Acclaimed singer songwriter and multi instrumentalist Mark Newman joins legendary jam blues ensemble The Blues Project on their newly released album Live 2025, contributing his evocative and historically charged song “Tulsa.” The album marks a milestone moment for the influential band, now 60 years into their storied career, and places Newman’s songwriting and guitar work on a national stage for blues, Americana, and jam band audiences alike.
Live 2025, led by co-founding member and original drummer Roy Blumenfeld, showcases the band’s renewed energy, deepened groove, and expanded stylistic palette. The 13 track release captures the group’s signature boundary pushing sound while introducing new musical flavors, including New Orleans funk, zydeco, and R&B influences. Among these tracks stands “Tulsa,” Newman’s haunting reflection on the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.
“We never learned about Tulsa in school. Racism is still alive and well. The difference is that now these terrible tragedies are recorded on cell phones and people can be held accountable,” Newman said of the inspiration behind the song, originally co-written with Walter Roberti and released alongside a striking pictorial video montage.
“Tulsa” appears on Live 2025 as Track 10, placing Newman’s narrative driven writing within a broader body of work that honors The Blues Project’s legacy while highlighting the emotional power and relevance of contemporary songwriting.
The Blues Project’s return to form highlights their pioneering roots as one of America’s original jam bands known for weaving classical, jazz, folk, blues, and rock into a singular sonic identity. Together with Newman, the 2025 lineup leans deeper into rhythm, groove, and eclecticism, building what Blumenfeld describes as a musical “gumbo.”
Mark Newman is a well traveled and in demand professional whose musical prowess has taken him around the world several times over; working alongside many soul, blues, and rock greats of our time including John Oates (Hall & Oates), Jim McCarty (The Yardbirds), Willy DeVille (Mink DeVille), Sam The Sham, Bobby Whitlock (Derek and the Dominos) and Sam Moore (Sam & Dave), as part of these bands Mark has shared the stage with stars such as Sting, Elvis Costello, Travis Tritt and Carla Thomas as well. As an opening act, Mark and his original band have played many dates with acts like Delbert McClinton, Les Dudek, The Doobie Brothers, Don Felder of The Eagles, David Bromberg and many others. Mark is currently touring intermittently with The Hitmen as well as with The Blues Project (led by original drummer Roy Blumenfeld) and his own original project, internationally.
Songs from Mark’s album “Empirical Truth” were played by over 60 radio stations nationwide, where they spent several weeks climbing the charts and ultimately peaked at an impressive #107 on the Americana Music Association (AMA) charts.
A multi stringsman, Mark has mastered electric/acoustic/lap steel guitar as well as the mandolin and dobro. Past music releases include the singles “Fill Up My Tank”, “At The Border” which was originally written with the struggles people were experiencing fleeing the war in Ukraine in mind, but is also inspired by the millions of people all around the world trying to escape oppression and hunger on an ongoing basis, “Tulsa”, a song and video created in remembrance of the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921, and “From Me To You”, a cover of the Janis Ian song for her Better Times Project of 2020. His most recent studio album, “Empirical Truth” was the 2019 Winner of The Long Island Blues Society Best Album Category, and represented the NY area in competition at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis. Earlier records include 2006’s “Must Be a Pony”, 2010’s “Walls of Jericho”, and 2015’s “Brussels” – a live acoustic-driven EP.
ABOUT THE BLUES PROJECT LIVE 2025
Live 2025 is the latest release from the iconic band The Blues Project, delivering a vibrant and contemporary interpretation of the eclectic sound they helped pioneer in the mid 1960s. The album revisits classic songs while introducing new originals destined to join the canon. With a funkier, more R&B driven approach under Roy Blumenfeld’s leadership, the band continues to embody innovation, improvisation, and genre blending musicianship.
Track 10: “Tulsa” written by Mark Newman and Walter Roberti
Live 2025 is available on streaming platforms now.
For More on Mark Newman, VISIT: www.MarkNewman.us
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