(CLARKSDALE, MS) – The award-winning blues film M For Mississippi has just earned two more prestigious prizes. The film has received “DVD of the Year” honors in both the Readers’ Choice and Critics’ Choice categories of the Living Blues Awards. 

The movie was nominated alongside such esteemed films as And This Is Free: The Life and Times of Chicago’s Legendary Maxwell Street; Rev. Gary Davis – The Video Collection; Daddy Mack Orr – Plain Man Blues; and John Jackson – The Video Collection 1970 – 1999. The Living Blues Awards are conducted annually by Living Blues Magazine. A panel of writers, disc jockeys and industry leaders select the winners in the Critics’ Choice category. The Readers’ Choice category is decided by blues fans who voted online and by mail.

“This is a great honor,” said Jeff Konkel, one of the film’s producers. “We’re especially gratified that the movie managed to win among both critics and average blues fans. We set out to make a film that would appeal to a wide audience, and if these awards are any indication, we succeeded.”

M For Mississippi has been described as “part road trip, part buddy film.” It follows Konkel and fellow blues producer Roger Stolle on a weeklong journey through Mississippi as they visit a dozen of the state’s most fascinating blues figures. The duo’s road trip, captured by cinematographer Damien Blaylock, led them to rustic environments ranging from juke joints to cotton fields and placed them face-to-face with such fascinating artists as James “T-Model” Ford, Robert Belfour, Robert “Bilbo” Walker, Jimmy “Duck” Holmes and more. Completing the production team were co-producer Kari Jones and sound engineer Bill Abel.

The film is a joint production of Broke & Hungry Records, Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art and Mudpuppy Recordings.

Since its release last October, M For Mississippi has garnered widespread acclaim and has won a number of awards, including the Blues Music Award for DVD of the Year. 

For more information on M For Mississippi, visit the film’s official web site at www.mformississippi.com or e-mail Roger Stolle at roger@cathead.biz or Jeff Konkel at jeff@brokeandhungryrecords.com. 

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(Clarksdale, MS) – The original soundtrack to the award-winning film M For Mississippi offered blues lovers a small taste of the raucous, wild sounds of today’s Delta blues scene. Now a second volume of the soundtrack is available on CD, featuring a dozen never-before-released performances recorded during the filming of the critically acclaimed movie. Featured artists include T-Model Ford, Jimmy “Duck” Holmes, Big George Brock, Terry “Harmonica” Bean and Robert “Bilbo” Walker.....

The new CD, titled M For Mississippi: More Music from the Motion Picture, is a joint production of Broke & Hungry Records, Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art and Mudpuppy Recordings. The CD is currently available at www.mformississippi.com and will gain wider release later this summer.....

More than a collection of leftovers, the songs on this new CD rival those on the first soundtrack. This is no accident, notes Jeff Konkel, one of the co-producers of the film and its two soundtracks. “We envisioned two soundtracks from the outset, so when it came time to divide the recordings, we deliberately set out to make two albums of equal caliber.”....

Among the many highlights of the new soundtrack is Robert “Bilbo” Walker’s unreleased performance of “Johnnie B. Goode.” “It’s the song Chuck Berry didn’t want you to hear,” says Roger Stolle, another co-producer of the film and its soundtracks. “If you’ve seen the film, you know that Chuck Berry – who controls his own publishing – denied us permission to use the song in the movie. Fortunately, the law permits us to license the song for audio release. We think it was worth the wait.”....

Other highlights on the new soundtrack include L.C. Ulmer’s haunting bottleneck workout “When I Was In Trouble,” T-Model Ford’s acoustic romp through “Hi Heel Sneakers,” Pat Thomas’ quirky original “What A Way It Used To Be.” The CD ends with an unreleased version of the film’s title song featuring Big George Brock alone with his harmonica.....

Since the release of M For Mississippi late last year, the film has garnered sweeping praise and has earned numerous awards including a prestigious Blues Music Award for DVD of the Year. The film has been screened at film festivals throughout the United States and Europe.....

For more information on the film or its soundtracks, visit www.mformississippi.com or contact Jeff Konkel at jeff@brokeandhungryrecords.com or Roger Stolle at roger@cathead.biz.

(MEMPHIS, TN) – Last night, the critically acclaimed blues film M FOR MISSISSIPPI collected its highest honor to date: A Blues Music Award for DVD of the Year.

M FOR MISSISSIPPI, which is a co-production of Broke & Hungry Records, Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art and Mudpuppy Recordings, was one of five nominated movies. Its competition included films featuring platinum-selling rock legend Carlos Santana, blues icon Albert Collins, guitarist Ronnie Earl and Chicago bluesman Little Arthur Duncan.

“Considering the competition, we were truly surprised and humbled to receive this amazing recognition,” said Roger Stolle, one of the film’s creators. “It’s a testament to the great music that continues to flow from Mississippi and to the incredible artists who create it.”

M FOR MISSISSIPPI has been described as “part road trip, part buddy film.” It follows Stolle and fellow blues producer Jeff Konkel on a weeklong journey through Mississippi as they visit a dozen of the state’s most fascinating blues figures. The duo’s road trip, captured by cinematographer Damien Blaylock, led them to rustic environments ranging from juke joints to cotton fields and placed them face-to-face with such fascinating artists as James “T-Model” Ford, Robert Belfour, Robert “Bilbo” Walker, Jimmy “Duck” Holmes and more. Completing the production team were co-producer Kari Jones and sound engineer Bill Abel.

“It’s mind-blowing to think that just over a year ago, we were piling into Roger’s van to start this journey and now here we are holding Blues Music Award statues,” Konkel said. “We’re so grateful to everyone who voted for the film and to all of the artists, individuals and organizations who supported us on this labor of love.”

During their acceptance speeches, the filmmakers noted that without the contributions of several key sponsors, the film could not have been made. Sponsors included the Rootsway Roots ‘n Blues Association of Parma, Italy, LiveBluesWorld, Delta Music Experience, the Mississippi Film Office, British blues guitarist Bob Long and radio DJ Robert Haley.

Since its inception 30 years ago, the Blues Music Awards – formerly known as the Handy Awards – have been the genre’s gold standard. Through the years, Blues Music Awards have been bestowed on such seminal figures as Stevie Ray Vaughan, John Lee Hooker, Robert Cray, Buddy Guy, Etta James and B.B. King. King himself was in attendance at last night’s award ceremony, as were such rock luminaries as Bonnie Raitt and Steve Miller.

The M for Mississippi DVD and its CD soundtrack are distributed nationally by Burnside Distribution Corporation. 

For more information on M for Mississippi, visit the film’s official web site at www.mformississippi.com or contact the filmmakers at jeff@brokeandhungryrecords.com or roger@cathead.biz.

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