SHOCKING: 4 - You Need To See This

Learn the guitar stylings of the pioneering Hubert Sumlin – essential learning for any aspiring blues player

The six-string lieutenant to the immortal Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters, Sumlin is one of the authors of the electric blues sound, and he was no slouch with country styles, either

Guitar World · Jun 2, 2023

Kenny Wayne Shepherd: the soundtrack of my life

Blues giant Kenny Wayne Shepherd picks his records, artists and gigs of lasting significance, and recalls the life-changing show he went to as a three-year-old

Louder · May 9, 2023

John Primer: "When I played with Muddy Waters, he set my amp tone up for me. I use the same settings he gave me back in the mid-'70s"

The blues veteran discusses his love of Epiphones (and why he never clicked with Strats), what he learned as a sideman to Muddy Waters and Magic Slim, and the secret to his enviable tone

Guitar World · May 5, 2023

Neal Francis takes a cue from Peter Frampton for high-stakes Thalia Hall gigs

In this weekend’s shows, he’ll stage “Francis Comes Alive,” that will see him attempt to create a live album a la the great “Frampton Comes Alive!”

Chicago Sun-Times · Mar 23, 2023

Mississippi is home of the blues and key to civil rights past. Locals tell the story

With pandemic restrictions lifted, tourists are returning to Mississippi's famous Blues Trail. Civil rights leaders are noticing some are now hungry for more context about the music's origins.

WEKU · Mar 13, 2023

The remarkable life of blues legend Victor Brox who played with Hendrix and Clapton, had a love affair with Nico and sang on Jesus Christ Superstar

Victor Brox, said to have recorded the first British blues record, has died

Manchester Evening News · Feb 25, 2023

‘Blue Heaven’ a divine celebration of blues music, icons who created it

If you’re a fan of blues, you’re a fan of this show. Scratch that. If you’re a fan of music, you’re a fan of this show.

Chicago Sun-Times · Nov 1, 2022

‘What he was doing was like nothing else’: the secret recordings of genius producer Charles Stepney

The soul music visionary died in 1976 at the peak of his career. But his legacy endures – thanks to sampling, fans such as Elton John and Chaka Khan, and the efforts of his three daughters

The Guardian - UK · Sep 1, 2022

A woman in a man's world

US R&B legend Big Mama Thornton is one of the forgotten "originators", to use Dr John's term for Professor Longhair, of rock'n'roll. The late Alabama native, who died almost exactly 38 years ago on July 25, 1984, recorded the first version of Leiber and Stoller's Hound Dog in 1952. After…

Bangkok Post · Jul 18, 2022

Sister Rosetta Tharpe, singer who inspired Elvis: one of many women sidelined from musical history

Elvis Presley is the perfect subject matter for Australian film director Baz Luhrmann. Not just because the opulence of Presley’s showmanship and Lurhmann’s trademark visual style are perfect bedfellows, but because the “Presleyverse” itself is not about Elvis Presley. It’s about the idea of Elvis, the great myth of Elvis…

The Conversation · Jul 6, 2022