NOTE: I’m working on a Stevie Ray Vaughan series but in the meantime …. Brothers Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughn had grown up in Dallas, Texas and developed their blues-playing chops in Austin, 200 miles south. Both went on to fame, Jimmie as a member … Continue reading Featured Album – Family Style – The Vaughan Brothers
This is only the second or third time in four years of blogging that I’ve reposted an older blog. But having just learned that Ginger Baker died at 80 years old, I felt compelled to say something. Jack and Ginger are now gone and so … Continue reading Cream – Blues, Ancient and Modern
Random note: There’s a good documentary on Showtime called Hitsville: The Making of Motown. There’s a lot of good footage. (Stevie Wonder speaks but Diana Ross is conspicuously absent.) But the best part is that Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson return to Detroit and spend … Continue reading Time for a Shot of Blues
(Pictured on the book – Koko Taylor and Hound Dog Taylor.) Alligator Records has been – since 1971 – arguably the pre-eminent blues label. Founded by Bruce Iglauer – who co-wrote this book – they have recorded many of the finest albums by a wide … Continue reading Book Review – Bitten by the Blues: The Alligator Records Story
“Probably the most original country style rock and roll guitar player. Has the nicest tone, the most amazing chops technically – superfast. And much neglected.” – Jerry Garcia on Roy Buchanan. “We never heard anything quite like what Roy was doing. He interested the hell … Continue reading Introducing Roy Buchanan! – The World’s Greatest Unknown Guitarist
In the previous post, I laid out a brief history of the British blues and gave you a few tasty tunes. In this post, I’ll lay out a few more songs as well as a 40-tune Spotify list. And rather than just dump tunes in … Continue reading Jumping at Shadows – An ME Tribute to British (and Some Irish) Blues-rock (part 2 of 2)
(Pictured: Klook’s Kleek which was a jazz and rhythm n’ blues club at the Railway Hotel, West Hampstead, North West London. Anybody who was anybody played there in the early days of British blues.) A while back I wrote about the so-called British Invasion, the … Continue reading An ME Tribute to British (and Some Irish) Blues-rock (part 1 of 2)
