Lightnin Rod & the Thunderbolts

Greetings! Time sure is flying by. I want to update you on our busy activities. I was recently honored by being awarded the Rampage Music Award for Best Blues Song of the year, "Homebound Blues"! This is the third award for the song, (about the Covid pandemic). Speaking of awards, I have been nominated for three Josie Music Awards, "Artist of the Year", "Male Songwriter of the Year", & "Musician of the Year/Guitar". I was also nominated for three ISSA Awards, "Male Songwriter of the Year", "Band of the Year" & Male Single of the Year for my Christmas song, "It's Christmas." In addition there are eight nominations for the FPCM Awards in Europe (Holland).

We will be appearing locally (Southern Kentucky) for Bike Night at Wildcat Harley Davidson in London, KY on Friday, May 26th. You can check my webpage for further info. On Saturday, June 3rd, you can catch us for the first time ever at the Germantown Blues Festival in Louisville.

Work on the new album is moving along slowly but surely. I was recently at a studio in the Nashville area recording parts for three songs. All the basic rythum tracks for eleven songs are now complete. Keep watching for updates.

Until then, the Music is Alright!

Lightnin Rod

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Late summer update: We have just placed another song on N1M for your listening pleasure called "I-75 Highway Blues". We recently performed in front of 3000 people at the Dayton Blues Festival (picture above is from that show). We also performed at the first ever Midsummer Blues Festival in London, Kentucky.
Rod is taking a few weeks off to recover from elbow and wrist surgery. Although, he will not be idle as he will be engineering some tracks in the studio. One of the songs will be released in early November. We will let you know the exact date in the next newsletter. Also, we are already putting shows together for next year. If you would like to be included in your area, please send us some mail and we will let you know how we can make that happen.
Thanks for all of your support and the kind words that you send from time to time. It is appreciated.
Until next time, the BLUES ARE ALRIGHT!

Hope everyone is doing well. Just like other artists, my activities have been curtailed due to pandemania. This is the week for the Josie Music Awards. I will be in Pigeon Forge Tenn for the awards show this weekend, having been nominated for two awards (Blues Artist of the year & multi genre group of the year. I was recently a guest on WRVK radio for an interview & doing several songs unplugged. In the past few months I have written several new tunes, but it will be quite awhile before they are recorded. Very excited about the prospects for them. For all up to date info you can check out my webpage. I want to thank you so much for your support & for so many of you that have written me with kind words of encouragement. It means a lot. Until next time!

Lightnin Rod

Hope this mail finds all of you safe & well. I have spent much of the downtime writing several new songs. This week we will be taping an hour long show for "Can't Stop The Blues". Also we will finally hit the road for a show in Warsaw Indiana on the 17th. I want to thank so many of you that have taken the time to send a note of support & encouragement. It is indeed appreciated. Keep them coming as I enjoy not only reading them but answering them as well. Let me know what your favorite songs are. Until next, remember we got he cure for the summertime blues!

Just a quick note to let you guys know that all of our concerts in July for Ohio and Indiana are still a go. After all this staying at home we are looking forward to playing live shows & seeing all of your happy faces. Also I have been writing several new songs that may show up from time to time. I am giving away a couple free downloads on my webpage at (expired link). I want to thank so many of you that have written kind words of encouragement. It is appreciated. Let's stay busy & safe & enjoy the summer!

Well the present situation in world is sure not been fun for any of us. As you know when music went to streaming several years ago, it greatly diminished the revenue that was formerly available to independent artists. Most artists lost 25% to 40% because no one pays for music (CD's Downloads, etc.) That being said the present crisis of this virus has stopped live music in it's tracks for the near future. Musicians that depended on touring are now sitting home. You can help by going to their websites (mine included) & purchasing a CD or a t shirt. Every little bit helps until things get back to normal. Now for the good news. The new CD has been out for over a month now & has been played on over 400 radio stations around the world. You can have your favorite station contact me & we will it it to them to play. We have booked several festivals for the summer months but we will have to wait & see how this virus turns out. Until then, stay safe. If you would like a signed copy of the new disc you can order it on my page. (expired link) Thanks for your support! Until next time!

To all my friends, I want to share the exciting news that the new album has been released. It is already charting on airplay direct radio release chart. In fact four of the songs are charting on blues radio, while Kentucky Mojo is charting on rock radio. The Morning Sun (a song about my dog I lost a couple years ago) is currently #4 on the country radio release chart. Thank you for being a part of the journey with me. Physical discs or downloads of all songs are available at (expired link). Also if you sign up for my mailing list you can get a free download. Thanks for listening & all the kind messages that so many of you have sent. YOU ROCK!

Just want to say thanks to all my friends for making 2019 so special. What an honor it was to win Entertainer of the year in the Josie Music Awards. We are back on top the Kentucky blues chart to start the new year. Stay tuned for the new album which should be released in a couple months. May your new year be filled with music, joy, & purpose. Thanks for following!

To all of our friends, we just wanted to let you know that we have once again been nominated for a Josie Music Award for Blues Group of the Year. We have been nominated the past two years for the same award and last year won the trophy. Also, I have signed with (expired link). Entertainment to place 23 of my original songs in digital jukeboxes throughout the (expired link)., Canada and all American Territories including American Military Bases. This week I also began working with Sun Valley Records for additional distribution of the Delta Time cd. I want to thank all of you for signing up for the newsletter and your support. Thank you also for those of you who have taken the time to write a letter of encouragement. It is appreciated.

Please don't hesitate to share the music with friends and family. Until next time, Rod.

Greetings to all our friends and supporters. Hope you are doing well. Due to the fact we have been extremely busy, it has been awhile since you have heard from us.

We were recently chosen by Blast FM LTD in England to be a featured artist for a month on their network of radio stations throughout Europe. Only 100 artists worldwide were chosen for this honor.

On Monday of this week we performed four songs and was interviewed on the "Truth or Politics" show on MCTV. The show was live through their network and Facebook. We are hearing a lot of positive feedback from viewers.

On May 17th, we will be at the 643 Bar & Grill in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It will be our first time performing in Bowling Green. Then on the 25th we will be at Woodson Bend Resort. It is the third straight year that we will have performed there.

In the past two months, we have had three songs go to the #1 spot on the N1M Blues Music Chart. It is indeed an honor. All three of the songs were in the top five on the chart at the same time.

Work on our new album continues to move along. More about that in our next mailing.

Look for us if we play in your area. If you are interested in booking us for a private show, let us know.

Until then, may the music be with you!



Lightnin Rod

I want to give a big shout out to all of you who have subscribed. Also to those who have sent messages of support. Because of you we currently have the #1 & #2 songs on the blues chart. Thanks for listening! YOU ROCK!