Peter Guralnick
Peter Guralnick, one of the premier writers on American roots music, is the author of three books already inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame as Classics of Blues Literature: Feel Like Going Home, Searching [...]
Gus Cannon and Cannon’s Jug Stompers
Jug band pioneer Gus Cannon, a seminal figure in Memphis blues, was born in Red Banks, Mississippi, in either 1883, 1884, or 1885, according to various sources. Cannon's primary instrument was the banjo, and he [...]
Amos Milburn
Amos Milburn was one of the most popular young blues artists of the late 1940s and early '50s, famed for his rollicking piano boogies, smooth blues and ballads, and a slew of drinking songs that [...]
Lonnie Brooks
Lonnie Brooks was born with the name Lee Baker, Jr., and made his first records under the moniker 'Guitar Junior.' But no matter what name he uses, Brooks has been a crowd pleaser for decades, [...]
Charlie Musselwhite
One of the most prominent harmonica players of the past several decades, Charlie Musselwhite burst out of the vibrant Chicago blues scene in the 1960s to become a trendsetter for a new musical generation in [...]
Match Box Blues — Blind Lemon Jefferson (OKeh and Paramount, 1927)
Blind Lemon Jefferson, one of the most influential and prolific of the early blues giants, left a massive recorded legacy of lyrics that became permanent elements of the blues lexicon. One of the most enduring [...]
Key to the Highway — Big Bill Broonzy (OKeh, 1941)
Dozens of artists have recorded the blues standard 'Key to the Highway,' and although Big Bill Broonzy was not the first, he was among the earliest to popularize the song, and has been credited as [...]