Dick Shurman

Richard L. Shurman (born May 23, 1950) is an American record producer, sound engineer, music journalist, music historian, and backing vocalist. Shurman has also written many liner notes, and is the publisher of Chicago Blues News. In 2005, he was the recipient of the Blues Foundation's "Keeping the Blues Alive" award. He co-produced Showdown!, an album which won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album in 1987.

Shurman was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2014 for his multitudinous contributions as a 'non-performer'.

Biography Shurman was born in Los Alamos, New Mexico, United States, and later resided in Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin, before relocating to Seattle after his father secured employment with Boeing. Fearing that his continual attendance at local blues clubs may harm his education, he enrolled at the University of Washington, earning a master's degree in library science that enabled him to begin full-time employment in a suburban library back in Chicago. He continued to work full-time in a succession of library jobs. and Johnny Heartsman.

His involvement in, and passion for Chicago blues, led Shurman into record production work. His most successful period was with Alligator Records, often working alongside the label's founder Bruce Iglauer on production duties. Albert Collins was signed by Alligator Records in 1978, on the recommendation of Shurman, whom Collins had met in Seattle. His first release for the label was Ice Pickin''' (1978), which was recorded at Curtom Studios, Chicago, and produced by Iglauer, Shurman and Richard McLeese.

Shurman co-produced the album Showdown!, with Iglauer, which won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album in 1987. In 1997, Shurman jointly compiled and wrote the liner notes for Sonny Boy Williamson II's compilation album, His Best. In 2000, Shurman gave encouragement to Jody Williams to resume performing, and produced Williams' comeback album, Return of a Legend (2002), on which his bold playing belied his thirty-year break from music.

In 2010, following the death of Little Smokey Smothers, Shurman and Iglauer jointly penned an obituary which appeared in Living Blues.

In 2014, Shurman was inducted as a member of the Blues Hall of Fame.

Shurman has annotated many albums and contributed to chapters of books, feature articles and reviews, and for many years had a news column in Living Blues. He is also a member of the Chicago Blues Festival Advisory Committee. His annotation work included the ten disc box set, Ladies and Gentlemen... Mr. B.B. King (2012). In addition he earlier penned the liner notes for Howlin' Wolf's 1991 compilation, The Chess Box''.

Selected record production and other work

Year Album title Artist Other information 1976 Right Place, Wrong Time Otis Rush Liner notes 1978 Ice Pickin' Albert Collins Co-production with Bruce Iglauer and Richard McLeese 1980Frostbite Albert Collins Co-production with Iglauer and Casey Jones 1983 Don't Lose Your Cool Albert Collins Co-production with Iglauer and Collins 1984 Guitar Slinger Johnny Winter Co-production with Iglauer and Winter 1985 Serious Business Johnny Winter Co-production with Iglauer and Winter 1985 Showdown! Albert Collins, Robert Cray and Johnny Copeland Co-production with Iglauer 1985 When a Guitar Plays the Blues Roy Buchanan Co-production with Iglauer and Buchanan 1986 Dancing on the Edge Roy Buchanan Co-production with Iglauer and Buchanan 1986 Third Degree Johnny Winter Co-production with Winter 1987 Hot Wires Roy Buchanan Co-production with Justin Niebank, Iglauer and Buchanan 1991 The Touch Johnny Heartsman Co-production with Iglauer 1991 Let Me In Johnny Winter Co-production with Winter; backing vocalist 1992 Hey, Where's Your Brother? Johnny Winter Co-production with Winter 1997 His Best Sonny Boy Williamson II Compiler and liner notes with Andy McKaie 1998 Rough News Charlie Musselwhite Producer and backing vocalist 1998 Live in NYC '97 Johnny Winter Producer 1998 Black Tornado Magic Slim Producer 2000 Snakebite Magic Slim Producer 2000 Once Upon the Blues Larry Garner Producer and backing vocalist 2001 Ramblin' Mind Big Bill Morganfield Producer 2002 Return of a Legend Jody Williams Producer 2004 I'm a Bluesman Johnny Winter Co-production with Tom Hambridge and Winter 2009 Chicago Blues Buddies Little Smokey Smothers Producer, photography and liner notes 2012 Spider Eating Preacher Eddie C. Campbell Producer 2013 Blues in my Soul Lurrie Bell Producer and liner notes