Rosco Gordon
Rosco Gordon was a hitmaking blues headliner early in his career but retreated from public view to run a business and raise a family, only to re-emerge when he learned his historic early records had [...]
Henry ‘Ragtime Texas’ Thomas
Henry “Ragtime Texas” Thomas was one of the first generation of Black songsters and blues performers to record, already in his fifties when he first went into the studio for the Vocalion label in 1927. [...]
Bob Margolin
Bob “Steady Rollin’” Margolin established instant credentials in the blues world when he joined the Muddy Waters band in 1973 and continued to build an impressive resume in the nearly seven years he toured with [...]
Kenny Neal
Kenny Neal was born into the blues as the eldest son of veteran Baton Rouge harmonica player Raful Neal, and not only has he proudly carried the tradition on, but he also has ensured its [...]
B,B, KING: WHY I SING THE BLUES (ABC BluesWay, 1969)
Under the production of Bill Szymczyk, B.B. King updated his blues in both style and subject matter on his March 5, 1969, rendering of “Why I Sing the Blues.” In the pulsating performance, propelled by [...]
BLIND LEMON JEFFERSON: SEE THAT MY GRAVE IS KEPT CLEAN (Paramount, 1927)
Blind Lemon Jefferson recorded “See That My Grave Is Kept Clean” for Paramount in Chicago in 1928, following up an earlier version that was issued under a religious pseudonym, Deacon L.J. Bates, 1927’s “See That [...]
BESSIE SMITH: “NOBODY KNOWS YOU WHEN YOU’RE DOWN AND OUT (Columbia, 1923)
Blues empress Bessie Smith delivered one of her finest, most expressive performances on “Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out,” a classic hard times blues recorded for Columbia in New York on May 15, [...]
SYLVESTER WEAVER: “GUITAR RAG” (OKeh, 1923)
Sylvester Weaver was the Louisville musician who introduced the guitar to blues recording in 1923, first accompanying singer Sara Martin and then on his own solo sides, promoted with a flurry of fanfare about his [...]
IRMA THOMAS: “DON’T MESS WITH MAN” (Ron, 1959)
“Don't Mess With Man,” Irma Thomas’ first record, hit the “Billboard” R&B charts in 1960 and not only established her but also provided plenty of women singers with a song to spice up their repertoire [...]
Woman with Guitar: Memphis Minnie’s Blues by Beth and Paul Garon (1992)
Paul and Beth Garon saluted Memphis Minnie’s iconic status as a premier blues artist and symbolic feminist figure in the initial publication of “Woman With Guitar: Memphis Minnie’s Blues” in 1992 by Da Capo Press. [...]