“The Delta”
The music had an aboriginal sound to it. Most of the music was known as work songs or hollers, but when accompanied by
instruments the songs became party or dance music.
Most of the blues that we know as of today was not typically heard until 1941 when Alan Lomax and John Work, folklorists
from The Library of Congress, went looking for Robert Johnson. They never got to meet Robert Johnson because he had
passed away. They did however meet a man by the name of Muddy Waters (McKinley Morganfield), who recorded a couple
of songs for them
During the thirties and forties, the blues spread northward with the migration of many slaves from the South and entered into
a different type of blues called jazz. The blues also became electrified with the introduction of the amplified guitar. In some
northern cities like Chicago and Detroit, during the later forties and early fifties, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, John Lee
Hooker, Howlin' Wolf, and Elmore James and many others, played what was basically Mississippi Delta blues, backed by
bass, drums, piano and occasionally harmonica, and began scoring national hits with blues songs. At about the same time, TBone Walker in Houston and B.B. King in Memphis were pioneering a style of guitar playing that combined jazz technique
with the blues tonality and repertoire. From here the rest is living history with bands such as The Rolling Stones, Fleetwood
Mac, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan and many others. There will never be an end to the blues.
The Delta isn't a river delta. The name refers to the Mississippi delta region, an alluvial plain which stretches near Memphis,
Tennessee south to Vicksburg, Mississippi, and the east-west boundaries would be considered the Mississippi river to the
west and the Yazoo River to the east. Delta blues was first recorded in the 1920's. Slide guitars and harmonicas dominated
the music, while the vocals were passionate and fiery. Recorded Delta blues is mostly one person singing and playing an
acoustic guitar. Bands were more common at live performances. Delta blues spread across the country creating variations in
the blues.
The "Father of the Blues"
W.C. Handy was born in 1873 in Alabama. His song, "Memphis Blues," was the first blues song to be commercially
published, in 1912. He later went on to publish a number of blues compositions in the years that followed. He is credited with
organising the first blues performance at Carnegie Hall in 1928. Handy's role in bringing blues music to the public earned
him the title of "Father of the Blues".
Types of Blues Music
There are four main types of blues music styles. Delta Blues began in the Mississippi delta areas and is the original style of
blues. Chicago Blues introduced electric instruments to the blues sound, as well as microphones for vocals and amplifiers.
Texas Blues is nearly identical to Chicago Blues in instruments but has a Texan flair not found in Chicago. Blues Rock is the
youngest style, beginning in the 1960s. Influenced by Delta and Chicago Blue. Artists of this style included the Rolling
Stones, The Doors and Credence Clearwater Revival.
Chess Records
In 1950, Aristocrat Records became Chess Records. Owned by brothers Leonard and Phil Chess, the studio was located in
Chicago, Illinois. The number of blues "greats" signed by Chess Records is staggering. Their roster listed notable artists such
as, Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, Willie Dixon (also a producer), Howlin' Wolf, Buddy Guy, Etta James and many more.
Chess Records continued through the 1960s but was sold in 1969.
The "Mother of the Blues"
Gertrude Pridgett was born in 1886. Her family performed in a minstrel show, and by 1900, she made her first appearance
onstage. When she married in 1902, she became Ma Rainey. She and her husband continued to perform in various minstrel
shows throughout the South. Their shows usually included a couple of blues numbers. In 1923, she signed with Paramount
Records and recorded 100 songs between 1923 and 1928. She was billed as the "Mother of the Blues."
What is the Blues?
Blues music is a style of music that is based around using "blue notes." It started in African-American communities in the
United States and was influenced by various things, like spirituals, field hollers, church music and chants. The genre has been
highly influential to rock 'n' roll music of the past and modern day. It also paved the way for rhythm & blues (R&B),
bluegrass and jazz.
History
Blues music as a genre was born along the North Mississippi Delta after the Civil War. With vast influences ranging from
jump-ups (rhythmic dance songs) to African roots, blues music was only performed only live for years.
Time Frame
African-American composer W.C. Handy introduced the blues between 1911 and 1914. Blues exploded nationally in the
1920s when Mamie Smith performed the first blues tune with vocals: "Crazy Blues" (1920).
Geography
Blues music left Memphis, Tennessee and migrated north to Chicago and Detroit where the scene intensified in the late
1940s and early 1950s with artists such as Howlin' Wolf, Elmore James, Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon. They performed
what is referred to as "Mississippi Delta Blues."
Significance
In the early 1960s, many British and American rock and pop musicians, like the Rolling Stones, were highly influenced by
blues and brought the music to young, white cultural mainstream at the time.
The Legendary Blues Men
Big Bill Broonzy
Born: June 26, 1893, Scott, Mississippi
Died: August 15, 1958, Chicago, Illinois
Also known as: William Lee Conley Broonzy
As a young boy Big Bill Broonzy would return home from a day's fieldwork with cornstalks, which he'd rub together as a
homemade fiddle while his many brothers and sisters — 16 — danced to the music he made. By the age of 14 he was
performing as a professional fiddler, and after moving to Chicago as an adult he switched to guitar. He became a prolific
songwriter as well as a performer and recording artist and was a foundational contributor to the pre-war Chicago blues scene.
He was a clever lyricist with a flair for narrative, and is known for having one of the largest and most versatile repertoires on
record, from a slick urban blues sound to his acoustic country blues roots as well as folk and traditional spirituals. Broonzy
also acted as a mentor to younger musicians, helping many of them secure performing dates and recording sessions. When
the Chicago blues sound was transformed by the emergence of the electric guitar, Broonzy kept performing as a more
itinerant folk-blues act, paving the way for the future of blues in Europe and the U.K. As he aged he continued to perform,
even as he suffered from throat cancer, to which he succumbed in 1958.
Essential listening: "When Will I Get to be Called a Man," "Key to the Highway," "Big Bill Blues," "All by Myself"
Ruth Brown
Born: January 1, 1928, Portsmouth, Virginia
Ruth Brown's smooth vocals made the rhythm and blues charts regularly between 1949 and 1955, and helped a then-fledgling
Atlantic Records establish itself as a formidable presence in the R&B world. Later in her long and versatile career she
became known as a rock and roll and pop singer as well as a stage and film actress, winning a Tony award on Broadway. She
has influenced many R&B and soul artists, and her enduring talent is evidenced by her recent solo recordings and guest
appearances with artists such as Bonnie Raitt, Shemekia Copeland and B.B. King, as well as a Grammy win in the late
1980s. Brown continues to perform.
Essential listening: "(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean," "Teardrops from My Eyes," "Don't Deceive Me," "Mambo
Baby"
Willie Brown
Born: August 6, 1900, Clarksdale, Mississippi
Died: December 30, 1952, Tunica, Mississippi
Willie Brown was an outstanding guitarist as well as vocalist who had an enormous influence on the origination and
development of Delta blues. Brown performed regularly with blues legends Charley Patton, Son House and Robert Johnson,
and also backed Patton and House on recordings. He is known as an accompanist rather than a soloist, although he did record
three extraordinary solo performances. Later in his career he primarily performed with Son House. Both Brown and House
disappeared from the music scene during the 1940s, and, sadly, Brown died before the blues revival of the 1960s, when many
of his contemporaries were rediscovered by blues scholars.
Essential listening: "M & O Blues," "Make Me a Pallet on the Floor," "Future Blues"
Ray Charles
Born: September 23, 1930, Albany, Georgia
Died: June 10, 2004, Beverly Hills, California
Ray Charles is known for his innovative blend of genres — his enormously popular body of work reflects inspiration from
gospel, blues, jazz, pop, R&B, soul and country. As a vocalist he was originally inspired by Nat King Cole, and his early
recordings reflect this smooth influence. Charles later came into his own with 1954's "I've Got a Woman," which marked a
dramatic change in his style — it reflected a heavy gospel influence integrated with pop and his vocals were suddenly
uninhibited and raw. This trend in Charles's music would continue, culminating in his 1959 signature hit and timeless classic
"What'd I Say." His ability to bring together many influences, infusing them all with a gospel core, has had a huge impact on
both soul and rock and roll music, influencing Steve Winwood, Joe Cocker, Stevie Wonder, and others. Charles is often
referred to as the Father of Soul. He is a legendary musical figure and continues to tour.
Essential listening: "Losing Hand," "I've Got a Woman," "Unchain My Heart', "What'd I Say," "Drown in My Own Tears,"
"Hit the Road Jack"
Sam Chatmon
Born: January 10, 1897, Boltmon, Mississippi
Died: February 2, 1983, Hollandale, Mississippi
Sam Chatmon was born into a highly musical family — reportedly there were 11 sons, all of them musicians. As a boy Sam
often played with the Chatmon Family String Band, and when three of his brothers formed the Mississippi Sheiks, who
became very popular, he sometimes played with them as well. But Sam Chatmon was a multi-instrumentalist in his own right
— playing mandolin, bass, guitar and banjo — and worked as a traveling musician with a wide repertoire that included blues
until the early 1940s. He became a plantation worker until the 1960s blues revival, at which point, like many of his
contemporaries, he embarked upon a second career as a musician, performing and recording until his death in 1983.
Essential listening: "My Little Woman," "Shake 'Em All Down," "GodDon’t like Ugly," "Hollandale Blues," "Sitting on Top
of the World"
Marshall Chess
Born: March 13, 1942, Chicago, Illinois
Marshall Chess is the son of Leonard Chess who, along with his brother Phil, co-founded the legendary Chicago blues label
Chess Records. Chess released some of the greatest blues ever recorded by legends such as Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter,
Muddy Waters, Koko Taylor, and many others, and Chess box sets are among the finest collections of blues available today.
Marshall Chess grew up, literally, with the blues, hanging out at the Chess offices to be near his father, surrounded by blues
greats and learning the finer points of recording. He later dropped out of college to work for Chess. After many years as a
producer he started his own label, Cadet Concept, for which he produced the departure release Electric Mud, which featured
Muddy Waters in a more electric, psychedelic blues arena. Despite initially strong sales, the album was widely panned by
critics. After his father's death in 1969, Chess co-founded Rolling Stones Records and served as executive producer on the
group's releases from 1971 through 1976 (or Sticky Fingers through Black and Blue, to be more specific). He has also
worked as a film producer. One of his most admirable qualities is his confidence and resilience as a producer — in spite of its
lukewarm reception, Chess still considers Electric Mud to be a great piece of work, and as he says in the film Godfathers
and Sons, "I'm still not afraid to make the worst blues album ever made."
Essential listening: Electric Mud
Shemekia Copeland
Born: 1979, New York, New York
Shemekia Copeland began appearing on stage with her father, Texas bluesman Johnny Copeland, as a child, and as a
teenager she toured with him as his opening act, stunning audiences with a confident stage presence which seemed to belie
her youth. Her vocal prowess matches her charisma as a performer. At the age of 19, Copeland released her debut album,
inspiring comparisons to blues legends Etta James and Koko Taylor. By 2002 Copeland had released two more albums to
critical acclaim, and won three of the blues' prestigious W.C. Handy awards. She has worked with Ruth Brown, one of her
original influences, as well as Dr. John and others.
Essential listening: "The Other Woman," "I Always Get My Man," "Have Mercy," "Your Mama's Talking," "Not Tonight,"
"The Push I Need"
Ida Cox
Born: February 25, 1896, Toccoa, Georgia
Died: November 10, 1967, Knoxville, Tennessee
also known as: Ida Prather
Ida Cox was one of the great 1920s blues singers. She began her career as a teenager, traveling throughout the south as a
singer with tent and vaudeville shows. Cox was also a versatile businesswoman — for a time she ran her own touring
company, working as a producer and manager as well as performer. She was a prolific and popular recording artist
throughout the 1920s who wrote many of her own songs, one of which is the well-known "Wild Women Don't Have the
Blues." Cox tended to direct her shows toward black female audiences, with songs that examined various issues from a
female perspective. Cox's career was active throughout the 1930s, when health problems reportedly forced her into
retirement, although she did manage an additional recording session in the early 1960s.
Essential listening: "Wild Women Don't Have the Blues," "Last Mile Blues," "Pink Slip Blues," "Cemetery Blues"
Bo Diddley
Born: December 30, 1928, McComb, Mississippi
also known as: Otha Ellas Bates McDaniels
Like many bluesmen, Bo Diddley has his deepest musical roots in gospel. He also studied classical music in his youth, but
turned to blues after he was introduced to the music of John Lee Hooker. Reportedly it was Hooker's classic "Boogie
Chillen" that had such a dramatic impact. Diddley's music is definitely blues-based, however he has had a more profound
impact on rock and roll, especially through the beat he's known for, which became foundational in the genre. He influenced
the Yardbirds, the Rolling Stones and the Beatles, among many others, with his particularly light-hearted, rhythm-based
brand of blues. Diddley grew up in Chicago and began his blues career playing on the street, eventually forming his own
band — which included harmonica master Billy Boy Arnold — and signing with record label Chess. Many of his songs are
blues and rock and roll classics. Diddley further influenced rock and roll with his design of a square guitar, one of his
trademarks. He continues to tour and record.
Essential listening: "Who Do You Love," "You Can't Judge a Book by its Cover," "Mona," "I'm a Man"
Willie Dixon
Born: July 1, 1915, Vicksburg, Mississippi
Died: January 29, 1992, Burbank, California
Willie Dixon is best known for his song writing prowess, although his influence on the blues includes his superb work as a
producer, arranger, session musician and performer. Dixon began performing in Chicago in the late 1930s; his career was
interrupted briefly in the early 1940s when he was jailed for refusing the draft as a conscientious objector. He later worked
for the blues label Chess, where his song writing gave a significant boost to the careers of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf,
Little Walter and others. Howlin' Wolf had such success with his rendition of Dixon's tunes that for years they were his
primary recording and performance efforts. As a mentor to vocalist Koko Taylor, Dixon had her record "Wang Dang
Doodle," which became a huge hit and is still her signature classic. Later in his life Dixon had to fight to reap the financial
rewards of his art and subsequently worked on behalf of other artists to assist them in securing publishing royalties. He
influenced not only his contemporaries, but countless blues and rock and roll artists, including Led Zeppelin, the Doors and
Cream. His body of work as a songwriter boasts many blues standards and rock and roll classics.
Essential listening: "Back Door Man," "I Can't Quit You Baby," "The Seventh Son," "You Shook Me," "The Little Red
Rooster"
Fats Domino
Born: February 26, 1928, New Orleans, Louisiana
also known as: Antoine Domino
Fats Domino began performing at the age of 14. His music combines classic "boogie woogie" piano with a New Orleans beat
and flavour and R&B and jazz roots, expressed through his signature warm, easy-going vocals. Domino was enormously
popular throughout the fifties and into the early sixties, hitting the R&B charts time after time with his original songs (often
co-written with manager Dave Bartholomew) and eventually crossing over onto the pop charts. He made rhythm and blues
music palatable to a wider audience, as his style represented the calmer edge of the spectrum, in contrast to incendiary rock
artists such as Little Richard. As a performer his shy charm and warm grin reflected the mood of his music. Domino's wide
popularity helped black music reach a white audience. Most of his numerous hits have become classics.
Essential listening: "Walkin' to New Orleans," ""Blueberry Hill," "Ain't It a Shame," "I'm Walkin'," "Blue Monday", "The
Fat Man"
Rosco Gordon
Born: 1934, Memphis, Tennessee
Died: July 11, 2002, New York, New York
Rosco Gordon was an integral part of the Memphis Beale Street blues scene during the forties and fifties. He created a
shuffle rhythm on piano known as "Rosco's rhythm" that influenced blues, and, in the opinion of some historians, also
inspired the creation of the distinctive rhythm of Jamaican ska, itself a precursor of reggae. On Beale Street Gordon worked
with Johnny Ace, Bobby Blue Bland and others, and in the early fifties his song "Booted" hit number one on the R&B charts.
That same year he had another hit with "No More Doggin'." Throughout his career he never matched that early success, but
he did continue to record and perform. Like many bluesmen he took an extended hiatus from music to earn an alternative
living, but later in his life he began performing again, and continued to do so until his death in 2002.
Essential listening: "Booted," "I'm Gonna Shake It," "No More Doggin'," "She's My Baby"
Buddy Guy
Born: July 30, 1936, Lettsworth, Louisiana
also known as: George Guy
Buddy Guy's name has become synonymous with Chicago blues. A dramatic, buoyantly joyful performer with a voice that
can be at once smooth and gritty, Guy is also an esteemed guitarist. He has been idolized by the idols themselves for his
superb musicianship — Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jeff Beck, Johnny Winter and even, reportedly, Jimi Hendrix
have all acknowledged him as an inspiration. Guy's style of playing was heavily influenced by B.B. King, to whom he is
often compared. Early in his career he worked with many of Chicago's blues legends as a session player for Chess records
and teamed up with harmonica player Junior Wells; the two were a popular duo in the city for many years. Guy was more
popular as a live act than as a recording artist until he teamed up with Eric Clapton in the early 1990s, which precipitated a
successful and enduring comeback. In Chicago he is known as the King of the Blues. His talent and influence, his long
history with the city's blues greats and his successful local blues club "Legends," contribute to his own legend.
Essential listening: "Broken Hearted Blues," "Stone Crazy," "Mary Had a Little Lamb," "Try to Quit You, Baby"
W.C. Handy
Born: November 16, 1873, Muscle Shoals, Alabama
Died: March 28, 1958, New York, New York
Also known as: William Christopher Handy
W.C. Handy is widely recognized by his self-proclaimed moniker, "Father of the Blues" due to his steadfast and pioneering
efforts to document, write and publish blues music and his life-long support of the genre. Although much of his musical taste
leaned toward a more sophisticated and polished sound, Handy was among the first to recognize the value of the blues, and
Southern black music in general, as an important American legacy. Handy was an accomplished bandleader and songwriter
who performed throughout the South before continuing his career in New York. He came across the Delta blues in the late
1890s, and his composition "Memphis Blues," published in 1912, was the first to include "blues" in the title. Some historians
don't consider "Memphis Blues" to be an actual blues song, however it did influence the creation of other blues tunes,
including the historic "Crazy Blues," which is commonly known as the first blues song to ever be recorded (by Mamie Smith
in 1920). A Memphis park was named after Handy in recognition of his contribution to blues and the Blues Foundation
recognizes the genre's achievements annually with the prestigious W.C. Handy award.
Essential listening: "St. Louis Blues," "Yellow Dog Blues," "Beale Street Blues"
Corey Harris
Born: February 21, 1969, Denver, Colorado
Corey Harris can play and sing like a classic bluesman — his first album was a thorough exploration and interpretation of
Delta blues. Since then he has incorporated the influence of rich musical traditions from New Orleans to Africa to the
Caribbean, all while maintaining his reputation as a first-class performer and recording artist. Harris learned how to play the
guitar when he was 12, and was originally inspired by Texas blues legend Lightnin' Hopkins. As a student he travelled to
Africa and later moved to New Orleans where he performed on the streets before signing a recording contract. Each of
Harris's albums has received critical acclaim, and he continues to draw from a wide range of influences, including hip hop,
reggae, funk, jazz, blues, R&B and Latin music.
Essential listening: "Black Maria," "Feel Like Going Home," "Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burning," "Bound to Miss
Me," "Capitaine"
Alvin Youngblood Hart
Born: March 2, 1963, Oakland, California
Alvin Youngblood Hart is a contemporary bluesman whose original music and cover interpretations are infused with a pure
Delta blues influence. A native of California, Hart's family roots are in Mississippi, and he grew up visiting the area annually,
falling in love with the rural lifestyle and hearing stories of blues patriarch Charley Patton. The influences of legendary
bluesmen such as Bukka White, Son House, Howlin' Wolf, and Muddy Waters can be heard in Hart's many classic
interpretations of blues standards as well as his original material. His additional influences include the Rolling Stones, Jimi
Hendrix, and B.B. King as well as formidable vocalists Jimmy Witherspoon and Jimmy Reed. While living in California as a
teenager, Hart taught himself to play guitar and spent a lot of time immersed in the Delta blues and its history. Ironically, his
performance career began when he just happened to be stationed in Natchez, Mississippi as a member of the Coast Guard. He
eventually began playing gigs in California, and ended up with a record deal after a stint opening for Taj Mahal brought him
wider visibility. In 1997 Youngblood won the W.C. Handy award for Best New Artist.
Essential listening: "Devil Got My Woman," "Things "Bout Coming My Way," "That Kate Adams Jive," "Jinx Blues,"
"Motherless Child"
Billie Holiday
Born: April 7, 1915, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died: July 17, 1959, New York, New York
Also known as: Eleanora Fagan Gough
Billie Holiday was a legendary vocalist whose uncompromising artistry and highly original, personalized style — which
included an innovative sense of phrasing, rhythm and harmony — has had a tremendous impact on generations of vocalists
from all genres. Holiday's life was fraught with difficulty, which may be why she was able to sing the blues so convincingly.
A huge part of her appeal was her ability to convey the meaning of the lyrics, giving the impression that she had lived her
material. Holiday has acknowledged Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong as two of her primary influences, and during her
career she worked with legends Artie Shaw, Cab Calloway and Benny Goodman. Among her many classic recordings are the
disturbingly evocative "Strange Fruit," which controversially addressed the violence of racism, and her own composition
"God Bless the Child."
Essential listening: "Lover Man," "God Bless the Child," "Strange Fruit," "Good Morning Heartache"
John Lee Hooker
Born: August 22, 1917, Clarksdale, Mississippi
Died: August 21, 2001, Los Altos, California
John Lee Hooker was a master of "boogie" with haunting, sensuously compelling signature vocals and the ability to create a
whole world of sound from a single, repetitive chord. His unique, original style hugely influenced other blues artists and
especially rock and roll. The Rolling Stones, the Animals, early Fleetwood Mac and Johnny Winter are just a few of Hooker's
admirers. Early on he was influenced by gospel and Delta blues. He learned to play guitar from his stepfather, who reportedly
knew blues legend Charley Patton. In 1943 he moved to Detroit, where his sound was a welcome and complete change from
the slicker post-war blues. For the next four decades Hooker continued to work with his signature style, performing and
recording, and his devotion to his craft never faded, even when his popularity did. The respect he'd long garnered from the
blues and rock community was evident in his comeback 1989 release The Healer, which featured a roll call of prestigious
names from both genres. As he aged he was known as a living blues legend, and he continued to perform, even when he had
to be slowly escorted to the stage.
Essential listening: "Boogie Chillen," "I'm in the Mood," "Hoogie Boogie," "Boom Boom," "Baby Lee," "The Healer"
Lightnin' Hopkins
Born: March 15, 1912, Centerville, Texas
Died: January 30, 1982, Houston, Texas
Also known as: Sam Hopkins
Lightnin' Hopkins's influence on Texas blues is surpassed only by that of Blind Lemon Jefferson and T-Bone Walker. Like
Walker, Hopkins met Jefferson when he was just a boy and was forever influenced by his exposure to the musician.
Hopkins's original brand of blues was characterized by an unusual sense of rhythm and loose sense of structure. His many
moods and personality nuances came through in his ever-changing performance and diverse repertoire. He was a talented
songwriter, known for his ability to create lyrics on the spot, and he hardly ever played a song with the exact same lyrics
twice. Hopkins played and recorded primarily in Texas throughout most of his career until, as one of the many blues greats
who benefited from the blues revival of the 1960s, he was kept busy touring and performing at festivals. He was inducted
into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980, two years before his death.
Essential listening: "Tim Moore's Farm," "Coffee Blues," "Lightnin's Boogie," "Hopkins's Sky Hop"
Son House
Born: March 21, 1902, Riverton, Mississippi
Died: October 19, 1988, Detroit, Michigan
also known as: Eddie James House, Jr.
Son House was originally a preacher, and he brought the fiery intensity of Baptist gospel to his interpretation of Delta blues.
A powerfully emotional performer, his presence onstage was riveting and almost frightening in its ability to move the
listener. He was influenced by and often played with blues greats Charley Patton and Willie Brown, yet his style remained
distinctly his own. He is credited as the primary influence on blues legends Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters as well as
Bonnie Raitt and many others. House disappeared from the blues scene from the early 1940s through the mid-1960s, until
researchers tracked him down, whereupon he began a second career as a respected performer. His past association with
Patton and Johnson, as well as his own legendary skill, made him particularly valuable and respected as a living record of
blues history. As music critic Cub Koda put it, "Hailed as the greatest living Delta singer still actively performing, nobody
dared call themselves the king of the blues as long as Son House was around." *
Essential listening: "Preachin' the Blues," "Death Letter," "John the Revelator," "Dry Spell Blues," "My Black Mama"
Howlin' Wolf
Born: June 10, 1910, West Point, Mississippi
Died: January 10, 1976, Hines, Illinois
Also known as: Chester Arthur Burnett
Howlin' Wolf was inspired by the passionate showmanship of legends Charley Patton and Tommy Johnson, but he took it to
the next level. More than just a great showman, "the howler" was an almost transcendent performer, losing himself in the
power of the music and letting it flow uninhibitedly through his voice. Wolf could whip the crowd into frenzy like no other
performer, and his stature — at more than 6 feet tall and 300 or so pounds — matched his formidable musical presence. His
voice was truly original, a nasty sounding, expressively gritty growl that conveyed the meaning of the lyrics — many of them
penned by legendary songwriter Willie Dixon — and his interpretation helped many songs become classics. The allure of
Wolf's music was further enhanced by the superb guitarists who played with him — Willie Johnson in the early years and
Hubert Sumlin in later years — as well as his own skill with guitar and harmonica, the latter of which he learned to play from
master Sonny Boy Williamson. Wolf was a hero of many equally gritty rock and rollers, including the Rolling Stones. Like
many Mississippi bluesmen, Wolf saw his career take off in Chicago, where to this day he is an enduring and beloved part of
the city's history.
Essential listening: "Smokestack Lightnin'," "Moanin' at Midnight," "Evil," "Killing Floor," "Shake for Me"
Mississippi John Hurt
Born: July 3, 1893, Teoc, Mississippi
Died: November 2, 1966, Grenada, Mississippi
Also known as: John Smith Hurt
Mississippi John Hurt brought unprecedented warmth to the blues, characterized by his gentle, gracious presence as a
performer and the tenderness and depth of his song writing. Hurt mastered a form of finger picking on the guitar that
significantly influenced generations of blues, folk and rock musicians. From the time he was 14, Hurt performed locally in
and near his tiny hometown while making his living as a farm labourer. Like other Mississippi masters, he was tracked down
later in life by a blues fan and scholar and introduced to the burgeoning blues revival of the mid-1960s. During the last three
years of his life, to his surprise and delight, he was accepted with open arms by thousands of fans and subsequently made his
living as a performer. He has influenced the musicianship and song writing of blues, folk and rock and his musical
descendants include Taj Mahal, Ben Harper, Bob Dylan and many others.
Essential listening: "Frankie," "Louis Collins," "Avalon Blues," "Stack O' Lee," "Big Leg Blues"
Elmore James
Born: June 27, 1910, Richland, Mississippi
Died: May 24, 1963, Chicago, Illinois
Elmore James was a master of slide guitar, and has influenced just about everyone who has ever picked up a slide. His
powerful vocals would naturally and dramatically crack and catch, giving authenticity to his sound. His on-and-off day job as
a radio repairman complemented his art — he experimented with sound distortion decades before it became a staple of
modern rock. James began performing at the age of 14, and played with Robert Johnson, Howlin' Wolf, Sonny Boy
Williamson and others. His style as a vocalist and guitarist were heavily influenced by Robert Johnson, and his reworking of
Johnson's original "(I Believe I'll) Dust My Broom" became a signature hit for him (under the shortened title "Dust My
Broom"). Like his contemporary Muddy Waters, James brought his version of Delta blues to Chicago, where his amazing
band, the Broomdusters, added to the city's superb music scene. James has influenced blues and rock and roll musicians,
from B.B. King and Eric Clapton to Johnny Winter and Duane Allman, as well as many others.
Essential listening: "Dust My Broom," "The Sky is Crying," "Hand in Hand," "Shake Your Money Maker"
Skip James
Born: June 21, 1902, Bentonia, Mississippi
Died: October 3, 1969, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
also known as: Nehemiah Curtis James
Skip James is known for his unique, haunting style of blues. He combined falsetto vocals with minor chords, complex finger
picking, an idiosyncratic tuning, and a highly personal style of song writing to create some of the genre's most original music.
James was one of Robert Johnson's biggest influences; his original song "Devil Got My Woman" was reworked by Johnson
and became the latter's signature hit "Hellhound on my Trail". Like many of his contemporaries of the early Delta blues
scene, he turned to another means of livelihood, becoming a preacher at the age of 30 and turning his musical attention to
gospel. By chance James was rediscovered during the early 1960s, and subsequently thrilled blues fans at the 1964 Newport
Folk Festival, thereby re-launching his career. It was obvious that his musical skills were still as sharp as ever and his unique
style was intact. In 1966 the band Cream released a popular version of James's original "I'm So Glad."
Essential listening: "Devil Got My Woman," "I'm so Glad," "Sickbed Blues, "Hard Time Killin' Floor Blues"
Blind Lemon Jefferson
Born: July 1897, Couchman, Texas
Died: December, 1929, Chicago, Illinois
Also known as: Deacon L.J. Bates
Blind Lemon Jefferson was a ground-breaking artist on many levels, and is the undisputed father of Texas blues. His
innovative guitar style — probably partly influenced by Mexican flamenco guitarists — featured a flair for arpeggios
(playing each note of a chord separately rather than in unison), unconventional use of bass notes and unusual phrasing as well
as jazz-inspired improvisation, all of which paved the way for the many brilliant Texas guitarists who would follow in his
lineage, from T-Bone Walker to Stevie Ray Vaughan. Walker, in fact, knew Jefferson and was directly influenced by him.
Even early in his career Jefferson's remarkable talent was evident. He built a fan base playing on the streets of Dallas, and
was able to provide for his family on those earnings. He recorded close to 100 songs within only four years, and his
commercial success broke ground for male blues singers in an era where the genre was dominated by women, such as Ma
Rainey and Bessie Smith. As a talented songwriter he shifted the common practice of blues vocalists primarily performing
songs written by others. His original material includes many blues classics.
Essential listening: "See That My Grave is Kept Clean," "Jack of Diamonds," "Matchbox Blues"
Blind Willie Johnson
Born: 1902, Marlin, Texas
Died: 1947, Beaumont, Texas
Blind Willie Johnson was a deeply religious man who played gospel music, much of it blues-based, as a way to preach. His
passionate performance style featured powerful, rough vocals designed to reach the masses from Texas street corners.
Johnson was a talented songwriter as well as a superb slide guitarist. He would pick the melody while accompanying himself
with a bass line he'd play with his thumb, and he reportedly played slide with a pocketknife rather than the customary
bottleneck. During the 1930s Johnson did some recording for Columbia. A number of his songs became classics, and have
been covered by many artists, including Eric Clapton, Peter, Paul and Mary and Ry Cooder.
Essential listening: "Motherless Children Have a Hard Time," "Let Your Light Shine on Me," "Dark Was the Night — Cold
Was the Ground," "If I Had My Way"
Robert Johnson
Born: May 8, 1911, Hazelhurst, Mississippi
Died: August 28, 1938, Greenwood, Mississippi
a young Robert Johnson hung around the Saturday night dances in the Delta watching Son House, Willie Brown and Charley
Patton play and, to their amusement, trying to play guitar during the breaks. Years later Johnson ran into House and Brown,
and Johnson's skill on the instrument stunned them. He had acquired his skill in such a short time that it inspired a rumour
that became legend — Johnson must have sold his soul to the devil. His tortured voice and emotional intensity seemed to
give credence to the legend, although it is more likely that his own determination and inherent talent, as well as his exposure
to the great Delta bluesmen, deserve the credit for his genius. In addition to being a gifted lyricist and composer and
innovative guitarist, Johnson transferred "boogie woogie" from the piano to the guitar, playing the bottom guitar strings to
accompany himself with a bass line, a technique that has become standard in blues composition. His influence on blues, from
Muddy Waters and Eric Clapton to the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, is legendary.
Essential listening: "Walkin' Blues," "Love in Vain Blues," "Come on in My Kitchen" "Terraplane Blues," "Cross Road
Blues"
Tommy Johnson
Born: 1896, Terry, Mississippi
Died: November 1, 1956, Crystal Springs, Mississippi
Tommy Johnson was a hell-raiser who could belt out the blues with a wide vocal range, from a low throaty snarl to a high
falsetto. He had a dramatic flair in performance similar to his contemporary, Delta blues King Charley Patton, and in the
early, pre-Robert Johnson days his influence on the genre was second only to that of Patton and Son House. He was not a
virtuoso on the guitar, but had an original, evocative style, well-matched to his theatrical delivery. Johnson significantly
influenced blues greats Muddy Waters, Robert Nighthawk and especially Howlin' Wolf, who would carry on and even outdo
the Patton/Johnson tradition of incendiary, down-and-dirty showmanship. Johnson was also the quintessential blues bad boy,
with a penchant for rampant womanizing and for alcohol, the latter of which led him to drastic extremes. He was known to
down denatured alcohol, used for artificial heat, when the real thing wasn't available, a habit he documented in his original
song "Canned Heat," from which the 1960s blues-rock group took its name. Johnson left behind a small but outstanding
collection of recordings, almost all of which became classics.
Essential listening: "Maggie Campbell," "Big Road Blues," "Cool Drink of Water," "Canned Heat"
Albert King
Born: April 25, 1923, Indianola, Mississippi
Died: December 21, 1992
Also known as: Albert Nelson
As a child an enterprising Albert King reportedly built his own guitar out of a cigar box. A brilliant guitarist in his own right,
King was originally inspired by Texas blues great Blind Lemon Jefferson. Like B.B. King, he was a master of single string
solos and used the technique of "string bending" to great emotional effect. He was also left-handed, and instead of restringing
the guitar, he just learned to play it upside down, which added an original tone to his style. His blues are infused with a
Memphis soul sound; he became a rock and blues star after signing to the Memphis-based Sax label, which was responsible
for some of the finest soul music ever recorded. King always managed to keep his sound fresh and original, and had a
significant impact on blues and rock; he has influenced Eric Clapton, Robert Clay, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Otis Rush,
among others. He had the honour of playing San Francisco's Fillmore West on opening night with John Mayall and Jimi
Hendrix and often shared the bill with rock artists throughout his career. King continued to tour until his death in 1992.
Essential listening: "Don't Throw Your Love on Me So Strong," "Crosscut Saw," "Born under a Bad Sign," "I'll play the
Blues for You"
B.B. King
Born: September 16, 1925, Indianola, Mississippi
Also known as: Riley B. King
B.B. King's career has spanned five decades and taken him from the clubs of Memphis to the finest concert halls in the
world. He's known as the King of the Blues, and for his enduring and successful efforts as a gracious, respected blues
diplomat he deserves much of the credit for the genre's mainstream popularity and recognition. Early in his career King
worked as a Memphis disc jockey, where he was known as the Beale Street Blues Boy, which was later shortened to B.B.
Although King's roots are in Delta blues, his sound has always been more polished, probably due to his wide variety of
influences, which include jazz, gospel and pop. King's highly influential style — probably originally inspired by Texas blues
greats Blind Lemon Jefferson and T-Bone Walker — features "single string" guitar solos that are so well-integrated with his
commanding vocals that it's sometimes hard to tell the two apart. He also "bends" the strings, which continues the sound in a
way that enhances the music's emotion. He has influenced countless blues and rock artists, including Buddy Guy, Jimi
Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Johnny Winter and Jeff Beck. King continues to record and perform as powerfully as
ever.
Essential listening: "Three O’clock Blues," "How Blue Can You Get," "The Thrill is Gone," "Sweet Little Angel," "Paying
the Cost to be the Boss"
Chris Thomas King
Born: October 14, 1963, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Also known as: Chris Thomas
The essence of Chris Thomas King's versatile, heavily blues-influenced music can perhaps best be hinted at with a quick
sample of his album titles: his 1986 debut, The Beginning; 1995's21st Century Blues…From da Hood; 2000's Me, My
Guitar and the Blues; and 2002's Dirty South Hip-Hop Blues. King's early influences leaned toward soul, rock and reggae,
specifically Prince, Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley, but it was inevitable that his blues birth right (as the son of Louisiana
bluesman Tabby Thomas) would eventually wend its way into his work. King toured Europe with his father in 1983, and
since then the blues have been an integral part of his work. Throughout his career he has fused the blues with hip hop, rap,
funk and soul, and also has repeatedly returned to a more pure form of blues, exploring the soul and history of the music in a
critically acclaimed, always-evolving body of work. King is most recently known for his appearance on the award-winning
soundtrack from the film O Brother Where Art Thou, in which he also played a supporting role.
Read an archived version of King's Washington Post online chat.
Essential listening: "Soon This Morning Blues," "Mary Jane," "Hard Time Killing Floor Blues," "Da Thrill is Gone From
Here," "Revelations"
Sam Lay
Born: March 20, 1935, Birmingham, Alabama
Sam Lay is the quintessential blues drummer, and was a major figure on the Chicago blues scene in the 1960's. He played for
years with legend Howlin' Wolf, and throughout his career has backed many other blues greats, including Jimmy Reed,
Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, and Willie Dixon. He eventually was hired away from Howlin' Wolf by the legendary Paul
Butterfield Blues Band. Lay was part of Butterfield's band when they backed Bob Dylan at his infamous premier electric
performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. He has played on many classic albums, including the 1965 release Paul
Butterfield Blues Band that significantly impacted the 1960s blues revival; Muddy Waters’ Fathers and Sons; and Bob
Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited. Lay is famous for the "double shuffle" beat, which, like Bo Diddley's famous rock beat, was
originally inspired by the clapping rhythms of gospel congregations. Lay has been nominated for several W.C. Handy
awards.
Essential listening: "I'm ready," "Standing around Crying" (from Fathers and Sons, Chess); "Blues with a Feeling," "I Got
My Mojo Working," "Shake Your Money Maker" (from Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Elektra)
Lead Belly
Born: January 20, 1888, Mooringsport, Louisiana
Died: December 6, 1949, New York, New York
also known as: Huddie William Ledbetter
By all accounts Lead Belly was a captivating performer, and the story of his colourful life certainly gives credence to the
reputation. His performance was enchanting enough to disarm even the heavy arm of Southern, white, law enforcement — he
twice was pardoned from long prison sentences as a result of his talent. Lead Belly was an itinerant musician, and a living
catalogue of many musical traditions and influences, from folk to country blues to prison songs to ballads. His wide
repertoire carried a rich sense of black history. He travelled and played for a time with Blind Lemon Jefferson, who was
probably his primary blues influence and reportedly taught him how to play slide guitar. It was folklorist John Lomax who
recognized Lead Belly as a national treasure and orchestrated his second prison release on those grounds, later recording him
and organizing performances. Lead Belly later moved to New York and became an integral part of the city's folk scene.
During his lifetime he never experienced the success and recognition he deserved, but his influence on American music is
incalculable. He has inspired many songwriters, including Bob Dylan, and his recordings document a rich musical legacy that
without him might have been forgotten.
Essential listening: "Goodnight Irene," "Bourgeois Blues," "Scottsboro Blues," "Rock Island Line"
J.B. Lenoir
Born: May 5, 1929, Monticello, Mississippi
Died: April 29, 1967, Urbana, Illinois
J.B. Lenoir probably picked up his solid "boogie woogie" influence in New Orleans, where he spent some time performing
before he settled into Chicago's blues scene during the fifties and sixties. While in New Orleans he played with blues greats
Sonny Boy Williamson II and Elmore James. Once Lenoir made it to Chicago, Big Bill Broonzy helped introduce him to the
local blues community, and he became an important part of the city's blues scene. He was a talented songwriter and bluesman
with an obvious political awareness. Examples of his outspoken views can be found in "Korea Blues," and "Eisenhower
Blues" — the latter reportedly caused enough controversy that his record label forced him to remake the tune under the title
"Tax Paying Blues." His penchant for social commentary and his high-pitched vocals distinguish him from other bluesmen of
that time. Lenoir's recordings are also distinctive for their excellent saxophone arrangements and unconventional drumming
(Alex Atkins and Ernest Cotton were often on sax with Al Gavin on drums). Lenoir had successfully toured Europe and was
likely about to achieve greater fame when he died in 1966 due to complications from a car accident.
Essential listening: "Shot on James Meredith," "Mama, Talk to Your Daughter," "Everybody Wants to Know," "Natural
Man," "Eisenhower Blues," "Korea Blues," "Vietnam Blues"
Little Richard
Born: December 5, 1932, Macon, Georgia
Also known as: Richard Wayne Penniman
Little Richard was a crucial link between R&B and rock and roll, merging the two with passionate, gospel-inspired vocals
and a truly incendiary presence that translated incredibly well onto recording tape. The true peak of his career only lasted
three years (and included appearances in rock and roll films), but his many hits are absolute classics and he had an enormous
influence on blues, rock, and pop music. Little Richard's recordings feature an overwhelming compilation of superb
musicianship — his ferocious vocals and relentlessly wild piano playing, strong baritone and tenor sax (often Alvin Tyler
and Lee Alvin, respectively), and fabulous rhythm section (namely drummer Earl Palmer). Like other performers such as Son
House and Blind Willie Johnson, the religious fervour Little Richard brought to his music was key to its riveting appeal. In
1957 he actually turned his back on his music career in favour of religious studies. He came back to music in the early 1960s,
and later repeated the journey from music to religion and back again. Little Richard continues to perform on occasion.
Essential listening: "Lucille," "Good Golly Miss Molly," "Long Tall Sally," "Tutti Frutti"
Alan Lomax
Born: January 15, 1915, Austin, Texas
Died: July 19, 2002, Sarasota, Florida
Alan Lomax began his long career as a folklorist when he was still a teenager, traveling with his father, John, throughout the
South to preserve the area's music legacy of folk, work songs and spirituals, among other music. During their travels to
Southern prisons, the father and son team came upon William Ledbetter, better known as Lead Belly, recorded him for the
first time and actually negotiated his release on the basis of the singer/songwriter's talent. Alan Lomax subsequently returned
to the South on his own, where he recorded many Mississippi bluesmen, including Muddy Waters, Son House, and
Mississippi Fred McDowell. He also recorded jazz legend Jelly Roll Morton. Lomax's life was dedicated to preserving the
musical legacy of not only the United States, but other parts of the world as well, including Europe and the Caribbean. His
blues recordings are classics, and in his award-winning memoir, The Land Where the Blues Began, he not only chronicled
the history of the blues as seen through his field experiences, but also captured the bitter racism that was faced by the nowlegendary artists he recorded. Lomax left behind an invaluable musical and historical legacy.
Essential listening: "Walking Blues," "Country Blues," "Life is Like That" (from The Land Where the Blues Began, 2002,
Rounder)
Brownie McGhee
Born: November 30, 1915, Knoxville, Tennessee
Died: February 23, 1996, Oakland, California
Also known as: Walter McGhee
Brownie McGhee played blues guitar in a style that was heavily influenced by Blind Boy Fuller, a North Carolina native
whose repertoire included a complicated finger picking style characteristic of a regional genre known as Piedmont blues.
Early in his career, McGhee worked as a traveling performer. When he made it to North Carolina he met Blind Boy Fuller
and his manager, J.B. Long, and it was long who helped McGhee make his first recordings. McGhee later moved to New
York where he teamed up with harmonica player Sonny Terry. With the help of legendary singer/songwriter Lead Belly,
McGhee and Terry became an important part of the city's folk scene, working with such artists as Pete Seeger and Woody
Guthrie. As a duo they were enormously popular performers and prolific recording artists for almost four decades. McGhee
also opened a music school in Harlem where he offered guitar lessons. Both individually and in his partnership with Sonny
Terry, McGhee had a lasting influence on both blues and folk. He was an accomplished and versatile guitarist and vocalist
whose mastery as a musician included R&B, electric blues and vintage country blues, in addition to the Piedmont style he
helped preserve.
Essential listening: "Workingman's Blues," "Death of Blind Boy Fuller," "Living With the Blues"
Magic Slim
Born: August 7, 1937, Grenada, Mississippi
Also known as: Morris Holt
A Magic Slim performance brings the history of Chicago blues to life — he studied and played with the masters and he
brings their styles together, infusing them with his own fiery skill. He might not be the King of the Blues in Chicago, but he's
certainly one of the royal families. Slim grew up in Mississippi and knew blues great Magic Sam when the two were children
— it was Sam who gave him the nickname. Slim came to Chicago in the mid-fifties with the hopes of becoming a great
bluesman, but didn't have the skill level to hold his own with the city's stars. He came back ten years later having honed his
licks and formed a band with his brothers; the group soon became a powerful force on the city's South Side. Slim was
particularly influenced by the guitar work of Muddy Waters, Freddie King, Buddy Guy, Otis Rush and his old buddy Magic
Sam, and he was a devoted student. Decades (and personnel changes) later Slim and his band still maintain a reputation for
blowing the room away with their powerful lead and rhythm guitar styling’s and a truly amazing repertoire, including fine
original material.
Essential listening: "Scuffling," "Love My Baby," "Help Yourself"
Taj Mahal
Born: May 17, 1942, New York, New York
Also known as: Henry St. Claire Fredericks
Taj Mahal is an extremely versatile songwriter, musician and performer who incorporates his lifelong study of blues and
other genres, as well as the music of other cultures — including Hawaiian, West African, reggae, zydeco, R&B, Latin,
gospel, jazz and folk — in his song writing and performance. Mahal has mastered many instruments, including piano, bass,
guitar, banjo and harmonica, and is an expressive vocalist. His deep respect for the true roots of all musical styles is evident
in his performance. Stories of legendary and obscure artists from blues and other genres as well as various musical styles and
influences are often interspersed between songs. Mahal began performing as a folk singer while he was still a teenager, and
during college he became part of Boston's folk scene. He eventually moved to Los Angeles where for a short time he worked
with guitar master Ry Cooder. Mahal's loyalty to blues can be found on most of the albums he has released in his prolific
career, and is particularly evident in his early, critically-acclaimed releases. Taj Mahal continues to record and perform.
Essential listening: "Fishin' Blues," "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl," "Do I Love Her," "Satisfied and Tickled Too,"
"Strut," "Hard Way"
Memphis Minnie
Born: June 3, 1897, Algiers, Louisiana
Died: August 6, 1973, Memphis, Tennessee
also known as: Lizzie Douglas
Memphis Minnie was an accomplished guitarist, banjo player, vocalist and songwriter whose career was long and prolific,
and she won the enduring respect of her contemporaries, male and female. Her talent had an impact on Memphis's famed
Beale Street blues community as well as both the pre-war and post-war Chicago blues scene. She established herself on Beale
Street during the 1920s, then moved to Chicago in 1930, where she reportedly regularly won guitar playing competitions,
beating out the best of them, including Big Bill Broonzy, Tampa Red, and Muddy Waters. In addition to her superb
musicianship, her performance featured rich vocals with a deep, full tone. Her song writing, often conveying a purely female
perspective, was as gutsy and suggestive as any of her male counterparts, and many of her originals have become classics.
Among her many contributions to the blues, she was also known for her kindness and generosity toward up and coming blues
musicians. In 1971 Led Zeppelin recorded its take on her original "When the Levee Breaks" — a testament to the timeless
appeal of her music.
Essential listening: "Bumble Bee," "I'd Rather See Him Dead," "Moaning the Blues," "When the Levee Breaks," "Hoodoo
Lady"
Muddy Waters
Born: April 4, 1915, Rolling Forks, Mississippi
Died: April 30, 1983, Westmont, Illinois
Also known as: McKinley Morganfield
Muddy Waters grew up in the Mississippi Delta, singing as he worked in the cotton fields as a boy and playing near his
favourite muddy creek — thus the nickname. He picked up a guitar when he was 17. Influenced by the deeply emotional
performer Son House as well as Robert Johnson, Waters became an accomplished bluesman himself. In the early 1940s he
took the raw depth of the Delta blues to Chicago, and in a few years he had revolutionized the city's blues scene. His many
contributions to Chicago blues include his skill with an electric guitar, his tough, powerful vocals, and his evocative,
compelling song writing. As a bandleader he established the ensemble sound and style of Chicago electric blues — just about
every great Chicago blues player of that time was in Waters’ band at one point or another. British rockers the Rolling Stones
took their name from a Waters’ song — a testament to Waters’ extensive influence on both American and British rock and
roll.
Essential listening: "Rolling Stone," "Honey Bee," "I Can't Be Satisfied," "Mannish Boy," "Got My Mojo Working"
Roosevelt "Booba" Barnes
Born: September 25, 1936 in Longwood, MS
Died: April 2, 1996 in Chicago, IL
Booba Barnes & His Playboys rocked the hardest of all the juke-joint combos in the Mississippi Delta during the '80s, and
after the release of his debut album (The Heartbroken Man, 1990), "Booba" took his act and his band north to Chicago,
following the trail of his idols Howlin' Wolf and Little Milton. In a Guitar Player review, Jas Obrecht called Barnes "a
wonderfully idiosyncratic guitar player and an extraordinary vocalist by any standard."
Roosevelt "Booba" Barnes began playing music professionally in 1960, playing guitar in a Mississippi band named the
Swinging Gold Coasters. Four years later, he moved to Chicago, where he performed in blues clubs whenever he could get
work. Barnes returned to his home state of Mississippi in 1971, where he began playing bars and clubs around Greenville.
Barnes continued to play the juke joints of Mississippi for the next decade. In 1985 he opened his own joint, the Playboy
Club. With Barnes and his backing band, the Playboys, acting as the house band, the bar became one of the most popular in
the Delta. Soon, the band was popular enough to have a record contract with Rooster Blues. Their first album, The
Heartbroken Man, was released in 1990. After its release, Booba Barnes & His Playboys toured the United States and
Europe. They continued to tour, as well as occasionally record, until Barnes died of cancer in April 1996.
Willie Nix
Born: August 6, 1922, Memphis, Tennessee
Died: July 8, 1991, Leland, Mississippi
Willie Nix was an innovative drummer and gifted lyricist as well as vocalist, and was an integral part of Memphis's Beale
Street blues community during the late forties and early fifties. Nix originally began performing as a tap-dancer when he was
very young — his creative sense of rhythm as a drummer likely had its roots in his instincts as a dancer. Nix recorded and
played in both Memphis and Chicago, and worked with legendary bluesmen in both cities, among them Junior Parker, B.B.
King, Elmore James, Sonny Boy Williamson II, and Bobby Blue Bland. Nix eventually moved back to Memphis and
continued to be a local fixture in the blues community. He performed on and off until his death in 1991.
Essential listening: "Truckin' Little Woman," "Nervous Wreck," "No More Love"
T-Model Ford
Born: 1925 in Greenville, MS
Singer, songwriter, and guitarist T-Model Ford (James Lewis Carter Ford) plays a raw-edged, visceral style of blues from the
Mississippi Delta, accompanied much of the time by his drummer, Spam (Tommy Lee Miles). Ford caught a break when he
opened up on a national tour for Buddy Guy and his band, playing respectable theatres and some festivals, but he's been
chronically under-recorded. He began playing guitar late in life and hadn't really toured much outside the Mississippi Delta
until the 1990s and into the new millennium. In recent years he's been well-received at Antone's nightclub in Austin during
the South by Southwest Music Festival, at the Chicago Blues Festival, and on tour with Guy and his band. When not on the
road, playing mostly blues nightclubs, T-Model Ford and Spam set their instruments and amps up on Nelson Street in
Greenville, MS, where they'll play for as much as eight hours straight. Ford's sound is raw, unadulterated Delta blues, and the
music on his albums tends to sound sparse but is very rhythmic, given that his sole accompanist is the drummer Spam. His
albums, all for the Fat Possum label, now based in Los Angeles, include Pee-Wee Get My Gun (1997), You Better Keep
Still (1999), She Ain't None of Your'n (2000), and Bad Man (2002). After a six-year break from recording -- though he
toured regularly -- Ford returned to the bins on the alive imprint with Ladies Man in 2010; he followed it with Taledragger in
2011.
Junior Parker
Born: March 27, 1932, West Memphis, Arkansas
Died: November 18, 1971, Chicago, Illinois
also known as: Herman Parker, Jr.
Junior Parker was known for his prowess as a vocalist, bandleader, songwriter and harmonica player, but it was his voice —
which music historians describe as "honeyed," "velvet-smooth" and "magic carpet" — that brought him real fame. Parker
was mentored in the subtleties of blues harp (harmonica) by the blues legend Sonny Boy Williamson II, and joined Howlin'
Wolf's band when he was still a teenager. He was part of Memphis's famous Beale Street blues community. Reportedly one
of talent scout Ike Turner's many discoveries, Parker recorded for Sun records in the early fifties; his rendition of the selfpenned "Mystery Train" made it to number 5 on the R&B charts and was later covered by Elvis Presley. Parker's recordings
would make the charts many more times throughout the decade and into the early sixties. During the late fifties Parker led a
highly successful R&B revue, Blues Consolidated, which also featured fellow Beale Street vocalist Bobby Blue Bland.
Though he never was able to sustain the fame he'd achieved during the fifties, Parker continued working as a recording artist
and performer throughout the sixties.
Essential listening: "Mystery Train," "Next Time You See Me," "Barefoot Rock," "Feelin' Good," "Love My Baby"
Charley Patton
Born: 1891, Edwards, Mississippi
Died: April 28, 1934, Indianola, Mississippi
Charley Patton is the uncontested father of the Delta blues. His ferocious, high energy performance brought the house down
on a regular basis with a gritty, raw vocal style and an ability to act as a one-man percussion section with his guitar, creating
an innovative flow of rhythm and counter-rhythm. His uninhibited performances onstage were reflected in his lifestyle — he
was a match for any one of his musical descendants as a hard drinker and womanizer. Patton's legacy has inspired, directly
and indirectly, generations of both blues and rock and roll musicians. The guitar gymnastics of Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray
Vaughan are echoes of Patton's performance style and his use of rhythm and "popping" bass notes presaged funk by decades.
Patton influenced and played with blues greats Son House and Willie Brown, and also influenced Robert Johnson, Muddy
Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Johnny Shines, John Lee Hooker, and Pop Staples, among many others.
Essential listening: "Pony Blues," "High Water Everywhere," "Oh Death," "High Sheriff Blues"
Hound Dog Taylor
Born: April 12, 1915 in Natchez, MS
Alligator Records, Chicago's leading contemporary blues label, might never have been launched at all if not for the crashing,
slashing slide guitar antics of Hound Dog Taylor. Bruce Iglauer, then an employee of Delmark Records, couldn't convince
his boss, Bob Koester, of Taylor's potential, so Iglauer took matters into his own hands. In 1971, Alligator was born for the
express purpose of releasing Hound Dog's debut album. We all know what transpired after that.
Named after President Theodore Roosevelt, Mississippi-native Taylor took up the guitar when he was 20 years old. He made
a few appearances on Sonny Boy Williamson's fabled KFFA King Biscuit Time radio broadcasts out of Helena, Arkansas,
before coming to Chicago in 1942. It was another 15 years before Taylor made blues his full-time vocation,
though. Taylor was a favourite on Chicago's South and West sides during the late '50s and early '60s. It's generally accepted
that Freddy King copped a good portion of his classic "Hide Away" from an instrumental he heard Taylor cranking out on
the bandstand.
Taylor's pre-Alligator credits were light -- only a 1960 single for Cadillac Baby's Bea & Baby imprint ("Baby Is Coming
Home"/"Take Five"), a 1962 45 for Carl Jones' Firma Records ("Christine"/"Alley Music"), and a 1967 effort for Checker
("Watch Out"/"Down Home") predated his output for Iglauer.
Taylor's relentlessly raucous band, the House Rockers, consisted of only two men, though their combined racket sounded like
quite a few more. Second guitarist Brewer Phillips, who often supplied buzzing pseudo-basslines on his guitar, had
developed such an empathy with Taylor that their guitars intertwined with ESP-like force, while drummer Ted Harvey kept
everything moving along at a brisk pace.
Their eponymous 1971 debut LP contained the typically rowdy "Give Me Back My Wig," while Taylor's first Alligator
encore in 1973, Natural Boogie, boasted the hypnotic "Sadie" and a stomping "Roll Your Money-maker." Beware of the
Dog, a live set, vividly captured the good-time vibe that the perpetually beaming guitarist emanated, but Taylor didn’t live to
see its release -- he died of cancer shortly before it hit the shelves.
Hound Dog Taylor was the obvious inspiration for Alligator's "Genuine House rocking Music" motto, a credo Iglauer's firm
has followed for four decades and counting. He wasn't the most accomplished of slide guitarists, but Hound Dog
Taylor could definitely rock any house that he played.
Champion Jack Dupree
Born: July 23, 1909 in New Orleans,
A formidable contender in the ring before he shifted his focus to pounding the piano instead, Champion Jack Dupree often
injected his lyrics with a rowdy sense of down-home humour. But there was nothing light-hearted about his rock-solid way
with a boogie; when he shouted "Shake Baby Shake," the entire room had no choice but to acquiesce.
Dupree was notoriously vague about his beginnings, claiming in some interviews that his parents died in a fire set by the Ku
Klux Klan, at other times saying that the blaze was accidental. Whatever the circumstances of the tragic
conflagration, Dupree grew up in New Orleans' Collared Waifs' Home for Boys (Louis Armstrong also spent his formative
years there). Learning his trade from barrelhouse 88s ace Willie, Dupree left the Crescent City in 1930 for Chicago and then
Detroit. By 1935, he was boxing professionally in Indianapolis, battling in an estimated 107 bouts.
In 1940, Dupree made his recording debut for Chicago A&R man extraordinaire Lester Melrose and OKeh Records. Dupree's
1940-1941 output for the Columbia subsidiary exhibited a strong New Orleans tinge despite the Chicago surroundings; his
driving "Junker's Blues" was later cleaned up as Fats Domino's 1949 debut, "The Fat Man." After a stretch in the Navy
during World War II (he was a Japanese P.O.W. for two years), Dupree decided tickling the 88s beat pugilism any old day.
He spent most of his time in New York and quickly became a prolific recording artist, cutting for Continental, Joe Davis,
Alert, Apollo, and Red Robin (where he cut a blasting "Shim Sham Shimmy" in 1953), often in the company of Brownie
McGhee. Contracts meant little; Dupree masqueraded as Brother Blues on Abbey, Lightnin' Jr. on Empire, and the truly
imaginative Meat Head Johnson for Gotham and Apex.
King Records corralled Dupree in 1953 and held onto him through 1955 (the year he enjoyed his only R&B chart hit, the
relaxed "Walking the Blues.") Dupree's King output rates with his very best; the romping "Mail Order Woman," "Let the
Doorbell Ring," and "Big Leg Emma's" contrasting with the rural "Me and My Mule" (Dupree's vocal on the latter
emphasizing a harelip speech impediment for politically incorrect pseudo-comic effect).
Miles Davis
Born: May 26, 1926 in Alton, IL
Died: September 28, 1991 in Santa
Throughout a professional career lasting 50 years, Miles Davis played the trumpet in a lyrical, introspective, and melodic
style, often employing a stem less Harmon mute to make his sound more personal and intimate. But if his approach to his
instrument was constant, his approach to jazz was dazzlingly protean. To examine his career is to examine the history of jazz
from the mid-'40s to the early '90s, since he was in the thick of almost every important innovation and stylistic development
in the music during that period, and he often led the way in those changes, both with his own performances and recordings
and by choosing sidemen and collaborators who forged new directions. It can even be argued that jazz stopped evolving
when Davis wasn't there to push it forward.
Davis was the son of a dental surgeon, Dr. Miles Dewey Davis, Jr., and a music teacher, Cleota Mae (Henry) Davis, and thus
grew up in the black middle class of East St. Louis after the family moved there shortly after his birth. He became interested
in music during his childhood and by the age of 12 began taking trumpet lessons. While still in high school, he started to get
jobs playing in local bars and at 16 was playing gigs out of town on weekends. At 17, he joined Eddie Randle's Blue Devils,
a territory band based in St. Louis. He enjoyed a personal apotheosis in 1944, just after graduating from high school, when he
saw and was allowed to sit in with Eckstein’s big band, which was playing in St. Louis. The band featured trumpeter Dizzy
Gillespie and saxophonist Charlie Parker, the architects of the emerging bebop style of jazz, which was characterized by fast,
inventive soloing and dynamic rhythm variations.
It is striking that Davis fell so completely under Gillespie and Parker's spell, since his own slower and less flashy style never
really compared to theirs. But bebop was the new sound of the day, and the young trumpeter was bound to follow it. He did
so by leaving the Midwest to attend the Institute of Musical Art in New York City (renamed Juilliard) in September 1944.
Shortly after his arrival in Manhattan, he was playing in clubs with Parker, and by 1945 he had abandoned his academic
studies for a full-time career as a jazz musician, initially joining Benny Carter's band and making his first recordings as a
sideman. He played with Eckstine in 1946-1947 and was a member of Parker's group in 1947-1948, making his recording
debut as a leader on a 1947 session that featured Parker, pianist John Lewis, bassist Nelson Boyd, and drummer Max Roach.
This was an isolated date, however, and Davis spent most of his time playing and recording behind Parker. But in the
summer of 1948, he organized a nine-piece band with an unusual horn section. In addition to himself, it featured an alto
saxophone, a baritone saxophone, a trombone, a French horn, and a tuba. This none employing arrangements by Gil
Evans and others, played for two weeks at the Royal Roost in New York in September. Earning a contract with Capitol
Records, the band went into the studio in January 1949 for the first of three sessions which produced 12 tracks that attracted
little attention at first. The band's relaxed sound, however, affected the musicians who played it, among them Kai
Winding, Lee Konitz,Gerry Mulligan, John Lewis, J.J. Johnson, and Kenny Clarke, and it had a profound influence on the
development of the cool jazz style on the West Coast
Pinetop Perkins
Born: July 7, 1913 in Belzoni, MS
Died: March 21, 2011 in Austin, TX
He admittedly wasn't the originator of the seminal piano piece "Pinetop's Boogie Woogie," but it's a safe bet that more
people associate it nowadays with Pinetop Perkins than with the man who devised it in the first place, Clarence "Pinetop"
Smith. Although it seems as though he was around Chicago forever, the Mississippi native actually got a relatively late
start on his path to Windy City immortality. It was only when Muddy Waters took him on to replace Otis Spann in 1969
that Perkins' rolling mastery of the ivories began to assume outsized proportions.
Perkins began his blues existence primarily as a guitarist, but a mid-'40s encounter with an outraged chorus girl toting a
knife at a Helena, Arkansas nightspot left him with severed tendons in his left arm. That dashed his guitar aspirations,
but Joe Willie Perkins came back strong from the injury, concentrating solely on piano from that point on. Perkins had
travelled to Helena with Robert Nighthawkin 1943, playing with the elegant slide guitarist on Nighthawk's KFFA radio
program. Perkins soon switched over to rival Sonny Boy Williamson's beloved King Biscuit Time radio show in Helena,
where he remained for an extended period. Perkins accompanied Nighthawk on a 1950 session for the Chess brothers that
produced "Jackson Town Gal," but Chicago couldn't hold him at the time.
Nighthawk disciple Earl Hooker recruited Perkins during the early '50s. They hit the road, pausing at Sam' studios in
Memphis long enough for Perkins to wax his first version of "Pinetop's Boogie Woogie" in 1953. He settled in downstate
Illinois for a spell, and then relocated to Chicago. Music gradually was relegated to the back burner until Hooker coaxed
him into working on an LP for Arhoolie in 1968. When Spann split from Muddy Waters, the stage was set for Pinetop
Perkins‘re-emergence.
After more than a decade with the Man, Perkins and his bandmasters leften masse to form the Legendary Blues Band.
Their early Rounder albums (Life of Ease, Red Hot 'n' Blue) prominently spotlighted Perkins' rippling 88s and rich vocals.
He had previously waxed an album for the French Black & Blue logo in 1976 and four fine cuts for Alligator’s
Living anthologies in 1978. Finally, in 1988, he cut his first domestic album for Blind Pig, After Hours. After that, Pinetop
Perkins made up for precious lost time in the studio. Discs for Antone's, Omega (Portrait of a Delta Bluesman, a solo
outing that includes fascinating interview segments), Deluge, Earwig, and several other firms ensured that his boogie
legacy wouldn't be forgotten in the decades to come. In 2010 he collaborated with harmonica whiz Willie "Big Eyes"
Smith for the album Joined at the Hip, which won a Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Album, giving Perkins the status
of oldest Grammy winner ever. On March 21, 2011, just over a month after the award ceremony, the legendary bluesman
died from a heart attack at his home in Austin, Texas. Pinetop Perkins was 97 years old.
Boston, Blackie
Born: Nov. 6, 1943 Panola, AL
R&B Vocals, Guitar aka Bennie Joe Houston
Source: Alabama Music Hall of Fame
Boston Blackie (Bennie Joe Houston) (aka Dog Man) - Died 7-11-1993 in Chicago, IL,
U.S. - Shot ( Blues ) Born 11-6-1943 in Panola, AL, U.S. - Singer and guitarist - Was a
member of Sweetman And The Sugar Boys - Worked with Little Milton, Johnny B. Moore
and Lee Shot Williams.
Sam Phillips
Born: January 1, 1923, Florence, Alabama
Died: July 31, 2003, Memphis, Tennessee
Sam Phillips has had an enormous impact on music, particularly blues, rock and roll and rockabilly. As an innovative
producer and owner of Memphis's legendary Sun Studios, Phillips made his mark on music history by discovering and
recording such legends as Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and others. Slightly earlier in his career, however,
Phillips recorded many blues legends, including Howlin' Wolf, B.B. King, Little Milton and Junior Parker. Sun Studios is
often called "The Birthplace of Rock and Roll" — in 1951 Phillips recorded the legendary single "Rocket 88," which is often
referred to as the first rock and roll record. The song reached number one on R&B charts and helped put Memphis on the
musical map. Phillip's obvious gift for bringing out the best in his recording artists is evident on early Sun recordings, which
are also known for their live, vital sound. Sun Studios still exists in its original Memphis location.
Essential listening: "B.B. Blues," "My Baby Walked Off," "I Found a New Love," "Lookin' for My Baby" (from Blue
Flames: A Sun Blues Collection, Rhino-Sun)
Professor Longhair
Born: December 19, 1918, Bogalusa, Louisiana
Died: January 30, 1980, New Orleans, Louisiana
also known as: Henry Roeland "Roy" Byrd
Professor Longhair is known as the Father of New Orleans rhythm and blues. He was a vocalist and songwriter, and as a
pianist his wildly innovative style combined zydeco, jazz, blues, calypso and ragtime influences with an amazing sense of
rhythm. Longhair's infectious talent influenced New Orleans-based greats such as Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, and Fats
Domino, among others. He began performing when he was quite young, and later formed several bands, including Professor
Longhair and his Blues Jumpers, with whom he recorded the single, "Baldhead," which eventually reached number 5 on the
R&B charts. During most of his career he remained a local legend because of his lack of interest in touring, but many of his
recordings became New Orleans classics, including "Tipitina," for which the legendary nightclub was named. Longhair's
popularity subsided during the 1960's and he worked as a janitor until his performance career was revived in the early
seventies. Thereafter he was a regular at New Orleans's Jazz & Heritage Festival, toured the U.S. and Europe and continued
to record to critical acclaim.
Essential recordings: "Tipitina," "Baldhead," "Big Chief," "Go to the Mardi Gras," "In the Night"
Gertrude "Ma" Rainey
Born: April 26, 1886, Columbus, Georgia
Died: December 22, 1939, Columbus, Georgia
also known as: Gertrude Pridgett
Ma Rainey is commonly known as the Mother of the Blues because of her significant influence on the many female blues
singers who succeeded her. She began performing in minstrel and vaudeville shows around the age of 14, and is widely
considered to be one of the first female singers to perform blues in that setting. She was an important link between the rough
vocals of country blues, then a male-dominated genre which her vocal delivery resembled, and the more polished sound of
classic urban blues, a female-dominated genre which she ultimately influenced. In 1904 Rainey married William (known as
Pa) Rainey, and the two of them performed together calling themselves "Assassinators of the Blues." Legend has it that
during their travels Ma Rainey met Bessie Smith, and became somewhat of a mentor to the young singer. In addition to
Rainey's vocal prowess, she was also a talented songwriter. After more than two decades of performing, Rainey began to
record in 1923, and she left behind a prolific legacy that includes many classics.
Essential listening: "C.C. Rider," "Bo Weavil Blues," "Jelly Bean Blues," "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"
Jimmy Reed
Born: September 9, 1925, Dunleith, Mississippi
Died: August 29, 1976, Oakland, California
Also known as: Mathias James Reed
Jimmy Reed's brand of blues was smooth, warm and even sweet — quite a contrast to the rough, gritty sound which usually
characterizes the genre. Reed and his guitarist Eddie Taylor were childhood friends in Mississippi, and they later settled in
Chicago, where they would became a unique recording presence. Reed's easy-going style, built on a solid foundation of Delta
blues, featured walking "boogie woogie" bass notes, catchy rhythmic hooks — crafted by Taylor — and fluid harmonica
riffs. All this was delivered through Reed's expressive, irresistible vocals — the combination was a contagiously compelling
sound. Some of Reed's success was also due to his wife Mary Lee's considerable talent as a songwriter. Reed's recordings
were hugely popular with both blues and pop audiences; he enjoyed a long series of hits from 1955 through 1961. Many of
his songs have been covered by blues, rock and roll and pop artists, including the Rolling Stones, who along with Bob Dylan
acknowledge him as a huge influence. Even the king of rock and roll, Elvis Presley, couldn't resist recording a Jimmy Reed
song.
Essential listening: "Ain't That Loving You Baby," "Baby What Do You Want Me to Do," "Hush, Hush," "Shame, Shame,
Shame," "You Don't Have to Go"
Bobby Rush
Born: November 10, 1940, Homer, Louisiana
Bobby Rush began performing in Chicago as a teenager, and performed with blues greats Freddie King and Luther Allison.
He saw some recording success during the 1970s, making the R&B charts with his hit "Chicken Heads," which is still one of
his standards, and became a very popular performer and prolific recording artist after he moved to Mississippi in the early
eighties. Rush is known for his high-energy performances, featuring light-hearted, funky, and often very suggestive blues,
R&B, and soul. He has received several nominations for the prestigious W.C. Handy awards as well as other blues, R&B and
soul awards.
Read an archived version of Bobby Rush's Washington Post online chat.
Essential listening: "A Man Can Give It (But He Can't Take It)," "Chicken Heads," "Mama Talk to Your Daughter," "Sue,"
"What's good for the Goose is good for the Gander"
Otis Rush
Born: April 29, 1934, Philadelphia, Mississippi
Otis Rush is a stunning vocalist, innovative guitarist and songwriter who has hugely influenced blues and rock artists,
including Johnny Winter, Stevie Ray Vaughan (whose band, Double Trouble, was named after Rush's song of the same
name), Jeff Beck, and Carlos Santana. Rush was inspired to become a bluesman after he moved to Chicago in the late forties
and saw Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf perform. Along with Buddy Guy and Magic Slim, Rush developed a playing style
that would become known as the "West Side sound," an emotionally intense combination of guitar licks and expressive
vocals, with an urban sound that signified a departure from classic Mississippi Delta blues. Willie Dixon recognized Rush's
genius early on, and Rush's recording of Dixon's original, "I Can't Quit You, Baby," reached number 9 on the R&B charts in
the mid-fifties. A songwriter in his own right, Rush's frequent use of minor keys provides his music with a subtle but
unmistakably anguished tone and interesting moodiness. He is a left-handed guitarist, and like Albert King, one of his
primary influences, he plays the guitar upside down rather than having it restrung. Rush continues to tour.
Essential listening: "I Can't Quit You, Baby," "Double Trouble," "So Many Roads, so Many Trains," "All Your Love"
Bessie Smith
Born: April 15, 1894, Chattanooga, Tennessee
Died: September 26, 1937, Clarksdale, Mississippi
Bessie Smith's talent as a vocalist is legendary and she has influenced generations of blues singers, from Billie Holiday to
Janis Joplin. She was enormously successful throughout the twenties as a blues and sometimes jazz singer, and beyond that
she was an inspiration to the black community, as she lived her life with confidence and uncompromising self-respect, on no
one's terms but her own. This self-assurance was part of the appeal of her rich, expressive vocals. Smith sometimes wrote her
own material, such as "Back Water Blues." Her career was impacted by the Depression, as were the careers of many artists,
but she continued to perform. She was probably on the verge of a comeback, reportedly having been scheduled to play
Carnegie Hall at John Hammond's legendary concert "From Spirituals to Swing," when she was killed in a car accident in
1937.
Essential recordings: "Lost Your Head Blues," "Nobody Knows You When you’re Down and Out," "'Taint Nobody's
Business if I Do," "Back Water Blues," "Broken Hearted Blues"
Mamie Smith
Born: May 26, 1883, Cincinnati, Ohio
Died: October 30, 1946, New York, New York
Mamie Smith was primarily a cabaret and vaudeville singer, but she made blues history by being the first singer to record a
blues song. "Crazy Blues," recorded in 1920, was a huge hit, selling more than one million copies within a year of its release.
This success inspired the release of further blues recordings by female artists. So, although Mamie Smith technically wasn't a
blues singer, she was a ground-breaking and influential artist for the genre. Her majestic stage presence and ornate costumes
and jewellery also influenced other female blues singers of the twenties.
Essential listening: "Crazy Blues," "It's Right here for you," "You Can't Keep a Good Man down," "That Thing Called Love"
Victoria Spivey
Born: October 15, 1906, Houston, Texas
Died: October 3, 1976, New York, New York
Victoria Spivey's career lasted much longer than that of most other female blues singers of the 1920s. She was a clever
songwriter who unflinchingly addressed diverse topics, and as a vocalist her delivery of the blues was sincere and
convincing. Spivey started out as a performer in Houston, and is rumoured to have played with Blind Lemon Jefferson. For a
time she worked as a songwriter for the St. Louis Music Company, and later was based in New York, where she performed
constantly. Spivey was artistically influenced by blues great Ida Cox and she may have also been influenced by her on a more
practical level — both women are reputed to have had formidable business acumen. Spivey took a hiatus from music during
the fifties, but managed a comeback in the early sixties, starting her own record company just in time for the mid-sixties
blues revival to breathe new life into her career as a performer. She released predominantly classic blues on her record label,
and continued to tour until her death in 1976.
Essential listening: "Dope Head Blues," "Black Snake Blues," TB Blues," "Organ Grinder Blues"
Koko Taylor
Born: September 28, 1935, Memphis, Tennessee
also known as: Cora Walton
Koko Taylor is a living testament to blues history and can still belt out a song as powerfully and joyfully as ever. A warm,
charismatic performer, she has been the undisputed Queen of Chicago Blues for decades, and her reign is still going strong.
Taylor's career began after she and her husband moved from Memphis to Chicago, where they frequented the local blues
clubs. Once she began sitting in with bands it quickly became obvious she could hold her own not only among female
vocalists, but with any of the male heavy hitters, such as contemporaries Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters. Among her fans
was blues great Willie Dixon, who was instrumental in the advancement of her career. Her recording of his original song
"Wang Dang Doodle" climbed the rhythm and blues charts, was a million-plus seller, and remains one of her classics. For
almost 20 years running she garnered the prestigious W.C. Handy Award. A legend in her own right, she has been compared
to blues greats Bessie Smith and Big Mama Thornton. In the late 1980s Taylor overcame health challenges and adversity to
maintain her reputation as a performer and recording artist of passionate, soulful blues.
Essential listening: "I'm A Woman," "Wang Dang Doodle," "What Kind of Man is This," "I Got What it Takes"
Sonny Terry
Born: October 24, 1911, Greensboro, North Carolina
Died: March 12, 1986, New York, New York
Sonny Terry was a legendary harmonica player who hugely influenced both blues and folk music. Terry began his career
playing on the streets of Raleigh Durham, North Carolina, where he met local blues guitarist and vocalist Blind Boy Fuller.
The two began performing and recording as a duo. After Fuller's death Terry teamed up with guitarist Brownie McGhee, who
had been heavily influenced by Fuller. The musical partnership of Terry and McGhee would last three decades. The two
became an important part of New York's folk scene, playing with legends Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and Lead Belly. They
were a versatile and enormously popular duo who always maintained their signature style, Piedmont blues, which was
specific to the southeast United States. As a team they recorded prolifically and kept a busy touring schedule. The partnership
ended in the mid-seventies and Terry continued to record and performs on his own. He published a book, The Harp Styles of
Sonny Terry, in 1975.
Essential listening: "Mountain Blues," "One Monkey Don't Stop the Show," "Sonny's Whoopin' the Doop," "I Think I Got
the Blues"
Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Born: March 20, 1921, Cotton Plant, Arkansas
Died: October 9, 1973, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Sister Rosetta Tharpe mastered the guitar by the age of 6, and grew up singing gospel with her mother. Tharpe was a riveting
performer with a flair for showmanship and a definite blues influence in her phrasing and musicianship. She signed a
recording contract with Decca while still a teenager and her recordings were huge hits. Tharpe's talent and appeal were so
outrageous and contagious that it was inevitable her talents would one day extend beyond the gospel community. Her later
career embodied the early, on-going battle between sacred music and a more secular sound — a struggle that many black
artists from the gospel tradition has had to face. Eventually Tharpe caused great controversy in the gospel community and
lost much of her loyal audience when she recorded pure blues in the early 1950s (along with gospel artist Madame Marie
Knight). It took about a decade before Tharpe made her way back to acceptance from the gospel community. She continued
to tour until her death in 1973.
Essential listening: "Rock Me," "This Train," "Down by the Riverside," "Didn't it Rain," "Up above My Head"
Big Mama Thornton
Born: December 11, 1926, Montgomery, Alabama
Died: July 25, 1984, Los Angeles, California
Also known as: Willie Mae Thornton
Big Mama Thornton was a great blues vocalist in the tradition of Bessie Smith, Memphis Minnie and Ma Rainey, and was
also a drummer and harmonica player. She had considerable success with her 1953 recording of "Hound Dog," which
reached number 1 on the R&B charts and stayed there for seven weeks. (Three years later the song was immortalized by
Elvis Presley.) Thornton began her professional singing career at the age of 14, touring the South with the Hot Harlem
Revue. She later moved to Houston, Texas where she did some recording and worked with Johnny Otis and Junior Parker,
among others. In the early sixties she settled in San Francisco, playing in local blues clubs as well as touring with blues
festivals. Thornton continued to perform until her death in 1984. Among her recordings is "Ball 'n Chain," recorded in 1965,
which Janis Joplin covered three years later.
Essential listening: "Hound Dog," "Ball and Chain," "Just like a Dog," "I Smell a Rat," "Stop Hoppin' on Me"
Ali Farka Toure
Born: 1939, Gourmararusse, Mali
Ali Farka Toure is a multi-lingual West African vocalist, guitarist, drummer, and songwriter who, as music historian Richie
Unterberg observed, has been "described as 'the African John Lee Hooker' so many times that it probably began to grate on
both Toure's and Hooker's nerves."* The comparison is due to Toure's mesmerizing, stripped-down sound that features
innovative rhythm and haunting, low vocals. His exceptional music is often described as uniting the sounds of the
Mississippi Delta with those of West Africa, and he clearly adds more global influences, musically and instrumentally, to the
mix. Toure has had an enormous influence on world music, and has worked with Ry Cooder, Taj Mahal and the Chieftains,
among others.
Essential listening: "Ali's Here," "Saukare," "Bonde," "Amandrai," "Soukora"
Johnnie Billington
Born: 1935 in Crowder, Mississippi
Johnnie Billington was born in 1935 in Crowder, Mississippi, and a small community on the Quitman/Panola county line.
His father was a sharecropper and he grew up working on the farm. He first became interested in music through listening to
the legendary blues show, King Biscuit Time, which was broadcast from nearby Helena, Arkansas. Billington's father bought
him a guitar when he was ten years old and he began teaching himself the instrument by playing along with the King
Biscuit performers. By the age of thirteen he was playing in clubs throughout the Delta with a Clarksdale-based group. In the
early 1950s the other members of the band migrated to cities in the north. Billington left in 1954, first moving to Arizona,
and then settling in Chicago in 1959. There he reunited with his Mississippi band mates and they began playing local clubs.
Sometimes they were able to jam with some of the legendary Chicago bluesmen (and fellow Mississippi natives) such as
Muddy Waters, Elmore James, and Earl Hooker. During the day Billington worked at several different automotive plants and
eventually opened his own automotive repair shop, Johnnie's Sunoco, in Robbins, Illinois.Billington returned to Mississippi
in 1977 to be close to his aging mother and the rest of his family. He settled in Clarksdale and continued automotive repair
work in the day. However, seeing that many of the children in the neighbourhood had few opportunities, he began opening
his repair shop at night and using it as a rehearsal space to teach them how to play blues music. He was able to expand his
teaching efforts through grants from the Mississippi Arts Commission and in the early 1990s established the Delta Blues
Education Fund, a non-profit organization that offers a free year-long blues music instruction program to Delta youth.
In his DBEF program, Billington works with the students as a group, forming them into bands and teaching them the blues
repertoire and how to play together. In addition to the musical instruction, he stresses the importance of professionalism by
requiring his students to be prompt, maintain good conduct during rehearsals, and have a neat appearance. He also provides
them with information about the history of blues in the Mississippi Delta. Billington works with many children not involved
in the DBEF program through residency programs held at schools and community centres. While most of his residencies take
place within Mississippi, he has conducted them in Florida and at Harvard University.
Billington also provides his students opportunities to perform in public. He uses several of his more advanced students as his
back-up musicians in the group he leads, J.B. and the Midnighters. The group performs in a variety of venues throughout the
region, including blues and community festivals, schools, and community centres. Many of his former students have gone on
to work as leaders and sidemen in professional blues groups that play throughout the Delta and internationally.
Johnnie Billington has received several honours for his work in educating Delta youth, including Foundation’s “Keeping the
Blues Alive" Education Award, the Sunflower River Blues Association's Early Wright Award (for preservation of the blues),
the Mississippi Arts Commission's Folk Arts Fellowship, and the Artist Achievement Award from the Governor's Awards for
Excellence in the Arts. Billington has also served as a master artist in the Arts Commission's Folk Arts Apprenticeship
Program and was featured in River of Song, the 1999 PBS television series focusing on music along the Mississippi River.
Big Joe Turner
Born: May 18, 1911, Kansas City, Missouri
Died: November 24, 1985, Inglewood, California
Big Joe Turner was an accomplished and uncommonly versatile vocalist. His career spanned half a century, during which he
transitioned effortlessly from blues to R&B to rock and roll. Turner earned the nickname "Boss of the Blues" because of his
powerhouse vocals and formidable stage presence. A Kansas City native, Turner started out playing in local nightclubs,
mostly with pianist Pete Johnson, and sometimes with big bands, including that of Count Basie. Turner and Johnson became
one of many acts noticed by legendary talent scout John Hammond. At Hammond's suggestion they moved to New York and
were part of his "Spirituals to Swing" concert in 1938. The duo snared a regular gig at New York's Café Society, a
prestigious jazz club, and their enormous popularity was partially responsible for the rise of "boogie woogie" music during
the late thirties and early forties. Turner began to record and tour in the early forties, working with Duke Ellington, Art
Tatum, and others. A decade later Turner transitioned to R&B, releasing years of solid hits between 1951 and 1956, and in
the process becoming known as one of the founding fathers of rock and roll. Turner continued to perform and record until his
death in 1985.
Essential listening: "Roll 'Em Pete," "Honey Hush," "Shake, Rattle, and Roll," "Corinna Corrina," "Chains of Love"
Ike Turner
Born: November 5, 1931, Clarksdale, Mississippi
also known as: Izear Luster Turner, Jr.
Ike Turner has been an integral part of the history of blues, rock and R&B. As a pianist and guitarist he backed visiting
bluesmen and performed with his own band, the Kings of Rhythm, while still in high school. He worked as a talent scout in
Memphis and throughout the south, and as such he accelerated the careers of Howlin' Wolf, Little Milton and others; as a
session musician he often backed up the talent he discovered. Turner's band recorded the song "Rocket 88" in 1951 (recorded
under the name Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats), which hit number 1 on the R&B charts and is often called the "first rock
and roll song." The band became very popular in St. Louis, and in the late fifties Turner added vocalist Annie Mae Bullock to
the mix (who later changed her name to Tina Turner and married Ike). The band became the Ike & Tina Turner Review, and
made R&B and rock history, charting singles, packing black nightclubs and touring with the Rolling Stones. Tina left the
band and the marriage in 1974; subsequently Ike experienced some hard times, and his career faded. He later made a
comeback, and continues to record and perform.
Essential listening: "Rocket 88," "Shake a Tail Feather," "Proud Mary," "Steel Guitar Rag," "I'm Lonesome Baby," "Tore
Up," "Ike's Theme," "Catfish Blues"
Otha Turner
Born: June 2, 1907, Jackson, Mississippi
Died: February 26, 2003
Blues fife and drum musician Otha Turner grew up near the Mississippi Delta. Fife and drum music is a traditional genre that
has its roots in the northern Mississippi hill country and is based on African-American work songs and spirituals. The fife is
an instrument similar to the flute, often made out of bamboo. Turner worked as a farmer in Como, Mississippi, where he also
led the Rising Star Fife and Drum band for sixty years. The band eventually made it to Chicago, where for years they opened
the city's legendary Blues Festival. While in his nineties, Turner preserved his historically significant music with the
recordings Everybody’s Hollerin' Goat and Senegal to Senatobia.
Essential listening: "Shimmy She Wobble," "Granny Do Your Dog Bite," "Shake 'Em," "Boogie," "My Babe," "Senegal to
Senatobia," "Sunu"
Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson
Born: December 18, 1917, Houston, Texas
Died: July 2, 1988, Los Angeles, California
Eddie Vinson was an R&B saxophone player, bandleader, songwriter, and vocalist with a signature voice whose long and
prolific career also encompassed jazz and blues. Vinson got his nickname, "Cleanhead," after an episode with a lye-based
hair straightener left him bald. He was raised in a musical family and played saxophone in high school. Vinson's career from
the mid-thirties through the mid-forties included stints in legendary bands, including Chester Boone's band in Houston,
which at the time included genius blues guitarist T-Bone Walker; Milt Larkin's band, which boasted a superb saxophone
section; and, after Vinson relocated to New York in 1941, the Cootie Williams Orchestra. Williams's recordings of
"Somebody's Got to go," and "Cherry Red", on which Vinson also appeared as a vocalist, were huge hits. In 1945 Vinson
formed his own band, which reportedly for a time included John Coltrane. Vinson played at the Monterey Jazz Festival in
1970. For the next two decades he toured and recorded in the U.S. and Europe, where he was particularly popular.
Essential listening: "Kidney Stew," "Cherry Red," "Somebody's Got to Go," "Cleanhead Blues," "Old Maid Boogie"
T-Bone Walker
Born: May 28, 1910, Linden, Texas
Died: March 16, 1975, Los Angeles, California
Also known as: Aaron Thibeaux Walker
Some music critics maintain that no one has ever matched T-Bone Walker's genius as an electric blues guitarist. His
extraordinary talent influenced blues and rock greats, including Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King, Otis Rush and Stevie
Ray Vaughan, among others. Walker was born into a musical family, and Texas blues legend Blind Lemon Jefferson was a
family friend. As a boy Walker reportedly acted as escort to Jefferson when the blind musician played on the streets of
Dallas, and was definitely influenced by Jefferson musically. Walker began his career in Texas and later moved to Los
Angeles. Walker's absolute authority with the instrument translated into precise, incendiary musicianship complemented by a
confident, masterful stage presence. His ability as a vocalist was every bit as impressive, and he is the author of many blues
classics, including "Stormy Monday," which has been covered endlessly and would probably appear in any top 10 list of the
best blues ever written.
Essential listening: "Stormy Monday," "Strollin' With Bones," "T-Bone Shuffle," "T-Bone Blues," "I Walked Away," "Cold
Cold Feeling"
Bukka White
Born: November 12, 1909, Houston, Mississippi*
Died: February 26, 1977, Memphis Tennessee
Also known as: Booker T. Washington White
Bukka White moved to the Mississippi Delta as an adolescent and was influenced by Charley Patton — as a result he played
a particularly pure form of Delta blues. White's devotion to the music was considerable; after a run-in with the law in
Mississippi in 1937, he jumped bail in order to record in Chicago. He was apprehended and incarcerated at Mississippi's
Parchman Farm, where he was popular as an entertainer, and where his gift for song writing wasn't hampered — like many of
his originals, the song "Parchman Farm Blues" became a classic. White's real taste of fame came after Bob Dylan recorded
White's original song "Fixin' to Die Blues" in the early 1960s. Curious about the song's original author, two young blues
players found White by sending a general delivery letter to Aberdeen, Mississippi (tipped off by his blues song of the same
title). These leaps in visibility led to White's fame in later life, as both a performer and a storyteller, as he embodied both the
Delta blues and its rich history.
Essential Listening: "Shake 'Em on Down," "The Panama Limited," "Aberdeen Mississippi Blues," "Fixin' to Die Blues,"
"Parchman Farm Blues"
Cassandra Wilson
Born: December 4, 1955, Jackson, Mississippi
Cassandra Wilson is primarily known as an accomplished jazz singer, although her stunning full, low voice and skill as a
songwriter have encompassed other genres, and she has been heavily influenced by the musical traditions of the south,
including the Delta blues. She cites the complexity of Robert Johnson's song writing, guitar work and vocal delivery as one
of her primary influences. Wilson is a prolific recording artist, and has followed up her 1985 debut with almost one album
each year, and sometimes two. Her body of work includes acoustic blues, folk, jazz, and funk. Wilson's 1999
release, Traveling Miles, was a tribute to Miles Davis. She has toured with Wynton Marsalis. Her critically-acclaimed recent
release, Belly of the Sun, was recorded in Mississippi with her own band and local musicians and combines funk, pop and
rock with a tribute to pure Delta blues.
Essential listening: "You Move Me," "Round Midnight," "Darkness on the Delta," "You Gotta Move," "Hot Tamales"
Sonny Boy Williamson
Born: March 30, 1914, Jackson, Tennessee
Died: June 1, 1948, Chicago, Illinois
also known as: John Lee Williamson
Sonny Boy Williamson's innovative skill with the harmonica brought it to centre stage as a lead instrument in Chicago blues.
He also popularized the "call and response" performance technique with the instrument, delivering a vocal line, answering
with his characteristically sharp harp riffs followed by another vocal delivery. Williamson acquired his nickname because of
the young age at which he began performing; during those early years he travelled the South, sometimes in the company of
his biggest influence, Sleepy John Estes, as well as Robert Nighthawk and others. In the late 1930s he moved to Chicago
where he worked as a session player and became an influential and successful mainstay of the city's blues scene as a
performer and recording artist. He is credited with composing many original songs that became blues standards, especially
for the harmonica, and he influenced a long line of superb harmonica players, including Junior Wells, Little Walter and Rice
Miller, who was also known as Sonny Boy Williamson II.
Essential listening: "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl," "Early in the Morning," "Whiskey Headed Woman Blues," "Shake
that Boogie"
Jimmy Witherspoon
Born: August 8, 1923, Gurdon, Arkansas
Died: September 18, 1997, Los Angeles, California
Jimmy Witherspoon was both a blues and jazz singer during the mid-forties, and hugely influential in his ability to merge the
two genres with his deep, full vocals. He was originally influenced by Big Joe Turner, to whom he is often compared.
Witherspoon realized he had talent after sitting in with brilliant jazz pianist Teddy Weatherford's big band while stationed
overseas. Pianist and bandleader Jay McShann hired Witherspoon to take the place of lead vocalist Walter Brown in his
band; during this stint Witherspoon developed his own vocal style. He began recording on his own in 1949, and had a big hit
with his version of Bessie Smith's hit "Ain't Nobody's Business." The song not only reached number 1 on the R&B charts,
but its stay on the charts was record-breaking. Witherspoon followed that up with a number 5 hit the same year, "In the
Evening When the Sun Goes Down." As rock and roll's popularity increased, Witherspoon's career took a downturn, and he
focused more on jazz, always infusing it with a blues sensibility. He continued to perform until the end of his life, although
he never repeated his early success.
Essential listening: "Ain't Nobody's Business," "In the Evening When the Sun Goes Down," "Big Fine Girl," "No Rollin'
Blues"
Peetie Wheatstraw
Born: December 21, 1902, Ripley, Tennessee
Died: December 21, 1941, East St. Louis, Illinois
Also known as: William Bunch
Peetie Wheatstraw began performing in 1929, the year of the Great Depression, and enjoyed enormous popularity in spite of
the devastating economic conditions and lulls in the careers of other artists. He was a talented songwriter and commonly
addressed rather dark themes — the supernatural, death, sex and addiction — yet his music was uplifting due to his witty
lyrics and the wide range and expressive, buoyant quality of his vocal delivery. His juxtaposition of dark themes with a
message to appreciate life is perhaps partly why his music was so surprisingly successful during such trying times.
Wheatstraw was primarily a piano player and worked with excellent guitarists, including Kokomo Arnold and Lonnie
Johnson; he and Johnson were a recording and performing team for 10 years. He reportedly took his name from an "evil
twin" character from black folk tales, and during his career he was also nicknamed "The Devil's Son-in Law" and the "High
Sheriff of Hell." Wheatstraw died while celebrating his 39th birthday when, reportedly, he and his buddies tried, and failed,
to beat a speeding train.
Essential listening: "Suicide Blues," "You Can't Stop Me From Drinking," "The Devil's Son-in-Law" "Peetie Wheatstraw
Stomp"
Dr. John
Born: November 21, 1940, New Orleans
also known as: Malcolm John Rebennack, Jr.
Dr. John combines the roots of New Orleans blues with jazz, funk, rhythm and blues, pop and rock, infused with his sense of
humour and particularly original and inventive artistic sensibility. He grew up in New Orleans and was exposed to the city's
music early on — his father owned a record store and repaired equipment in local nightclubs. Dr. John became a session
musician, where he worked with such local legends as Allen Toussaint and Professor Longhair. He eventually moved to Los
Angeles and continued doing session work. Legend has it he recorded his first album with excess studio time donated by
Sonny & Cher. That first release, Gris Gris, along with a later release, Gumbo, are two examples of his finest work, although
an even later album contained his 1973 chart hit "Right Place, Wrong Time." Dr. John is a charismatic performer who in his
heyday outfitted himself in Mardi Gras regalia as a witch doctor of sorts to perform a show that was part theatrics ritual. He
has collaborated with many notable artists and is an accomplished producer and arranger. He continues to record, perform
and work as a highly respected producer.
Essential listening: "Such A Night," "Right Place, Wrong Time," "Makin' Whoopee"
John Mayall
Born: November 29, 1933, Manchester, England
John Mayall's considerable talent as a composer and performer is often overshadowed by the influence of his ever-changing
band, the Bluesbreakers, which has been in existence since the early 1960's, and early on gained a prestigious reputation that
has endured to the present day. Mayall brought together a stunning array of talent in the ground-breaking group, which mined
the annals of American blues history in addition to performing original music. The group was partly experimental, and as a
result its sound was inconsistent, but much of it was outstanding. Many members of the Bluesbreakers subsequently became
superstars. Even a short list of the band's veterans reads like a who's who in enduring sixties and seventies blues-rock: Eric
Clapton and bassist Jack Bruce, who left to form the super group Cream; guitarist Mick Taylor, who left to join the Rolling
Stones; and guitarist Peter Green, bassist John McVie and drummer Mick Fleetwood, who with others co-founded Fleetwood
Mac (originally conceived as a pure blues band). Mayall continues to perform, often with long time Bluesbreakers veterans
and other blues legends.
Essential listening: "All Your Love," "Room to Move," "Ramblin' On My Mind," "Parchman Farm," "It Ain't Right"
Eric Clapton
Born: March 30, 1945, Ripley, England
also known as: Eric Patrick Clapp
Eric Clapton's talent has graced some of the best bands in rock and blues history: the Yardbirds, John Mayall and the
Bluesbreakers, Cream and Blind Faith. He is a rock and blues star in his own right, maintaining a reputation for decades as
one of Great Britain's finest guitarists. Clapton reportedly left the Yardbirds in order to immerse himself in blues with the
Bluesbreakers; his subsequent forays into blues-rock with Cream and Blind Faith did a lot to merge the two genres in popular
music. He has moved between rock, blues and pop throughout his career, but his major influences include Muddy Waters,
B.B. King, and Robert Johnson, and his renditions of blues classics — especially his cover of Johnson's "Crossroads" — are
among his best-known recordings. He is a master of painfully expressive guitar work, matched by his emotional vocal
delivery. Although much of his work is outstanding, he is probably best known for the album Layla and Other Assorted
Love Songs, which is commonly considered to be a masterpiece. Among other brilliant work, that album includes the rock
classic "Layla."
Essential listening: "Have You Ever Loved A Woman," "Bell-Bottom Blues," "Crossroads" "Key to the Highway," "Layla"
Cream
Eric Clapton, born March 30, 1945, Ripley, England; Ginger Baker, born August 19, 1939, Lewisham, England; Jack Bruce,
born May 14, 1943, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Cream combined the superb musicianship of bassist Jack Bruce, drummer Ginger Baker, and guitarist Eric Clapton, and
became a powerhouse of blues-rock that had an enormous influence on the future of rock and heavy metal. They were all
ground-breaking musicians known for their innovative, aggressive styles, and when they played together as a band they
inspired one another to new heights of brilliance. They brought to the blues a jazz-inspired flair for improvisation, and
although they were sometimes criticized for their seemingly endless jam sessions, at their best their competitive instrumental
assaults showcased their unique gifts. Eric Clapton raised the blues guitar solo to a high art form; Jack Bruce's fervent and
often melodic bass playing could pass for a second lead guitar; and rock had never seen the likes of Ginger Baker's
percussive mastery (and it's possible that no one has matched him to this day). The trio covered blues classics from legends
such as Albert King, Skip James, and Willie Dixon in addition to original material, and in the process introduced the blues to
a new audience and broke ground for subsequent heavy blues-rock bands such as Led Zeppelin. Cream formed in 1966 and
broke up in 1968. All of their releases are classics.
Essential listening: "Sunshine of Your Love," "Crossroads," "Strange Brew," "Tales of Brave Ulysses"
Bonnie Raitt
Born: November 8, 1949
an accomplished slide guitarist and blues singer/songwriter, Bonnie Raitt incongruously dropped out of an Ivy League
college to work as an itinerant blues musician. Her considerable skill made an impression on Boston's blues scene, and she
quickly won the respect of her peers, later playing with blues legends Howlin' Wolf, Son House, Muddy Waters, and others.
Raitt began recording to critical acclaim in the early seventies, mixing blues with R&B, pop, jazz and New Orleans
influences and garnering a loyal cult following. Like her female predecessors, her music often features a gender-specific spin
on the blues; her original interpretation of Chris Smither's "Love Me like a Man" contains a clever response to Muddy
Waters's "Rock Me," and her rendition of Sippie Wallace's "Women Be Wise" likewise offers a refreshing female
perspective. In the eighties Raitt's career slowed somewhat until the release of the aptly-titled Nick of Time in 1989, at which
point, in the words of blues historian Robert Santelli, she "pulled off one of the greatest career turnarounds in modern pop
history."* Raitt received six Grammy awards for the album, and followed it up with another Grammy-winner in 1992. She
continues to record and tour.
Essential listening: "Love Me Like a Man," "Give It Up or Let Me Go," "Women Be Wise," "Walking Blues," "Feeling of
Falling"
Santelli, Robert. The Big Book of Blues. New York: Penguin Books, 1993.
Paul Butterfield Blues Band
Born: December 17, 1942, Chicago, Illinois
Died: May 3, 1987, Los Angeles, California
At the age of 16, harmonica player Paul Butterfield regularly sat in with blues legends Otis Rush, Magic Sam, and Howlin'
Wolf, among others, at Chicago clubs. Butterfield formed his own soon-to-be-legendary band in 1963 with guitarist Elvin
Bishop and eventually drummer Sam Lay and bassist Jerome Arnold. This line-up was one of the first racially integrated
blues bands in the city. Their 1965 self-titled release, featuring the additions of guitarist Mike Bloomfield and keyboardist
Mark Naftalin, had a huge impact on the 1960s blues revival, and they also broke ground backing Bob Dylan's legendary
performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival (the electric sound outraged many purist folk fans). Later the band changed
personnel again, eventually including jazz great David Sanborn (in his early years) on saxophone. Their success began to
wind down in the late sixties, although they did appear at Woodstock and released two final albums in 1968 and 1969. Paul
Butterfield continued to perform throughout the seventies.
Essential listening: "I Got My Mojo Working," "Blues With a Feeling," "Born in Chicago," "Shake Your Money Maker,"
"Mellow Down Easy," "Two Trains Running"
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Born: October 3, 1954, Dallas, Texas
Died: August 27, 1990, East Troy, Wisconsin
Stevie Ray Vaughan almost single-handedly created a blues revival during the 1980s — for blues fans it was a refreshing,
electrifying change from the predominant sound of that decade. He was assisted in this feat by contemporaries Albert Collins
and Robert Cray. Vaughan was a stunning guitarist who mesmerized crowds and listeners with a signature sound and breathtaking skill, combining the influences of both Texas and Chicago blues. His guitar gymnastics echoed those of Jimi Hendrix,
and that combined with his soulful, original style made his music irresistible to rock fans as well as blues aficionados. The
Texas native dropped out of high school and made his way to Austin to play music; he formed a band that soon became wellknown in the city. Eventually he and his band were signed to Epic and their first release, Texas Flood, made blues history.
He had taken his rightful place alongside other blues legends when his life and career were cut short by tragedy. Vaughan
died in a helicopter crash after a performance with Buddy Guy and Eric Clapton.
Essential listening: "Pride and Joy," "The Sky is Crying," "Texas Flood," "Couldn't Stand the Weather," "Little Wing"
The Rolling Stones
Original and later band members: Mick Jagger, born July 26, 1943, Dartford, England; Keith Richards, born December 18,
1943, Dartford, England; Brian Jones, born February 28, 1942, Cheltenham, England, died July 3, 1969, London, England;
Charlie Watts, born June 2, 1941, Islington, London, England; Bill Wyman, born October 24, 1936, London, England; Ron
Wood, born June 1, 1947, Hillingdon, London, England
The Rolling Stones melded blues and R&B with classic rock and roll, and eventually lived up to their self-proclaimed
moniker "the World's Greatest Rock and Roll band." As rock and roll's quintessential bad boys, in the beginning the Stones
were the antithesis of the clean-cut Beatles, and their sound was a gritty, edgy departure from the sounds of the time. The
band took their name from a Muddy Waters song, a testament to the fact that they were avid fans of classic blues. As a young
man, outrageously charismatic front man and songwriter Mick Jagger was a regular mail-order customer of the Chicago blues
label Chess Records (the band would later record there and work for years with the co-founder's son Marshall). Guitarists
Brian Jones and Keith Richards (who formed a notoriously brilliant song writing partnership with Jagger) were both heavily
influenced by Delta blues; Jones idolized legendary blues slide guitarist Elmore James and Richards's highly influential
playing made considerable use of the genre's open chord tunings. Drummer Charlie Watts and bassist Bill Wyman were a
formidable rhythm section; Watts had previously played with one of Great Britain's esteemed blues band, Blues, Inc. Jones
left the band just before his death 1969 and was replaced by Mick Taylor, a veteran of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. Taylor
left in 1975 and in 1976 was replaced by Ron Wood, who had played with the Jeff Beck Group as well as Small Faces.
Wyman left the group in 1991, and was replaced in 1994 by Daryl Jones. The Rolling Stones, who continue to tour, are
commonly regarded as one of the most influential bands in the history of music.
Essential listening: "Loving Cup," "Moonlight Mile," "Love in Vain," "I Just Want to Make Love to You"
Jeff Beck
Born: June 24, 1944, Surrey, England
Jeff Beck is a musician's musician — he never reached the mainstream superstardom of many of his contemporaries,
probably partly due to his sporadic presence on the music scene and the fact that he is not a vocalist. Regardless, Beck is an
innovative master of electric guitar and as such he has been idolized by other guitarists for decades. Among other virtuoso
qualities of his playing, he is known for the stunning power, authority and control of his fretwork as well as for his somewhat
erratic versatility. Beck took his initial place in British rock by joining the Yardbirds as Eric Clapton's replacement. He later
formed his own self-named group, with then unknown vocalist Rod Stewart and bassist Ron Wood (who would later join the
Rolling Stones as a guitarist). The Jeff Beck Group put out some blisteringly rocking versions of blues classics such as Willie
Dixon's "I Ain't Superstitious" and "You Shook Me," influencing both blues-rock and hard rock devotees in the process,
including Led Zeppelin and Cream. Beck's later work reflects a continuous evolution and includes superb jazz-fusion. He
continues to record and tour, and his latest album includes a cover of Muddy Waters's "Rollin' and Tumblin."
Essential listening: "You Know What I Mean," "Led Boots," "Escape," "Cause We've Ended as Lovers," "I Ain't
Superstitious," "You Shook Me"
Jimi Hendrix
Born: November 27, 1942, Seattle, Washington
Died: September 18, 1970, London, England
Seattle-born lead guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist Jimi Hendrix created an amazing body of work during his short career,
changing the face of music forever through his revolutionary guitar playing and recordings. Although he is often perceived as
a rock and roll icon, his roots lie in the blues. As he once recalled: "The first guitarist I was aware of was Muddy Waters. I
heard one of his old records when I was a little boy and it scared me to death, because I heard all of these sounds. Wow, what
is that all about?" Picking up the guitar in his teens, Hendrix eventually spent four gruelling years on the national R&B
circuit as a sideman. Upon setting out on his own, he settled first in New York, and then relocated to London. By late 1966
he was a sensation in Europe, and in the U.S. shortly thereafter, mesmerizing audiences with searing electric guitar work
coupled with the flash of an R&B road band — playing the guitar with his teeth, behind his neck, and between his legs.
Hendrix became the Aquarian Age avatar of the no-holds-barred African-American showbiz tradition, and the blues were
rarely far from the surface of his work. His career and creative trajectory took him to ever greater heights until his passing in
1970. Today, his legend continues to grow, and his example continues to inspire new generations of musicians.
Essential listening: "Devil Got My Woman," "Things "Bout Coming My Way," "That Kate Adams Jive," "Jinx Blues,"
"Motherless Child"
Text derived from the Jimi Hendrix Gallery at Experience Music Project, Seattle.