Songs from the floor - My unsorted pile of CDs that has built up over the year crashed to the ground this week. Sorting out and filing the pile into the racks gave me this week's show.

Poplar Jake visits the houseboat, plays and talks about his influences, his writing and his blues journey.

Grainne Duffy plays live and

Grainne Duffy visits the boat for the first time and records four live tracks Everyday, Driving Me Crazy, Please Take Care & Waiting For You with Paul Sherry on Acoustic Guitar and Davy Watson on Bass and backing vocals.

Jo Harman plays live and

Jo makes her first visit to the houseboat with Mike Davies on guitar and four great tracks -  'Worthy of Love', 'Cold Heart', 'Underneath The River' and 'How I Got To Memphis'

Crooked Heart Of Mine, Devil Led Evil, Some Kinda King & Hometown all off the new album - Crooked Heart Of Mine with Giles on harp and vocals, Ian Jennings: Bass, Fiilp Kozlowski: Guitar and Mike Hellier: Drums

This week we highlight the Blues Blast Music Award Winners announced at Buddy Guy's Legends in Chicago on Thursday night.

My recorder developed a fault and dropped intermittent short sections of the interview.  I hope it doesn't spoil your enjoyment of a great half an hour in his London hotel room with three tracks from the forthcoming album.

This week we mourn the passing of David Honeyboy  Edwards

A load of new material including a sampler from the new collaboration between Beth Hart & Joe Bonamassa

Clare returns to the Raven & Blues and talks about and plays songs from the next album.

This week, a very Manx feel with Backdoor Slam, Simon Cambell and Marc Tyley. There's lots of 'backs' too!

Paul Lamb, Joey and Layla visit the boat, not to play live this time but to talk about the new album "Tales From The Gravel"

Cherry Lee Lewis is our live guest and we look at some of the nominees in the 2011 Blues Blast Music Awards

Cherry returns to the boat with Max Milligan on guitar and Robbie Stewart-Mathews on bass and plays a fabulous set and talks about the past year.

Little Miss Higgins in session plus

Together with Foy Taylor on guitar, Little Miss Higgins fresh from two nights at the Royal Festival Hall with K D Lang, talks about her career and plays four numbers live.

This week -

A tribute to Bob Dylan on his 70th and loads of new releases 

This week, a Robert Johnson Special to commemorate his birth on 8th May 100 years ago - and watch out for Part 2 within 24 hours

This week

This week, we remember Ben Andrews who died 10 days ago

This week, the 7 nominees in the Overseas Artist Section of the British Blues Awards 2011

This week - 

This week back to the roots with no new material - 

A wide mix of music this week , the one link with them all is the blues - 

This week - vote in the British Blues Awards 2011
Vote for the show here - britishbluesawards.co.uk
and to choose which of the four tracks make it through to the next round vote here - britishbluesawards.co.uk/raven

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Dave Arcari plays live and 

Dave on a flying visit south of the border for BBC 6 Music, and the Windmill in Brixton finds time to come and talk and play tracks from his new album - Devil's Left Hand.

Clare Free plays live and

Clare visits the boat and talks about her career and sings I Won't Lie, Small Miracles, My Perfect Man and Funky Mama's Kitchen Blues.

Erja Lytinen plays live and

Erja makes a very welcome return to the boat to talk about and play tracks from her new album 'Voracious Love'

Watch the video of her music at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGO_iIEdhZI

This week