www.roanoke.com

Oh, the promise. Winehouse's "Back to Black" was critically and commercially successful. And you know the rest. She started the game so troubled that she was unable to enjoy it -- producer Mark Ronson told Rolling Stone magazine that recent attempts at recording her were "heartbreaking."

You could easily say that Ronson made Winehouse, who had done pretty well in England with a previous, jazzier CD. And his method is surely working for Sharon Jones, whose Dap Kings also recorded "Back to Black."

And now there's Duffy. People say that she's mining the same vein, although I think her debut, "Rockferry," is a good deal lighter than Winehouse's hit. Still, it's good, and as pop culture cycles go, we seem to be looking at a return to 1960s production values. In other words, if Duffy gets growing success out of this (and this record sounds like one that can sell through a couple of seasons), we're going to hear a lot more producers framing their performers in Motown, Stax, Hi and other classic sounds. Muscle Shoals, represent!

So, back to the original question. Does Winehouse matter to you? Do you care?

Maybe it's fitting that dark gray clouds, lightning and spitting rain filled the Friday afternoon sky right before a blues show. And maybe it was fitting that the sun broke through the clouds, summoning a humid night.

Stormy weather -- personal and meteorological -- is at the heart of the blues. And some of the greatest blues performances have immortalized those storms' wreckage, while still leaving room for some sunshine.

Hubert Sumlin was the lead guitarist on his fair share of those tunes. Recording for Chester "The Howlin' Wolf" Burnett at Chess Records, Sumlin found slithery yet switchblade-sharp ways to solo and to phrase call-and-response with Wolf.

"Smokestack Lightnin.'' "Spoonful." "Wang Dang Doodle." "Killin' Floor." Those are just a few examples of a catalogue that inspired Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan and other guitar giants of the 1960s and beyond.

Sumlin is among the last survivors of the first wave of Chicago electric blues. And on Friday -- he was in Roanoke, at 202 Market, with traveling mates the Nighthawks, who have their own legitimate parcel of blues. A loud, standing-room-only crowd of at least 200 greeted them enthusiastically, and most stayed into the early morning.

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Our TimesCast pal is doing well. Read more here. Check out Top Tickets for show details and sound samples from Laura Reed and Deep Pocket.

First off, here it is -- this week's top 10 adult comtemporary chart, from the AP, via Billboard:

Adult Contemporary
1. Love Song, Sara Bareilles
2. Bleeding Love, Leona Lewis
3. Bubbly, Colbie Caillat
4. Apologize, Timbaland feat. OneRepublic
5. Lost, Michael Buble
6. Say, John Mayer
7. Teardrops on My Guitar, Taylor Swift
8. Tattoo, Jordin Sparks
9. Big Girls Don’t Cry, Fergie
10. No One, Alicia Keys

There are so many reasons to hate this chart ...

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From our very own digital Casy Casem, new channels editor Dwayne Yancey:

> For the second week in a row, Mike Roos has the most-played video on the MusicCast with "Blacksburg," his song about the Virginia Tech shootings. After that, we have a shake-up. Jimmy Danger, featuring Neanderpaul, falls to No. 4 ("Nothing But Wrong" had been No. 1 a few weeks ago.) And the Pickin Buds fall out of the Top 5 altogether. Meanwhile, The Seed move up, and a third song by the band moves back in. Don't agree with any of these? We base the MusicCast Top 5 on who gets the most plays so if there's someone you like, just keep on clicking.

> If you think your band's video should be in the Top 5, well, post it to our site, and maybe it will be. The top three videos this week are ones the artists recorded themselves. Details are below.

Here’s the week's Top 5:

1. "Blacksburg," by Mike Roos
2. "Can You Understand," by The Seed
3. "No More," by The Seed
4. "Nothing But Wrong," by Jimmy Danger, featuring Neanderpaul
5. "A New Season," by The Seed

Maybe you remember Charlie Hughes, who graced our MusicCast with his ripping funky "Two Chicken Sandwiches."

Now he's got a couple of cohorts, and they've posted a song called "Dun Dun Dun" -- Go to hear it and see the photos they posted with it on youtube.com.

Annie Leibovitz/Hubert Sumlin

This isn't really a random thought, but it's not music news, either. I don't want to make a category called etc., or something stupid like that.

But when it's over, it will explain why I didn't go to the Gemini Fest shindig last weekend.

Last week, it was all about Hubert Sumlin. The 76-year-old, Mississippi-born, Arkansas-bred, Chicago-schooled longtime lead guitarist for Chester "The Howlin' Wolf" Burnett, is the subject of my story on the Extra front today.

But first, check out this page -- myspace.com/theseancostellofoundationforbipolarresearch. And listen to the music while you're there.

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Apparently, these videos have been around for a while. I had missed the boat -- har har.
Learn the true origins of "What A Fool Believes," "Footloose," "Rosanna" and more here!
Thanks for the link, Oliver Wood.

We posted a little story over the weekend with a list of favorite summer songs.

Here's Ralph's list. It proves that he is way cooler than I am:

1. "Little Red Corvette," Prince. This was my favorite song in the summer of '83, right before my senior year of high school.

2. "Hot Fun in the Summertime," Sly and the Family Stone

3. "In the Summertime," Mungo Jerry

4. "Can't Hardly Wait," The Replacements

5. "Train in Vain," The Clash

-- Ralph Berrier Jr.

Here is my list. It proves that it doesn't take much to be cooler than I am:

1. "Thunder Island" Jay Ferguson

1978. Lord, the cheese! But this song, still occasionally played on oldies radio, still takes me back to burgeoning adolescence and that one girl who was just too good for me.

2. "Summersound," sElf

Little-heard tune from Beck sideman Matt Mahaffey, whose career has turned from an attempt at solo success to cartoon soundtrack and commercial jingle work. Why? Because the music business sucks. Full disclosure: I grew up with Matt's older brother and collaborater, the late Mike Mahaffey. But the song is great. Hear it yourself: www.self-centered.org/media.php?pmg

3. "So Like Candy," Elvis Costello

Bad relationship. Depressing summer. Perfect song. Go figure.

4. "Heavy Metal Drummer," Wilco

"I sincerely miss those heavy metal bands/She used to go see on the landing in the summer/She fell in love with the drummer ... "

5. "Stone in Love," Journey

Summer of 1983. Isle of Palms, S.C. A phonograph player in the rental house basement. Volume at 11. So shoot me.

-- Tad Dickens

What are yours?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080622/ap_on_en_mu/touring_on_empty;_ylt=AuSCd7x_RzamDMoR9IBNMuis0NUE

> Cramming into a rusty, creaky van and playing dive bars and house parties is a summer ritual for many young musicians and ambitious independent bands trying to get exposure, make a living and maybe build a solid future in music.

> But like everything else that requires lengthy time on the road, filling up at $4 a gallon or more is taking a toll.

Thanks for the link to Jorge Valencia, new guy at the paper and a musician himself.

As I've said before, I played in bands that played good original music, and bands that played cover songs. It went like this -- if the band was playing original music on the road, we mostly slept on friends' floors and couches to scrimp and save, and if it was a cover band, we got decent motel rooms.

Throw high gas prices into the mix, and the former would've been pretty much unmanageable.