Robert Plant & the Band of Joy To Release Live DVD

Artists Den Entertainment and Universal Music Group will release Robert Plant & the Band of Joy: Live from the Artists Den on 5.1 BluRay and DVD in the US on July 10th. On July 9th, these products will be released internationally under exclusive license through Universal Music Group International. This epic show was filmed as a rare, intimate performance at the historic War Memorial Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. Selections from the show aired nationwide on public television’s Live from the Artists Den, the hit music series featuring acclaimed artists performing in extraordinary settings. Now released in full for the first time, the DVD features bonus interview clips and concert footage not included in the television broadcast, including six Led Zeppelin classics, three of which have never been shown before.

The DVD will also be presented as a featured story and product release for public television’s National Pledge starting July 26th, The series is a production of Artists Den Entertainment in association with WNET New York Public Media, and is distributed by American Public Television.

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Robert Plant has over 40 years invested in his legendary career in music – and he’s still going strong. In 1967, he formed a group called the Band of Joy with drummer John Bonham, before the two joined with guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones the following year to form the world renowned Led Zeppelin. After his 2007 Raising Sand collaboration with Alison Krauss garnered him six Grammy® Awards (including Album of the Year and Record of the Year), Plant created a new Band of Joy, which features Nashville native Buddy Miller and Artists Den alumna Patty Griffin. Their widely acclaimed album, Band of Joy, was nominated for Best Americana Album and Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance at the 2011 Grammy® Awards.

The show was filmed at the magnificent War Memorial Auditorium, a landmark building established in 1925 as a tribute to the thousands of Tennesseans who gave their lives during World War I. A rare snowy day in Nashville set the stage for an even rarer event at the one-of-a-kind venue – a career-spanning concert by icon Plant & the Band of Joy, featuring Led Zeppelin favorites, traditional songs, hits from Plant’s solo catalogue, and new material.

Robert Plant explains the excitement of the evening in his own words in the liner notes included with the DVD:

“Some years back I was propelled by chance, with little planning or expectation into an American way…with a lean and pull into a new direction…voices and harmony, restraint and explosion, tight and loose, great joy in great company….in a blizzard in Nashville. My thanks to one and all for aiding and abetting this exciting bend in the road.”

Robert Plant & the Band of Joy: Live from the Artists Den is the sixth concert DVD release from the Artists Den.

John Lee Hooker “Cook With The Hook: Live 1974″ on DVD June 19

On Saturday, July 6, 1974, Mississippi-Delta bluesman John Lee Hooker was one of the star attractions at an all-day festival attended by 6,000 people. The event in the town of Gardner Massachusetts was called “Down in the Dumps” perhaps the first in what was proposed as a series of musical events to be held in the city landfill area. Luckily, very luckily, Hooker’s performance was captured on a three camera shoot and broadcast on cable television in local cities and towns.

Track Listing: It Serves You Right to Suffer, Sweet Sweet Thing, Boom Booom, Whiskey & Women, Boogie, Encore/Medley

Run Time: 45 min

Hooker’s style has always been unique, even among other performers of the real deep blues, few of whom remain with us today. While retaining that foundation he has simultaneously broken new ground musically and commercially.

He first recorded in 1948. “Boogie Chillen” became a number one jukebox hit and his first million seller. This was soon followed by an even bigger hit with “I’m In The Mood” and other classic recordings including “Crawling Kingsnake” and “Hobo Blues.” Another surge in his career took place with the release of more than 100 songs on Vee Jay Records during the 1950′s and 1960′s.

During the late 1970′s and much of the 1980′s, Hooker toured the U.S. and Europe steadily. In 1989, The Healer was released to critical acclaim and sales in excess of a million copies. Since then, he continued recording his own albums (Mr. Lucky, Boom Boom, Chill Out, and Don’t Look Back for Pointblank / Virgin) and contributed to recordings by B.B. King, Branford Marsalis, Van Morrison, and Big Head Todd and the Monsters and portrayed the title role in Pete Townshend’s 1989 epic, The Iron Man.

His influence on younger generations has been documented on television with features on Showtime and a special edition of the BBC’s ‘Late Show’ as well as appearances on “The Tonight Show” and “Late Night With David Letterman” among many others. John Lee was invited to perform with The Rolling Stones and guest Eric Clapton for their national television broadcast during The Stones’ 1989 Steel Wheels tour.

Hooker’s 1991 induction into the Rock n’ Roll Hall Of Fame was fitting for the man who has influenced countless fans and musicians who have in turn influenced many more. Then, at the age of 80, John Lee Hooker received his third and fourth Grammy Awards, for Best Traditional Blues Recording (Don’t Look Back) and for Best Pop Collaboration for the song “Don’t Look Back” which Hooker recorded with his long time friend Van Morrison.