Elvin Bishop says, “Soul Bag is the best thing to happen to France since Django Reinhardt.” Founded by Jacques Périn in 1968, Soul Bag is the oldest blues magazine in France. Since its founding, over 200 issues have been published, covering mainly blues and also soul, rhythm & blues, gospel, funk and zydeco. Though its title might give the impression the magazine’s content is soul, it truly is a blues lover’s find. Published every three months, Soul Bag reaches 3,500 subscribers by mail and another 11,000 through its newsstand sales. The July-September 2011 issue, for example, featured stories on John Lee Hooker, Jr., Derek Trucks, the myth of Robert Johnson, and 30 pages of CD, DVD, and book reviews. Even though it is published thousands of miles from the Delta and in a foreign language, Soul Bag, like so many foreign publications, keeps American blues history and its modern performers alive throughout France.
