More Info on Rory BlockSimilar Undetermined MusicSearch Artistopia
Biography
Infobox musical artist | name = Rory Block| image =| caption =| image_size =| background = solo_singer| birth_name = Aurora Block| alias =| birth_date = birth date and age|1949|11|6| birth_place = Princeton, New Jersey|Princeton , New Jersey , United States | death_date =| death_place =| instrument = Guitar | genre = Country blues | occupation = Guitarist | years_active = 1964–present| label = Rounder Records|Rounder , Telarc International Corporation|Telarc , Rykodisc | associated_acts =| website = http://www.roryblock.com www.roryblock.com| notable_instruments =Aurora "Rory" Block (born November 6, 1949,Allmusic|class=artist|id=p276/biography|pure_url=yes Allmusic biography Princeton, New Jersey|Princeton , New Jersey , United States ) is an United States|American female blues guitarist and singer , a notable exponent of the country blues style.
Career
Aurora Block was born in Princeton and grew up in Manhattan . Her father, Allan Block, ran a Sandal (footwear)|sandal shop in Greenwich Village in the 1960s, and the influence of the Greenwich Village folk music scene, such as Peter Rowan , Maria Muldaur , and John Sebastian , tempted Block to study classical guitar . At the age of 14, she met guitarist Stefan Grossman , who introduced her to the music of Mississippi Delta blues guitarists. cite web|first = |last = |author = |authorlink = |coauthors = |title = Born to the Blues |url = http://www.flypmedia.com/content/born-blues |archiveurl = |work = |publisher = FLYP |location = |page = |pages = |language = |trans_title = |format = |doi = |date = 2008-11-24 |month = |year = |archivedate = |accessdate = 2009-07-01 |quote =
Block began listening to old album s, transcribing them, and learning to play the songs. At age 15, she left home to seek out the remaining blues giants, such as Mississippi John Hurt Reverend Gary Davis and Son House , and hone her craft in the traditional manner of blues musicians; then she traveled to Berkeley, California|Berkeley , California where she played in nightclub|club s and coffeehouse s.
After retiring temporarily to raise a family, Block returned to the music industry in the 1970s with middling success until signing with Rounder Records in 1981, who encouraged her to return to her love for the classical blues form. Since then she has carved out her own niche, releasing numerous critically acclaimed albums of original and traditional songs, including many Robert Johnson (musician)|Robert Johnson cover version|covers , such as " Terraplane Blues " and " Come on in My Kitchen ". Block has won five Blues Music Award|W. C. Handy Award s, two for "Traditional Blues Female Artist" (1997, 1998) and three for "Acoustic Blues Album of the Year" (1996, 1999, 2007). She also won NAIRD awards for "Best Adult Contemporary Album of the Year" in 1994 for Angel of Mercy and again in 1997 for Tornado .Cite web| url= http://www.roryblock.com/Pages/HeaderLinks/Resume.htm | title =Rory Block Resume | first = | last = | author = | authorlink = | coauthors = | date = | month = | year = | work = | publisher = | location = | page = | pages = | language = | trans_title = | doi = | archiveurl = | archivedate = | accessdate =2009-10-25 | quote = | ref = | separator = | postscript =
Angel of Mercy, Turning Point, and Tornado were filled with her self penned efforts. However, ''Mama's Blues, Ain't I A Woman and When A Woman Gets The Blues, featured songs written by Tommy Johnson (blues musician)|Tommy Johnson , Robert Johnson (musician)|Robert Johnson , Lottie Kimbrough|Lottie Beaman , and Mattie Delaney .cite book | first= Tony | last= Russell | year= 1997 | title= The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray | edition= | publisher= Carlton Books Limited | location= Dubai | isbn= 1-85868-255-X | page= 94
Block continued to tour, although not as heavily as earlier, and she was often accompanied by her son Jordan Block, who also played on her albums. She remained busy in the early part of the 2000s, releasing six albums, including a live album|live recording . 2005's From the Dust drew decent critical reviews, as did 2006's The Lady and Mr. Johnson .
In 2010, Block released her autobiography in .pdf format titled When A Woman Gets The Blues .
http://www.wirz.de/music/rarearly.htm Illustrated 1964–1987 Rory Block discography (early recordings not shown on official website)
http://www.wirz.de/music/block.htm Illustrated Allan Block discography (Aurora's father)
Persondata | NAME =Block, Rory | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = United States|American blues guitarist and singer | DATE OF BIRTH =November 6, 1949 | PLACE OF BIRTH = Princeton, New Jersey , United States | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = DEFAULTSORT:Block, Rory Category:1949 births Category:Living people Category:American blues singers Category:American blues guitarists Category:American female guitarists Category:Slide guitarists Category:Country blues musicians Category:Songwriters from New Jersey Category:People from Princeton, New Jersey Category:Musicians from New Jersey Category:Contemporary blues musicians
de:Rory Block fr:Rory Block nl:Rory Block
Copyright Citations
This article is licensed under the GNU License
Click here for original article: Rory Block
