with the Legendary Blues Band.

Shortly after that show, Pinetop & Willie won a Grammy for their new album “Joined at the Hip.” Then, sadly, Pinetop Perkins passed away on March 21st at age 97. Pinetop’s blues/piano legacy will live on, and we feel privileged to have known him.

This has been a very good year for us on MUSICTAMPABAY.COM Internet Radio. Liz played piano on Steve Arvey’s recording “Living The Life Of The Blues” (with Randy Hock & Pug Baker), which was the #1 SONG for 2010 on MusicTampa Bay. Also, Liz’s song “The Same For You” was on the station’s TOP TEN List this spring for 8 weeks, & it was the #! SONG for two weeks in a row. Special thanks to all of you who voted for these songs. Listen to MusicTampaBay internet radio by clicking on their link on our “LINKS” page.

Look forward to seeing you in the crowd soon, & please remember our CD’s, DVD’s & shirts for every gift-giving occasion….thanks for listening!

It’s hard to believe it’s already November & the holidays are fast approaching. Our CDs, shirts, & DVDs make special gifts, and we ship anywhere. Please visit our STORE Page for easy ordering.

On June 30th, Liz went into Clear Track Studios in Clearwater to record on Randy “Bluesman” Hock’s new project. In addition to Liz on vocals & piano and Randy on bass, the other musicians included STEVE ARVEY on vocals & guitar, PUG BAKER on drums & HANA LI on vocals. In one afternoon, they completed four tracks: 1) “Honky Tonk Rhythm,” 2) “Just Ain’t Good Enough,” 3) “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man” & 4) “Living The Life Of The Blues.” Parts of this recording session can be seen on YouTube (search “LIZ PENNOCK”)

Liz & I thoroughly enjoyed RINGO STARR in concert with his Allstar Band at Ruth Eckerd Hall on July 13th. This was our first experience seeing a Beatle LIVE, & we weren’t disappointed. The band, which included Rick Derringer, Edgar Winter & others, played for 2 hours straight to a packed house, & they played alot of Ringo’s Beatles hits as well as his solo classics.

Liz & I did 15 shows on our six-week 2010 Summer Tour from July 26th through September 7th. The first gig of the tour was in Bloomington, Indiana for the 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT CONCERT on July 29th. Thanks to CRAIG BRENNER, fine piano player, for booking us for this cool event. It’s the first time we’ve had a giant poster of us on the sides of city buses! We surprised Craig by staying in town & going to his gig with THE RAGIN TEXANS at the Bluebird on July 31, where Liz sat in on piano.

Next, we played a House Party for LES REYNOLDS & friends in New Albany, IN on August 1st. It was a treat to see Louisville blues afficionados KEITH & PEGGY CLEMENTS there after many years. We played Liz’s “Last Song” & “Boogie Woogie Staircase” in memory of Mary Gregory, dear friend & Frequent Fan. It seemed fitting that we were in her home state of Indiana when we got the sad news that she passed away July 31. Our love & sympathy go out to son Terry & the family. She surely is missed at our gigs.

Then, we were off to Cincinnati, Ohio for the “BEATING THE MELANOMA BLUES” Fundraiser at the Frisch Estate on August 5th, followed by the annual Piano Party in Cincy on August 6th. Great times, great food, & loads of fantastic piano players and music!

We performed at the CINCY BLUES FESTIVAL (Arches Piano Stage) on Saturday, August 7th, our 16th year at this fave festival. There were two nice surprises at the fest this year: Liz’s entire family (her mom & all 4 siblings)) showed up- the first Cincy fest for some of them. Liz’s brother Rodney & niece Jessica were even captured in a photo along with other fest attendees on Metromix’s website. The other special guest was John Burns M.D., Liz’s eye surgeon from Columbus, Ohio whom we hadn’t seen since 1993; it was his first time ever to hear us live & his first blues festival, as well!

August 20 marked our 25th year of playing ATWOOD YACHT CLUB in Ohio, our longest running gig. Mama Blues, son Drew & wife Kristen from VA were there, plus many members from way back in 1985.

Among our other shows, the next festival we did was a very special event: THE DIAMOND TEETH MARY BLUES & ARTS FESTIVAL in Huntington, West Virginia on August 27th. Coordinated by CHRIS SUTTON (guitarist & singer for C&S RAILROAD) and sponsored by the West Virginia Blues Society among others, this event featured West Virginia blues musicians, and was also the unveiling of Diamond Teeth Mary’s HISTORICAL MARKER at Heritage Station, where Liz & I had spread Mary’s ashes almost ten years ago to the day! You can see a photo of Mary’s marker on our GALLERY Page.

The following day (August 28th), we performed at EARTHSTOCK: MOTHER EARTH FOODS 35TH ANNIVERSARY in Parkersburg, WV, where we saw many old friends & shared the stage with longtime friends MIKE MORNINGSTAR and RICKY ROBERTS.

The final gig of the tour (Sept. 4th) found us in Nitro, West Virginia at CASTAWAYS for the first time. You know a gig’s gonna be good when, upon our arrival, guys are lined up to help us load in our equipment! Chris Sutton also sat in with us here before the terrific audience, & our old friend STEVE POLING from Parkersburg, surprised us by showing up after many years, wearing a vintage Liz & Doc beret!

This summer Liz’s song “BLUE ILLUSION” reached #8 on the charts at MusicTampaBay.com Internet Radio. At this writing, her song “BLUES LOVING WOMAN” is at #35 and moving up the charts. Also, Randy Bluesman Hock’s song “LIVING THE LIFE OF THE BLUES” featuring Steve Arvey on guitar/vocals & Liz on piano is at #6. Listen & vote!

October found us playing 3 Florida Festivals: Gulfport’s 100th Birthday Bash on the 9th, our 8th year at Jazz Up Dunnellon on the 16th, and Pigz in the Z’Hills BBQ & Blues, Zephyrhills on the 30th.

On October 22nd, Liz had her long-awaited eye surgery (DCR) in Tampa to replace one of her glass artificial tear ducts, her first replacement since 1993. To her relief, stitches were removed last Friday & her black/purple eye is almost faded. Thanks to all for the well wishes!

On this Veteran’s Day, we’re grateful for the sacrifice of our Veterans & soldiers, and especially thinking of our nephew David Pennock who just arrived in Korea for a year’s deployment in the Army. Brings back memories of the year I too served in the Army in Korea many years ago.

We are also most thankful to all of you for your love, friendship & support of our music this Thanksgiving. Whether you’re in the crowd, buying a CD, DVD or shirt, or requesting our songs on the radio, it means the world to us. Wishing you Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays & New Year!

Hi, Everybody! Spring is here in St. Pete after what was one of the coldest Florida winters in history (good riddance!).

The BOOGIE WOOGIE PIANO STOMP at the Palladium Theatre in St. Pete on January 30th was not only a dream fulfilled, but also a huge success with over 650 people in attendance. In addition to Liz & me, Ricky Nye (Cincinnati), Bob Seeley (Detroit), and Barry Cuda (Key West) brought their notable talents to the stage on two grand pianos. The show culminated in the Grand Finale that some audience members referred to as “Fireworks!” Also, the show was filmed and condensed into a one-hour video that is airing on some local TV stations and can also be seen on YouTube. To view the Piano Stomp, go to YouTube.com & search “Liz Pennock,” then click on the “A Night At The Palladium” video. Our thanks to the Suncoast Blues Society, Paul Wilborn & staff at the Palladium Theatre & all who attended for helping to make this event so wonderful.

We’re already planning the next Boogie Woogie Piano Stomp at the Palladium scheduled for January 29th, 2011- stay tuned…

Also at the Palladium in their Side Door Cabaret room, the ST. PETE BLUES ALLSTARS performed on Nov. 20th, 2009 and April 30th, 2010 to large, enthusiastic audiences. This seven-piece jump blues band features Jon Puhl (guitar), Kim Harpo (harmonicas), Mike Delaney (sax), Denny McCarthy (drums), Don Cox (upright bass), Liz (piano & trombone), & Doc (guitar). These were fun shows with many dancers. A Fall 2010 show for the Allstars is in the works.

We recently received a copy of DAVID SPIEGEL’S CD “Dance Your Pants Off” which reached #7 on the SHAG/BEACH Charts. Liz played piano on four tracks of this CD. Email us for info on how you can purchase this very danceable CD.

Thanks & congrats to all the FREQUENT FAN winners in 2009! The #1 winner was Judy R., followed by: Terry, Mary, Dan, Priscilla, Art, Teresa, Marlyn, Harriett, Jim, Barry, Judi L., Ralph & Hildegard. Come on out to a gig soon to meet & join these fine, loyal supporters!

We had alot of out-of-town guests this winter: Ricky Nye & wife Nancy from Ohio, our friend Reefe from West Virginia, Doc’s brother Charlie from Nebraska, his daughter Katrina from Maine, and both of our moms from Ohio. Although it was mighty cold here for Florida, our weather was alot better than where they all came from!

We’re getting some airplay on internet radio http://www.musictampabay.com. Liz’s song “Blue Illusion” is #58 on the charts this week. Write in their guestbook to request our songs & move it up the charts! Thanks for listening & sure do hope to see you in the crowd soon!

We just returned from Fredericksburg, Virginia where my son Drew’s wedding to Kristen Baumbach took place on October 10th. Liz & I played for the Cocktail Hour at the reception, and it was a beautiful wedding; it was also a great time for a family reunion, with Doc’s mother, brothers, and others in town. Congrats to Drew and Kristen! Also, we did a show at the COLONIAL TAVERN in Fredericksburg on October 16th before leaving for Florida.

Since our last News Report, Liz & I played at the COTEE RIVER SEAFOOD FESTIVAL in New Port Richey on May 9th. This was a nice (and HOT!) festival where we enjoyed hanging out with the other musicians, including SEAN CARNEY and his band from Ohio. Then, on May 23rd & 24th, we performed once again at the FLORIDA FOLK FESTIVAL in White Springs- unfortunately, the pouring and driving rain put a damper on half of the weekend, but at least it was cooler than usual.

We were saddened at the passing of our dear friend and fan OPAL COLDIRON on June 26th. Over the past few years, Opal had been coming to many of our gigs and, despite her declining health, Opal was always fun & feisty. We miss you, Opal & will think of you whenever we play “Layla” or “Throw Me a Line.”

Our six-week Summer Tour took us to Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and West Virginia from late July to early September. Kicking off the tour was the CINCY BLUES FESTIVAL (Cincinnati), our 15th year at this fantastic festival and the Arches Boogie Woogie Piano Stage. Other noteworthy shows included DOC’S PLACE (Lebanon, Ohio) on August 14th, where our good friend ROY BOOK BINDER came to the gig. Roy just happened to be in Lebanon in between his tour gigs. Great to see him!

We also shared a show with the SEAN CARNEY BAND at CANAL HOUSE in Tuscarawas, Ohio on August 22nd. It was a great evening and fun to visit with Sean and his band after last seeing them in Florida in May.

Near the end of the tour, we played the FOOTHILLS BLUES AND ART FESTIVAL near Pomeroy, Ohio. This is a fantastic annual festival (our first time here) on a 500-acre farm with a Woodstock appeal and a fine lineup of musicians. Liz & I met ALBERT CASTIGLIA here and fell in love with his award-winning song “Bad Year Blues.” We’re learning it now.

In addition to our regular gigs (please see DATES page), Liz and I have two special upcoming shows worth noting. On Friday, November 20th, we’ll be playing with the ST. PETE BLUES ALLSTARS at the PALLADIUM in St. Pete. This seven-piece jump blues band is comprised of KIM HARPO (harps & vocals), JON PUHL (guitar & vocals), MIKE DELANEY (sax & vocals), LIZ (piano & vocals), DOC (guitar & vocals), DON COX (bass), and JUNGLE DENNY McCARTHY (drums). We’ll be playing in the Side Door Room- please see our DATES page for details.

Also at the PALLADIUM, we will be hosting and performing at the BOOGIE WOOGIE BLUES/ PIANO STOMP on Saturday, January 30th. This show will also feature RICKY NYE (Cincinnati), BARRY CUDA (Key West), and BOB SEELEY (Detroit) on dual grand pianos in this fine venue. You can check out the Palladium on our DATES page.

Many musicians and venues are suffering through this ongoing recession. You can really help by putting your face in the place, tips in the jar, & buying their CD’s! Hope to see you soon at a gig near you- as always, thanks for your continued support.

2009 started out with a bang when we opened for PINETOP PERKINS at Skipper’s Smokehouse in Tampa on January 9th to a sold-out audience. Backed by the fine STEADY ROLLIN’ BOB MARGOLIN BLUES BAND, 95-year-old Grammy-winning Perkins played his usual amazing show, and Liz & I finished out the night jamming with Bob Margolin’s band. Check out our PHOTOS page for some nice shots of the evening.

On January 25th, Liz & I hosted the DIAMOND TEETH MARY MEMORIAL MARKER FUNDRAISER at Dave’s Aqualounge (St. Pete) to raise money for Mary McClain’s Memorial Marker in Huntington, WV. Many notable bay area blues musicians (most of whom performed with Mary at one time or another) played, including JONNY PUHL, KIM HARPO, MIKE DELANEY, DAVID LEE MAXWELL, BONESHAKER, SARASOTA SLIM, NITRO, and SANDY ATKINSON among others. Even our good friend ROY BOOK BINDER did a great solo set, and we raised over $500 for the Historical Marker Fund. Thanks to the Suncoast Blues Society and all who came out in support of this event.

We played a fun fundraiser for ST. PETE PRESERVATION at the historic St. Pete Women’s Club on March 28th. We enjoyed meeting the Guest of Honor, LINDA RUTH TOSETTI, Babe Ruth’s granddaughter. We discussed HERB PENNOCK, another baseball legend and Babe Ruth’s best friend, & how he may possibly be a distant relative of Liz’s, given the family resemblance & unusual surname.

Liz & I also performed at the WMNF 2ND ANNUAL BLUES BLAST at Skipper’s on March 29th to a great audience. Other musicians were DAMON FOWLER GROUP, NERVOUS TURKEY, T.C. CARR, GREG POULOS, JIMMY GRISWOLD, and THE GARY BROWN BLUES BAND.

On April 9th, we shared the stage with BOB SEELEY from Detroit at the BOOGIE WOOGIE/BLUES PIANO STOMP, held at the PALLADIUM SIDE DOOR cabaret. Bob, whom we have known for many years, is arguably the best boogie woogie piano player on the planet! This was perhaps St. Pete’s first official boogie woogie piano show, and thanks to the enthusiastic sold-out crowd, we hope to present more here in the future. A bonus that night was the rare presence of all 3 of Liz’s sisters; Donna from Tampa, and Trish & Mary visiting from Ohio!

The following day (April 10th), Liz & I returned to Skipper’s in Tampa to see SAFFIRE: THE UPPITY BLUES WOMEN perform to a huge audience. We first met Saffire (GAYE ADEGBALOLA, ANN RABSON, and ANDRA FAYE) at the Augusta Workshops in Elkins, WV in 1992, and it was a trip down memory lane for us, knowing that this is their farewell tour before disbanding later this year. We’ve become close friends and shared some stages with them over the years, and we’ll miss seeing Saffire perform as a band, although they all will be pursuing their solo careers. Watch for them when they come to your town & get their new CD “Having the Last Word!”

We were quite pleased to see that our latest album, BOOGIE WOOGIE STAIRCASE, has received two good reviews in two separate publications. SOUL BAG MAGAZINE (France) gave our CD a nice review (in French) in their March issue #194. Also, the PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE Music Blog (April 13th) reviewed Boogie Woogie Staircase, as well as reviewing our Palladium show with Bob Seeley. You can read this review by going to our LINKS page and clicking on the link to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (click on the link, then go to bottom of page and click PREVIOUS POSTS until you get to APRIL 13th).

We were sorry to hear of the deaths of RICH SCHNEIDER, friend, major blues supporter and editor of BLUES BEAT MAGAZINE (Blues Society of Western New York), and drummer/bandleader LUCIAN IERNA. We also got word of the passing of two venue owners we worked for numerous times in West Virginia who loved the music and treated us well: FRED STARKEY, owner of the SLY FOX in Parkersburg, and JANE GIBSON of SISTERS COFFEE HOUSE in Princeton.

Liz & I want to congratulate and thank the FREQUENT FAN winners for 2008. Once again, TERRY GREGORY was the #1 Frequent Fan, and this year, his mother MARY tied him for #1. #2 was Judy, #3 Dan, #4 Opal, and the following Fans each won once (came to at least 10 gigs): Priscilla, Marlyn, Art, Marv, Dennis, Ralph & Hildegarde. Their loyal support & friendly faces in the crowd help keep us going.