3 O’Clock Blues – B.B. King (RPM, 1951)
“3 O’Clock Blues” (RPM 339) was B.B. King’s breakthrough record, becoming a No. 1 R&B hit in 1952 after none of his first seven records ever hit the national charts. It was the first record [...]
Future Blues – Willie Brown (Paramount, 1930)
Willie Brown may be best known in blues lore as a sidekick to the legends of Delta blues -- Charley Patton, Son House, and Robert Johnson -- but he was regarded as a top-notch guitarist, [...]
Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean – Ruth Brown (Atlantic, 1953)
The best-selling R&B record of 1953, “Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean” (Atlantic 986) racked up over 400,000 sales, according to Billboard magazine. The third of five Ruth Brown No. 1 R&B hits, “Mama, He Treats Your [...]
That’s All Right (Mama) – Arthur ‘Big Boy’ Crudup (RCA Victor, 1946)
Big Boy Crudup’s “That’s All Right,” an infectious down-home jump often called “That’s All Right Mama,” was a historic record not only for Crudup but for Elvis Presley. Recorded on September 6, 1946 in Chicago [...]
Trouble In Mind – Bertha ‘Chippie’ Hill (OKeh, 1926)
The oft-recorded Richard M. Jones composition “Trouble In Mind” was first waxed in 1924 by Thelma La Vizzo, but it was Bertha “Chippie” Hill who made the classic version in Chicago on February 23, 1926 (OKeh 8312) [...]
“Everyday I Have The Blues” – B.B. King (RPM, 1954)
“Everyday I Have the Blues” is one of the most ubiquitous of all blues songs, a required number in the repertoires of the countless bar and lounge bands of many genres. Its late entry into [...]
“I Got A Woman” – Ray Charles (Atlantic, 1954)
“I Got a Woman” by Ray Charles perfectly illustrates the way Charles transformed the sacred into the secular. He heard the Southern Tones’ gospel tune “It Must Be Jesus” (a 1954 Duke Records release) on [...]
“Rollin’ Stone” – Muddy Waters (Chess, 1950)
“Rollin’ Stone” by Muddy Waters stands as a landmark recording for several reasons. Cut in February of 1950, it was the first blues record that Chess ever issued (and the second overall, following a Gene [...]
“Shake Your Moneymaker” – Elmore James (Fire, 1961)
“Shake Your Moneymaker,” recorded in New Orleans in 1961, marked an exuberant, uptempo departure from slide guitar master Elmore James’ deep blues recordings. First issued as a 45 on Bobby Robinson’s Fire label, the single [...]
“The St. Louis Blues” – Bessie Smith (Columbia, 1925)
“The St. Louis Blues” is one of the most recorded songs of all time, in any genre. Few versions of the W.C. Handy tune, however, can compare with Bessie Smith’s. Part of the magic of [...]