Allen Toussaint
Allen Toussaint has been shaping the sound of New Orleans rhythm & blues for more than 50 years, carrying on the tradition of a crew of legendary trailblazers who preceded him to the Blues Hall [...]
The Voice of the Blues, edited by Jim O’Neal & Amy van Singel
The Voice of the Blues: Classic Interviews from Living Blues Magazine, edited by Jim O'Neal & Amy van Singel, New York and London: Routledge, 2002. In the belief that the ultimate authorities and historians on [...]
It Hurts Me Too — Tampa Red (Bluebird, 1940)
Tampa Red proved himself a master of many moods during his long recording career, and with the classic line "When things go wrong, go wrong with you, it hurts me too," he showed how the [...]
Pine Top’s Boogie Woogie – Pine Top Smith (Vocalion, 1928)
"Pine Top's Boogie Woogie" is the record credited with laying the foundation for the boogie woogie craze, but its creator, Alabama-born pianist Clarence "Pine Top" Smith, did not live long enough to witness the phenomenon. [...]
All Your Love — Magic Sam (Cobra, 1957)
"All Your Love" was the record that introduced the vibrant vocal and guitar work of 20-year-old Magic Sam to the blues world. Produced by Willie Dixon for Eli Toscano's Cobra label, it became Sam's signature [...]
Damn Right, I’ve Got The Blues — Buddy Guy (Silvertone, 1991)
Despite a reputation as one of the world's premier blues guitar slingers dating back to the 1960s, Buddy Guy had never had an album on the charts until he crossed over in spectacular fashion with [...]
Bad Influence — The Robert Cray Band (HighTone, 1983)
The Robert Cray Band, already a West Coast favorite when "Bad Influence" was released in 1983, broke through to the national blues circuit on the strength of this fresh and original blend of blues and [...]
Mike Bloomfield
Mike Bloomfield was one of the top entrants in the battle for blues-rock virtuoso honors in the psychedelic '60s. Bloomfield drew kudos for his guitar prowess with the Butterfield Blues Band and played an important [...]
Bessie, by Chris Albertson
Bessie, by Chris Albertson, New York: Stein and Day, 1972; revised edition: New Haven: Yale University Press, 2003. Bessie was hailed as the best biography ever written about a black performer when it was first [...]
Buddy & Ella Johnson
Buddy & Ella Johnson formed one of the most successful brother-sister teams in the history of rhythm & blues and big band music. Although their music is unfamiliar to many blues and R&B fans today, [...]