Lil’ Ed and The Blues Imperials stand as a testament to the enduring power of tight-knit, infectiously cheerful blues bands. Led by singer and slide guitar maestro Lil’ Ed Williams, the group, which includes his half-brother [...]

Lurrie Bell, a prominent figure in the blues world, follows in the footsteps of his late father, harmonica maestro Carey Bell, who was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2023. Born on December [...]

  Sugar Pie DeSanto packed astonishing power and plenty of personality into a tiny frame. Her spunk and vigor impressed bandleader and producer Johnny Otis enough to sign her to her first recording session in 1955 after [...]

Scrapper Blackwell, born Francis Hillman Blackwell, left an indelible mark on the blues scene as a virtuoso guitarist and collaborator with Blues Hall of Famer Leroy Carr. Though widely recognized for his role in the [...]

O.V. Wright, recognized for his powerful fusion of blues, soul, and gospel, brought unparalleled emotion-drenched intensity to his music. Born Overton Vertis Wright on October 9, 1939, in Lenow, Tennessee, near Memphis, he began his [...]

Jimmy Rushing, affectionately known as “Mr. Five By Five” due to his stout stature, was a groundbreaking figure in the world of blues and jazz. Born on June 15 or August 26, 1899 (though he [...]

Odetta, hailed as “The Mother Goddess of Folk Blues” by The New York Times, left an indelible mark on the world of folk music for five decades. Her influential career not only showcased her extraordinary [...]

Junior Kimbrough, after years of holding forth in the juke joints and house parties of the Mississippi hills, Junior Kimbrough became a nationally renowned blues icon known both for his unique idiosyncratic style and for [...]

Fenton Robinson, practiced an erudite brand of blues hailed by musicians, critics and discerning audiences around the world, but rarely enjoyed the kind of wide public acclaim enjoyed by many high energy, hard-rocking blues performers. [...]

Carey Bell, Harrington took his place in the lineage of Chicago blues harp masters in the 1970s, exuberantly following in the footsteps of his mentors Big Walter Horton and Little Walter Jacobs.  In addition to [...]