Although I did joke with friends when I was in high school in California that one day I would have a blues radio show and live in New York. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. He closes with the rockin, Willie Nile styled, Return of the Queen. Out on Americas West Coast a new record label was flexing its muscle though Capitol Records was not specifically a blues imprint. In Hughess second book, Fine Clothes to the Jew (1927), he turned to the blues for a poetic form derived from and answering to the desires, needs, and aesthetic sensibilities of the Black working class. King was the recipient of numerous awards and honours. Can you talk about your radio gig on B.B. It proved wildly popular, as did their second album, Cant Stand the Weather. Sylvester Weaver, from Louisville, Kentucky, went to OKehs New York studio sometime in October 1923 to back Sara Martin on a couple of songs. Some say it was the underratedTommyJohnson who met with the devil at the crossroads one dark and stormy night, hoping to strike a deal. In the pre-World War II era, other labels that played their part in capturing the blues for posterity included Black Patti, Black Swan, QRS, and Decca, the US subsidiary of the British company. He sounds like a true country blues player, fresh from a jook joint or one of Atlantas many barrelhouses. King's channel for blues music from the past to the present: B.B. Although we'll never know the truth of the matter, one fact remains: Johnson is the cornerstone artist of the blues. Patton began recording late in his career but made up for lost time by laying down 60 songs in less than five years, including his best-selling first single, "Pony Blues." Kings autobiography, Blues All Around Me, written with David Ritz, was published in 1996. I file and put them in the back of my mind so that when I start writing, I have some ideas. He learned to play guitar under the tutelage of his uncle and his mother at a very young age. Do you have a favorite song from the record? I love the Delta stuff and the rural Texas players. He started a jazz trio with Johnny Heartsman, and later went on to record two E.C. Progressive jam giants Umphrey's McGees return to Las Vegas for the seventh installment of the massively popular UMBowl production was marked once again by a stand-out tour closing dual evening extravaganza where all stops were pulled out and the power given directly to the fans, for better or for worse. He was a friend and colleague of Charley Patton, and the two often traveled together. "The Guitar Wizard"collects the best of Red's early hokum and blues sides, including "It's Tight Like That" and "Turpentine Blues.". By 1966 he joined a band called Cream, and together they would record three albums and watch as their fame and popularity skyrocketed. At seventy-two, Hooker released the most successful album of his career. She soon signed with Modern Records and began a string of hit records through the latter half of the 1950s. King, (born September 16, 1925, near Itta Bena, Mississippi, U.S.died May 14, 2015, Las Vegas, Nevada), American guitarist and singer who was a principal figure in the development of blues and from whose style leading popular musicians drew inspiration. -:. As both a blues drummer and vocalist, Sam Lay performed during the 1950s alongside some of the blues greats, including Howlin' Wolf, Paul Butterfield, and Little Walter to name just a few. We are super lucky to have them and they are still around, still touring, and still staying fresh. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. With the new name came a rash of new signings, including Jimmy Rogers (a key player in Muddys band), Eddie Boyd And His Chess Men, Willie Mabon, Memphis Slim, and Howlin Wolf. If you listen to , Canadian Folk-Rock Icon Gordon Lightfoot Dies Aged 84, From Rage to Sage, William Bell Caps His Career with One Day Closer to Home, Raul Malo, GRAMMY-winning Leader of The Mavericks, to Release Instrumental Album, The Lone Bellow Confirm Tour Dates, Share Performance Video For Goodness, Yola Releases Video For New Single Stand For Myself, Holy Moly & The Crackers Live at The Boiler Shop in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); About Us Contributors Terms of Service Privacy Policy 2023 uDiscover Music, Robert Johnson - Robert Johnson's Cross Road Blues (Official Video), Charlie Patton High Water Everywhere, Pt 1, A Family Affair: The Blood Bonds That Stormed The World, Dub Music: Exploring The Genres Jamaican Origins, DIY Music: How Musicians Did It For Themselves, How LGBTQ Musicians Broke Barriers To The Mainstream, All You Need Is The Summer Of Love: How 1967 Sparked A Revolution, Walking In Memphis: A Guide To The Birthplace Of RocknRoll, Anarchy Around The World: Punk Goes Global, The Sinister Urge: How The Marriage Of Metal And Horror Terrified The World, Impulse For Change: A Short History of Impulse! He was., In 1942, the musicians union called a strike against the recording industry. , an album that featured the hit Dogs of Karma that ran in heavy rotation on Sirius XM. In 1983, Muddy Waters tragically suffered a heart attack and died at sixty-eight. There had been a rapid fall-off in the number of purely blues releases in the first half of 1942, mostly down to changing musical taste; those that did record included Sonny Boy Williamson, Tampa Red, Lonnie Johnson, Rosetta Tharpe, Roosevelt Sykes, and Joe Turner the big names that were already established artists and most likely to sell. She recorded her first single that same year. He plays the guitar, piano, bass guitar and double bass and loves teaching music theory. John Lee Hooker settled in Detroit, and on the West Coast T-Bone Walker developed a style later adopted by B.B. After his death in 1949, Leadbelly songs including "Midnight Special," "Goodnight, Irene," and "The Rock Island Line" became hits for artists as diverse as the Weavers, Frank Sinatra,Johnny CashandErnest Tubb. I moved on with my life doing other things. As an on-air person, you have to create the pictures that people are going to see in their mind as they are listening on the radio. Whether its the soulful sound of Muddy Waters or the gritty voice of BB King, there have been some incredible blues singers over the years. I am going to have to beg, borrow, and steal my gigs until I can really get with a good agency. They brought it every night. Among the guests on his show include: George Thorogood, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Bobby Rush, Popa Chubby, Jimmie Vaughan, and more. Now Playing How Long Pinetop Perkins & Elvin Bishop Listen Live bbkingsbluesville@siriusxm.com 877-64-BLUES What You'll Hear He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1984 and the Rock and Roll Hall of fame three years later. The best of Broonzy's early work can be found on "The Young Big Bill Broonzy," but you can't go wrong with just about any collection of his music. Robert Johnson Is An Early Member Of The 27 Club, And His Death May Be Due To A Deal With The Devil. After a spell with the great harmonica player Little Walter, he joined up with Muddy Waters in 1960 and became a regular drummer for the blues legend. This weekend Bluesville will feature five tracks from the album in a special album highlight. In 1969, Leonard Chess died and the label was sold. When I write songs the storyline needs to speak to me. Such a thing didnt even exist then. Michael Ochs Archives/Stringer/Getty Images, Country Blues Style Characteristics and Artists, Learn About 10 Famous Jazz Singers Every Fan Should Know, 19 Classic Rock Love Songs for Valentine's Day, Biography of Frank Sinatra, Legendary Singer, Entertainer, Heroes of the Blues: The Very Best of Son House. Blues and jazz are closely related; such seminal jazzmen as Jelly Roll Morton and Louis Armstrong employed blues elements in their music. Chester Arthur Burnett was born in Mississippi in 1910. A few years after he gained an early release, he was convicted on an assault charge and sentenced to a term in Louisiana's Angola Penitentiary. I have to build my base around the country. Capable of playing in the older vaudeville style (ragtime and hokum) and the newly developing Chicago style, Broonzy was a smooth vocalist, accomplished guitarist, and prolific songwriter. In 1942, the AFM called a strike of its members, which lasted until 1944, when first Decca, and then Victor and Columbia, capitulated late in the year. Stevie Ray Vaughn was born in Dallas Texas in 1954, and by 1961 he was already playing guitar. In the early 40s, two Polish-born brothers, Leonard and Philip Chess (real name Chez), owned several Chicago nightclubs, including the Macomba Lounge on the citys South Side. The notion that people outside your immediate locality, or even country, would be interested in your music was unimaginable. Born in Mississippi in 1917, John Lee Hooker learned his love of music at his stepfathers knee as a boy. But, tragically, only four days after recording this record on December 10th, 1967, Redding died in a Wisconsin plane crash. Vee-Jay was another giant of the Chicago music scene. Pre-release spins have put The Corner on radio charts including Living Blues, Roots Music Report, IBBA (British blues chart) and Sirius/XMs Rack of Blues.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[580,400],'gratefulweb_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_2',118,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-gratefulweb_com-medrectangle-3-0'); Early Times started out in Sacramento, CA, where he produced acclaimed independent albums, and received 10 nominations in the Sacramento Area Music Awards (Sammies) in many blues and rock categories, winning he Critics Choice Award as Sacramentos Best Guitarist. in B.B. Re-taught his signature guitar licks byfanand future Canned Heat founder Al Wilson, House became part of the decade's folk-blues revival, performing live into the early 1970s and even returning to recording. Reverend Keith A. Gordon is known as the "Reverend of Rock 'n' Roll. If you listen to The Corner I think this comes through. Omissions? Blues singers Bessie Smith, Ethel Waters, and Clara Smith recorded for Columbia, while Ma Rainey, Ida Cox, and Alberta Hunter recorded for Paramount, which billed itself as the Premier Race Label. Over the next several years, Black musical director Clarence Williams signed and recorded for OKeh many leading blues, jazz, and gospel artists, including Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, and Lonnie Johnson. After the Depression, Johnson landed in Chicago, recording for Bluebird Records and King Records. As far as my influences for The Corner there are so disparate that it is hard to pin it down. The passing on of folk music and the blues is folk music is a complex process; without TV, radio, CDs, records, cassettes, or any other process for hearing recorded blues music, it was spread literally by word of mouth.. Patton introduced House to his contacts atParamount Records. #32 of 228 on. He moved to Chicago in the mid-1920s and teamed with pianist "Georgia" Tom Dorsey to form "The Hokum Boys," scoring a big hit with the song "It's Tight Like That," popularizing the bawdy blues style known as "hokum. Hart Wands Dallas Blues was the first, while the second was Arthur Seals Baby Seals Blues; of the three, Seals and Handy were both black, while Ward was white, though he was actually a blues tune. The songs come first. British rock musicians in the 1960s, especially the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, and John Mayall, were strongly influenced by the blues, as were such American rock musicians as Mike Bloomfield, Paul Butterfield, and the Allman Brothers Band. Papa Charlie had a very successful career, but the enigmatic Ed Andrews recorded three sides, including Sing Em Blues, which had the same tune as Baby F Seals 1912 outing Baby Seals Blues, in October 1923. 5,024 votes. Most of the early, rural/folk blues singer-guitarists did not specialize in blues only. Buddy Guy was born in Louisiana in 1936, one of six siblings born to a sharecropping family out of Lettsworth. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Among the guests on his show include: George Thorogood, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Bobby Rush, Popa Chubby, Jimmie Vaughan, and more. Joining King in the simple four-part arrangements on the T-Bone Burnett-produced album were stalwart New Orleans pianist Dr. John, ace session drummer Jim Keltner, and stand-up bassist Nathan East. ARC (American Record Corporation) was formed in 1929 and began their field recording trips in 1934. I think when we added the Farfisa organ, it takes you into that sixties Doors kind of mode. Down in Memphis, Tennessee, Samuel Cornelius Phillips, a radio engineer from Florence, Alabama, had a vision and established his Memphis Recording Studios at 706 Union Avenue, in January 1950, to record anything, anytime, anywhere. He began with local artists and sold the recordings to established labels such as Four Star Records, Modern Records, and their subsidiary RPM. The first blues recordings were made in the 1920s by Black women, beginning with Mamie Smith. Her version of American composer and pianist Perry Bradford's "Crazy Blues" in 1920 was so successful that the General Phonograph Company's OKeh label launched a series called "Original Race Records." Sams masterstroke was not to over-produce. The person who was hired to run the blues channel at Sirius saw something in me that he thought would translate well to radio. King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, Etta James, Robert Cray, Keb' Mo', Taj Mahal, John Lee Hooker and others. Muddy Waters, byname of McKinley Morganfield, (born April 4, 1913?, near Rolling Fork, Mississippi, U.S.died April 30, 1983, Westmont, Illinois), dynamic American blues guitarist and singer who played a major role in creating the post-World War II electric blues. James was diagnosed with heart disease in 1957 and took a more stationary job as a DJ in Mississippi. Andrews is another musician we know next to nothing about. Vocally, it is the most speechlike, and the guitar accompaniment is rhythmic and percussive; a slide or bottleneck is often used. Other white-owned record companies were quick to target the Black market with their own race record lines. It also marked a sea change for the music industry, with the need for men, machinery, and raw materials creating change throughout the entertainment industry. B.B. By 1960, he signed with Federal Records and found minor success. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Among Moderns early signings were Pee Wee Crayton and Johnny Guitar Watson. Jacksons success led to Paramount looking for other male talent, and it wasnt long before Blind Lemon Jefferson and Blind Blake recorded for the label; other artists included Skip James, Big Bill Broonzy, and Bumble Bee Slim. Etta James, born JamesettaHawkins, used a shortened version of her birth nameand Muddy Waters, born McKinley Morganfield,was nicknamed Muddy as a kid due to his tendency to play in the mud. Also known as: Blues Boy King, Riley B. King, Music Fans Rerank Rolling Stone's List Of The Best Songs From Fake Bands. Miracle Records was one of the first independents to surface in Chicago. He hosts a daily program from 3pm-9pm eastern time Monday through Friday and Saturday & Sunday from 6pm to midnight eastern. The shift in the audience for recorded blues, from the south to north and to the west brought considerable musical change. In 1908, Antonio Maggio published the first blues sheet music titled "I got the blues." This was the first published song to use the word . I need to bring that professionalism. At fifteen, he left school and started playing for dance bands around Florida. In 1942 they signed T-Bone Walker, and he became the featured guitarist with Freddie Slack and his Orchestra. Ma Rainey - Songs, Movie & Facts - Biography 1 record on the new black music chart, the Juke Box Race Records, which launched in 1945. Johnson suffered from acute alcoholism his entire adult life and died in obscurity in 1956. First Of May: A Key Date In The Early Bee Gees Calendar, Live At The Apollo: Soul Dynamite In Harlem From James Brown, (Is This The Way To) Amarillo: Comic Relief Takes Tony Christie Back To Texas, Renaissance Man In A Cowboy Hat: Country Phenomenon Tim McGraw, Mulan: A Disney Soundtrack Fit For A Warrior, Little Walter: The True King Of Blues Harp, Karma: Pharoah Sanders Spiritual Jazz Masterpiece, Gordon Lightfoot, Peerless Original Among Singer-Songwriters, Dies At 84, Jon Pardi Invited To Join Grand Ole Opry At Stagecoach By Guy Fieri And Alan Jackson, Red Hot Chili Peppers Flea Shares His Three Favorite Basslines, Killer Mike Sets 2023 North American Solo Tour, Carrie Underwood To Welcome Listeners Into Carries Country With New SiriusXM Channel, Lil Wayne Invites Fans To Welcome To Tha Carter Global Livestream Concert, LE SSERAFIM Head Up A Rebellion In Nile Rodgers Collaboration, Unforgiven, Discover The Most Influential Blues Songs Of All Time. Born in Baltimore in 1915, Eleanora Fagan knew from an early age that she wanted to be a singer. For a lot of years I have been tied to the radio, so I havent been able to tour. Real Names of 25 Famous Blues Artists - Ranker The rise of the race records industry spread the blues to audiences previously unfamiliar with the form. The Most Famous Blues Musicians of All Time - Jazzfuel Blueswomen of the 1920S and 1930S | Encyclopedia.com The album earned King his final Grammy, for best traditional blues album. Early blues music was very slow and emotional using simple harmonies with a vocalist accompanied by a guitar. Whether you're a fan of the blues or a newcomer to the music and want to know more, here are 10 blues artists you should know: Known as "The Empress of the Blues,"Bessie Smithwas the best and most famous female singer of the 1920s. Born Riley B. Founded in 1942 by Herman Lubinsky, in Newark, New Jersey, Savoy started as a jazz label but soon signed R&B artists including Big Jay McNeeleys Blue Jays, Paul Williams And His Hucklebuckers, and the Hal Singer Sextette. The effect of all this on the blues was to virtually curtail recording activities. By the mid-fifties, King was touring nationally. Jukeboxs first release was Boogie No. The three-line rural blues form emerged out of African American work songs, field calls and protest songs, game songs and social songs, spirituals, and folk ballads. The electric guitar and the amplified harmonica created a driving sound of great rhythmic and emotional intensity. Bluebird, the Columbia subsidiary that had considerable success in the 30s with their lower-priced records, saw a distinct slow down in recording activity by 1942. Later, Speciality signed Percy Mayfield and, in the 50s, their roster would include Lloyd Price, Guitar Slim, Sam Cooke, and Little Richard. Through Speir they recorded Tommy Johnson and, most importantly, Charley Patton. I sing it in a lower register so I can see where the Jim Morrison vibe comes in. King. To give you an example, if you listen to the bridge section on Hes Got a Jones, it is in different keys. He graduated from The Royal Academy of Music in 2012 and then launched Hello Music Theory in 2014. Johnson grew up in New Orleans, and his talentwasinfused with the city's rich musical heritage, but after the flu epidemic of1918 he moved to St. Louis. In the 1920s and 30s Memphis Minnie, Tampa Red, Big Bill Broonzy, and Sonny Boy Williamson were popular Chicago performers. The written history of the path that Blind . Get the latest creative news from Blues Scene about music & art. There are reports of 75,000 copies having been sold in the first month, and a million in the first year, but these sound like exaggerated claims. Lyrics took up urban themes, and the blues ensemble developed as the solo bluesman was joined by a pianist or harmonica player and then by a rhythm section consisting of bass and drums. Many have suggested that Papa Charlie Jackson was the first country blues singer to make a record, but this is not actually the case. In 1953, her first single Hound Dog was released and topped the R&B charts for nearly two months. All songs were written by the street poet Early Times. Elmore Brooks was born in 1918 in Richland Mississippi. Ray Manzareks keyboard solos still hold up all these decades later. Ray Charles dropped his last name, Robinson, both out of respect to boxer Sugar Ray Robinson and to carve out his own unique identity. During the afternoon of Tuesday, August 10, 1920, clarinetists Johnny Dunn and Ernest Elliott, trombonist Dope Andrews, violinist, and pianist Perry Bradford a group of musicians collectively known as The Jazz Hounds were in the studio. From then on, Hooker would enjoy a long, illustrious career as a successful blues musician. The best-selling records in the first five years of the black music chart were largely releases by the major labels especially Decca, and largely through Louis Jordan, who was hailed as The King Of The Jukeboxes and became one of the most influential black artists in recorded music history. They turned the whole thing on their heads. That is a question that goes around in my mind. You have to be hungry in this business to stay relevant and I try to stay hungry with everything. Born in Smithville, Georgia, as Hudson Whitaker, he earned the nickname "Tampa Red" for his bright red hair and upbringing in Florida. Early rock singers such as Elvis Presley often used blues material. His guitar playing is deeply rooted in the blues, with an individual, melodic phrasing that also reveals a classic jazz influence. When you have a good grounding of melody and harmony together, I think you can throw in Jazz influences without it throwing the listener off. A singer and guitarist, Johnson is considered to be one of the greatest blues . John Peter Chatman was born in 1915 and was introduced to blues at a young age. By 1967, he moved to London, changed his name to Jimi Hendrix, and formed the Jimi Hendrix Experience. At night he played blues for local house parties and small dive bars. In February 1941 Billboard magazine introduced its first chart exclusively for black music, calling it The Harlem Hit Parade. In 1952, the brothers formed Checker and signed Elmore James, Little Walter, Memphis Minnie, and Sonny Boy Williamson. Johnson started touring in 1937 and enjoyed a steady income for the first time in his young life. 104 talking about this. Migration created new markets and this, in turn, altered the way in which records were made and sold. Blue Horizon, in the UK, briefly carried the torch, and, later, labels such as Alligator Records, Delmark, Arhoolie, and Yazoo have done a great job in recording modern-day blues artists. He hosts a daily program from 3pm-9pm eastern time Monday through Friday and Saturday & Sunday from 6pm to midnight eastern. King's Bluesville on Sirius XM Radio. I have reached out to some agents but there havent really been any shows. During the 7+ year span, he welcomed guests such as Buddy Guy, Elvis Costello, Allen Toussaint, John Hammond, Jonny Lang, and more. In 1997, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Crazy Blues sold well. Although Jefferson's recording career was brief (1926-29), he recorded more than 100 songs, including such classics as "Matchbox Blues," "Black Snake Moan," and "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean." I then said I would do it. She took the stage name "Billie" - after the actress Billie Dove around 1930 when she was singing at clubs in New York. There was Sirius and there was XM. However, all that quickly changed in 1948 and 49. With the Chess brothers involvement, Aristocrats first major success was Muddy Waters I Cant Be Satisfied. By 1949, Leonard and Phil bought out their original partner and renamed their label Chess Records. I had been playing and touring with a singer named E.C. Nothing more was ever heard from him, and, on the evidence of the recording, it is not surprising. Required fields are marked *. They were expert musicians for young guys. The blues also influenced American literature, especially during the Harlem Renaissance (c. 191837). Hopkins eventually returned to Houston for good, where he would stay all through the 1940s and 50s. Music and entertainment did not stop, records continued to be manufactured and to sell but problems were on the horizon. If you're curious about the original name of other blues guitarists and singers, browse the list below! Who Were the First Blues Musicians | Musings On the Guitar | Ploddings It is a challenge. Like many blues artists, he was born into a family of sharecroppers. It sold two million copies across the US and brought her a new level of fame and recognition. Eunice began teaching music to young students to make ends meet, and in 1954 she auditioned to play at the Midtown Bar & Grill in Atlantic City. Many record companies specializing in Race Records, as they were called, favored recording in their own studios, and none more so than Paramount Records, based in Port Washington, Wisconsin. Four months before Mamie Smith recorded Crazy Blues a black man recorded a song with the word blues in the title, but it was not a blues tune. Not specifically a blues singer, Smith was more a vaudeville and cabaret artist; then again, at this time there was no such thing as a blues singer. She was around 37 years old when she made history, having met Bradford in 1918 when she worked in his musical revue in New York.