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Full song stories connecting individual recordings to artists, sessions, labels, and shows.

187Story Pages
127Mapped to Shows
89Artists
66Labels
Cross Road Blues - Robert JohnsonARC producer Don Law set up a makeshift recording studio in Room 414 of the Gunter Hotel in San Antonio. On the last...I Can't Be Satisfied - Muddy WatersLeonard Chess didn't fully understand the raw, unpolished sound Muddy Waters brought into the studio, but he agreed to...Down Hearted Blues - Bessie SmithIn 1923, Columbia Records was teetering on the edge of bankruptcy when talent scout Frank Walker brought a fierce,...Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground - Blind Willie JohnsonDuring a field recording trip to Dallas, Columbia Records captured a 30-year-old blind street preacher performing an...Goodnight, Irene - Lead BellyJohn and Alan Lomax hauled a 315-pound aluminum disc recording machine into the brutal Angola prison camp, where they...Death Letter Blues - Son HouseSon House had vanished from the music industry in the 1940s, retiring to a life of hard drinking and obscure labor. In...Devil Got My Woman - Skip JamesTraveling from Mississippi to a frigid Wisconsin studio during the depths of the Great Depression, Skip James recorded...Hound Dog - Big Mama ThorntonTeenage songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller were invited by bandleader Johnny Otis to write a song for Willie Mae...Dust My Broom - Elmore JamesElmore James was a radio repairman with a famously weak heart when he entered a studio for Lillian McMurry's Trumpet...Juke - Little WalterAt the end of a recording session backing Muddy Waters, 22-year-old harmonica prodigy Little Walter decided to cut an...Screamin' and Hollerin' the Blues - Charley PattonIn June 1929, Paramount Records producer Arthur Laibly brought Charley Patton to the Gennett studio in Indiana. Patton...Moon Going Down - Charley PattonCharley Patton traveled to Paramount's studio in Grafton in the spring of 1930, but this time he didn't come alone. He...Mannish Boy - Muddy WatersWhen Bo Diddley scored a massive hit with "I'm a Man," Muddy Waters decided to remind everyone who built that sound....Got My Mojo Working - Muddy WatersMuddy Waters first heard this song in 1956 while touring with a young R&B singer named Ann Cole, who was performing it...I Feel Like Going Home - Muddy WatersCut during the exact same April 1948 session as "I Can't Be Satisfied," this track served as the B-side but was just as...Killing Floor - Howlin' WolfHowlin' Wolf was an intimidating presence in the studio, demanding absolute precision from his band. In August 1964,...Back Door Man - Howlin' WolfChess Records' resident genius Willie Dixon understood exactly how to write for Howlin' Wolf's massive, menacing...The Red Rooster - Howlin' WolfWillie Dixon loved using traditional farmyard metaphors to convey sexual tension, and "The Red Rooster" is his most...Wang Dang Doodle - Howlin' WolfHowlin' Wolf absolutely hated this song. When Willie Dixon first presented "Wang Dang Doodle" in 1960, Wolf thought the...Hellhound on My Trail - Robert JohnsonDuring his second and final recording session in June 1937, Robert Johnson sat in a makeshift studio inside the...Love in Vain - Robert JohnsonRecorded during the same 1937 Dallas sessions, "Love in Vain" reveals a completely different side of Robert Johnson's...Ramblin' on My Mind - Robert JohnsonOn "Ramblin' on My Mind," Johnson showcased a heavy, driving "walking bass" boogie pattern on the lower strings of his...Terraplane Blues - Robert JohnsonWhile Robert Johnson is now revered as a mythical pioneer, during his short life he only had one actual, regional hit:...Key to the Highway - Big Bill BroonzyIn May 1941, Big Bill Broonzy took an 8-bar blues originally credited to pianist Charlie Segar and entirely made it his...Every Day I Have the Blues - Memphis SlimWhen Memphis Slim entered a Chicago studio in 1949 to cut "Every Day I Have the Blues," he took a relatively obscure...How Long, How Long Blues - Leroy CarrIn the summer of 1928, a young bootlegger and pianist named Leroy Carr sat down in an Indianapolis studio alongside his...In the Evening (When the Sun Goes Down) - Leroy CarrRecorded in New York City in early 1935, this session was draped in tragic finality. Leroy Carr's health was rapidly...Black Snake Moan - Blind Lemon JeffersonBlind Lemon Jefferson was the first truly successful solo guitar-playing country blues star, and "Black Snake Moan"...See That My Grave Is Kept Clean - Blind Lemon JeffersonBlind Lemon Jefferson stepped into Paramount's Chicago studio in late 1927 to record a song that sounded more like an...Statesboro Blues - Blind Willie McTellDuring a fall session in his hometown of Atlanta, Blind Willie McTell laid down one of the most fluid, articulate...Dying Crapshooter's Blues - Blind Willie McTellWhen folklorist John A. Lomax set up his portable disc recorder in an Atlanta hotel room, he captured Blind Willie...John the Revelator - Blind Willie JohnsonBlind Willie Johnson was a street evangelist, and his recordings blurred the line between the holy gospel and the...Midnight Special - Lead BellyHuddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter was an inmate at the brutal Angola prison when folklorists John and Alan Lomax arrived...Where Did You Sleep Last Night - Lead BellyOften known as "In the Pines" or "Black Girl," this Appalachian folk tune was entirely reinvented by Lead Belly. By...Rock Island Line - Lead BellyLead Belly didn't write this Arkansas railroad work song, but his 1937 Library of Congress recording entirely...I'm So Glad - Skip JamesIn the dead of winter, a mysterious Mississippi musician named Skip James traveled to Paramount's Grafton studio and...22-20 Blues - Skip JamesWhile Skip James is famous for his eerie guitar work, he was also a fiercely idiosyncratic piano player. During his...My Black Mama - Son HouseWhen Charley Patton traveled to Grafton, Wisconsin in 1930, he brought his friend Son House along for the ride. House,...It Hurts Me Too - Tampa RedKnown as "The Guitar Wizard," Tampa Red was one of Chicago's most sophisticated and prolific blues musicians. In 1940,...It's Tight Like That - Tampa RedTampa Red teamed up with pianist Thomas A. Dorsey (billed as "Georgia Tom") for a session that entirely altered the...Boogie Chillen' - John Lee HookerIn a Detroit studio in 1948, producer Bernard Besman realized that John Lee Hooker's intense, foot-stomping rhythm was...Boom Boom - John Lee Hooker"Boom Boom" was born out of John Lee Hooker's frustration with a habitually late bartender at the Apex Bar in Chicago....Sweet Little Angel - B.B. KingB.B. King took an old, raunchy 1930s tune by Lucille Bogan and smoothed it out into a masterpiece of modern electric...Big Boss Man - Jimmy ReedJimmy Reed's sessions were notoriously chaotic, heavily affected by his severe alcoholism. During the 1960 recording of...Bright Lights, Big City - Jimmy ReedThe laid-back, effortless sound of Jimmy Reed's hits masked the immense struggle required to record them. By 1961,...The Sky Is Crying - Elmore JamesProducer Bobby Robinson caught Elmore James during a torrential Chicago downpour in November 1959. According to a...Don't Start Me Talkin' - Sonny Boy Williamson IIWhen the eccentric, worldly-wise harmonica master known as Sonny Boy Williamson II finally signed with Chess Records,...Help Me - Sonny Boy Williamson IIIn 1963, Booker T. & the M.G.'s instrumental "Green Onions" was tearing up the radio. Sonny Boy Williamson II loved the...Good Morning, School Girl - Sonny Boy Williamson IDuring his very first recording session, held in an Illinois hotel room, John Lee Williamson fundamentally changed the...Frankie - Mississippi John HurtIn February 1928, a gentle 35-year-old farmer named Mississippi John Hurt traveled to Memphis to record for Okeh...Avalon Blues - Mississippi John HurtFor his second recording session, Okeh Records brought Mississippi John Hurt all the way to a studio in freezing New...Bo Diddley - Bo DiddleyWhen Ellas McDaniel auditioned for Leonard Chess, the producer was baffled by the rhythm, which lacked the traditional...Who Do You Love - Bo DiddleyLooking to capitalize on his voodoo-man persona, Bo Diddley cut "Who Do You Love" during a blistering 1956 session in...Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out - Bessie SmithWhen the "Empress of the Blues," Bessie Smith, recorded this Jimmy Cox vaudeville tune in May 1929, the roaring...Rollin' Stone - Muddy WatersIn February 1950, Leonard Chess stripped away Muddy Waters' usual backing band to record him entirely alone. Muddy sat...Smokestack Lightnin' - Howlin' Wolf"Smokestack Lightnin'" is Howlin' Wolf's one of the most important recordings of atmospheric dread. Recorded in January...Pony Blues - Charley PattonDuring his very first recording session in June 1929, Charley Patton introduced the world to "Pony Blues," a song he...Call It Stormy Monday - T-Bone WalkerIn a Los Angeles studio in 1947, T-Bone Walker helped define the modern electric blues guitar language. On "Call It...Hoochie Coochie Man - Muddy WatersWillie Dixon wrote "Hoochie Coochie Man" specifically for Muddy Waters, perfectly tailoring the boastful,...The Thrill Is Gone - B.B. KingB.B. King had been performing this obscure 1951 Roy Hawkins tune for years before bringing it into the studio in 1969....See See Rider - Ma RaineyBilled as the "Mother of the Blues," Ma Rainey was a massive touring star on the Black vaudeville circuit long before...Matchbox Blues - Blind Lemon JeffersonBlind Lemon Jefferson recorded "Matchbox Blues" multiple times in 1927, but his Okeh session in Atlanta captured the...Maybellene - Chuck BerryWhen a young Chuck Berry drove from St. Louis to Chicago to audition for Leonard Chess, he expected to record straight...This Land Is Your Land - Woody GuthrieWoody Guthrie wrote this song in 1940 out of sheer irritation. Sick of hearing Kate Smith's bombastic radio broadcasts...Preachin' the Blues - Son HouseSon House was deeply conflicted: a former Baptist preacher torn between the holy pulpit and the secular blues. During...Sweet Home Chicago - Robert JohnsonOn the first day of his historic recording career, 25-year-old Robert Johnson sat before a microphone in Room 414 of a...Kind Hearted Woman Blues - Robert JohnsonOn the very first day of his recording career, a 25-year-old Robert Johnson sat before a microphone in a makeshift...St. Louis Blues - Bessie SmithWhen Bessie Smith stepped into Columbia's New York studio to record W.C. Handy's definitive composition, she was joined...Easy Rider Blues - Blind Lemon JeffersonBlind Lemon Jefferson was a massive star by the time he cut "Easy Rider Blues" in Atlanta. Recording for Okeh, he...Step It Up and Go - Blind Boy FullerIn early 1940, Blind Boy Fuller and his longtime washboard player, George Washington (known as Bull City Red), traveled...When the Levee Breaks - Memphis MinnieJust two years after the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 devastated the South, the husband-and-wife duo of Memphis...Talking Dust Bowl Blues - Woody GuthrieDuring his very first major recording session, arranged by folklorist Alan Lomax, Woody Guthrie stood before a Victor...What'd I Say - Ray CharlesAt the end of a long session at Atlantic Studios, Ray Charles and his band reportedly had time left at the end of a...Minnie the Moocher - Cab CallowayCab Calloway took a minor-key jazz melody, heavily indebted to the blues standard "St. James Infirmary," and turned it...Crossroads - CreamOn a stage in San Francisco, the British power trio Cream took Robert Johnson's acoustic Delta lament and plugged it...I Ain't Superstitious - Howlin' WolfWillie Dixon wrote "I Ain't Superstitious" knowing exactly how to weaponize Howlin' Wolf's terrifying, commanding...High Water Everywhere - Charley PattonThe 1927 Mississippi flood was a cataclysmic event, and Charley Patton's two-part recording of "High Water Everywhere"...Beer Drinkin' Woman - Memphis SlimPianist Memphis Slim made his debut recording for Bluebird Records in 1940, firmly establishing his urbane, highly...Eyesight to the Blind - Sonny Boy Williamson IIIn 1951, Lillian McMurry, the white owner of a local record store in Jackson, Mississippi, launched Trumpet Records and...Prove It on Me Blues - Ma RaineyDuring the 1920s, the "Mother of the Blues," Ma Rainey, commanded massive audiences on the Black vaudeville circuit. In...Bobby Sox Blues - T-Bone WalkerT-Bone Walker recognized the explosive post-war cultural shift, and in 1946, he recorded "Bobby Sox Blues" with a...Do Re Mi - Woody GuthrieWoody Guthrie recorded "Do Re Mi" during his historic 1940 sessions for Alan Lomax at Victor Records. Utilizing a...Kassie Jones - Furry LewisWalter "Furry" Lewis was a fixture on the Memphis medicine show circuit, and in August 1928, Victor Records captured...Every Day I Have the Blues - B.B. KingWhen a young B.B. King entered a Los Angeles studio in 1955, he lifted the exact big-band blueprint of Memphis Slim's...Caldonia - Louis JordanLouis Jordan and His Tympany Five were the most successful act in rhythm and blues during the 1940s. In January 1945,...44 Blues - Roosevelt SykesIn 1929, an incredibly prolific, boisterous pianist named Roosevelt Sykes (often billed as "The Honeydripper") made his...Stack O' Lee Blues - Mississippi John HurtMississippi John Hurt traveled from his farm in Avalon, Mississippi, to a freezing New York City studio just after...That's All Right - Arthur "Big Boy" CrudupDuring a pivotal 1946 session in Chicago, Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup laid down a rhythm that changed American music....Crawling King Snake - John Lee Hooker"Crawling King Snake" draws from earlier blues material associated especially with Tony Hollins and Big Joe Williams,...My Babe - Little WalterSongwriter Willie Dixon knew that the massive, driving energy of the Chicago blues often had direct roots in the...Shake, Rattle and Roll - Big Joe TurnerIn early 1954, Atlantic Records executives handed a song by Jesse Stone to a massive, boisterous Kansas City blues...Red House - Jimi HendrixBefore he became a global psychedelic rock icon, Jimi Hendrix was a working R&B sideman, and "Red House" was his...On the Road Again - Canned HeatCanned Heat was fundamentally a blues preservation society disguised as a 1960s rock band. For "On the Road Again,"...Statesboro Blues - Taj MahalWhen 25-year-old Taj Mahal recorded his self-titled debut album in 1967, he approached traditional country blues with...Tupelo - John Lee HookerJohn Lee Hooker famously brought his dark, hypnotic boogie to the largely acoustic crowd at the 1960 Newport Folk...Baby Please Don't Go - Big Joe WilliamsBig Joe Williams was a famously combative, wandering blues musician, best known for playing a heavily modified,...Messin' Around - Memphis Slim"Blues in the Mississippi Night" is a legendary audio documentary recorded by folklorist Alan Lomax. In 1947, Lomax...Black, Brown and White Blues - Big Bill BroonzyBig Bill Broonzy wrote "Black, Brown and White Blues" in the 1940s, but no American record label would touch it due to...Got The Bottle Up and Gone - Sonny Boy Williamson IIOperating out of Lillian McMurry's Trumpet Records in Jackson, Mississippi, Sonny Boy Williamson II took an older,...Blowin' in the Wind - Bob DylanAt just 21 years old, Bob Dylan walked into Columbia Studios and recorded what became one of the defining songs of the...Highway 61 Revisited - Bob DylanBob Dylan completely dismantled the boundary between folk poetry and electric blues with the title track to Highway 61...Diddie Wa Diddie - Blind BlakeArthur "Blind" Blake was the widely regarded king of ragtime blues guitar. In August 1929, he recorded "Diddie Wa...Black Eye Blues - Ma RaineyMa Rainey, the Mother of the Blues, did not shy away from the brutal realities of domestic life. Recorded in late 1928...I Just Want to Make Love to You - Muddy WatersWillie Dixon originally titled this track "Just Make Love to Me," writing it specifically to capitalize on Muddy...Spoonful - Howlin' WolfWillie Dixon wrote "Spoonful" based on an old Charlie Patton theme, using the metaphor of a single spoon to describe...I Can't Quit You Baby - Willie DixonLooking to build a roster for Eli Toscano's newly formed Cobra Records, producer and songwriter Willie Dixon recruited...All Your Love (I Miss Loving) - Otis RushOtis Rush was a key architect of Chicago's West Side blues sound, and his 1958 recording of "All Your Love (I Miss...All Your Love - Magic SamTwenty-year-old Samuel Maghett arrived at Cobra Records in 1957 and completely upended the Chicago blues guitar...Mystery Train - Junior ParkerRecorded by Sam Phillips in Memphis, Herman "Junior" Parker's "Mystery Train" is a haunting, atmospheric collision of...Moanin' at Midnight - Howlin' WolfBefore moving to Chicago, Howlin' Wolf recorded his debut sides in Memphis with producer Sam Phillips. "Moanin' at...Decoration Blues - Sonny Boy Williamson IJohn Lee Williamson, the original Sonny Boy, helped establish the smooth, professional "Bluebird Beat" that dominated...Love Her with a Feeling - Tampa RedKnown as "The Guitar Wizard," Tampa Red was one of the most prolific and polished artists on the Bluebird label. By...Someday Baby Blues - Sleepy John EstesSleepy John Estes recorded "Someday Baby Blues" in 1935, but his 1962 re-recording for Delmark Records marked one of...Eisenhower Blues - J.B. LenoirJ.B. Lenoir was one of the few Chicago blues musicians willing to inject direct political commentary into his music. In...Shotgun Blues - Lightnin' HopkinsRecording for Bill Quinn's Gold Star label in Houston, Sam "Lightnin'" Hopkins cut "Shotgun Blues" using his signature,...You Gotta Move - Mississippi Fred McDowellChris Strachwitz of Arhoolie Records recorded Fred McDowell, a farmer from near Como, Mississippi, who played the most...Death Don't Have No Mercy - Rev. Gary DavisThe Reverend Gary Davis was a towering figure in the Piedmont blues tradition who abandoned secular music for the...Parchman Farm Blues - Bukka WhiteBukka White was released from the notorious Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman in 1940 and traveled directly to...Searching the Desert for the Blues - Blind Willie McTellBlind Willie McTell possessed one of the most versatile techniques in pre-war blues, effortlessly switching between...Deep River Blues - Doc WatsonBlind Appalachian guitarist Doc Watson introduced "Deep River Blues" on his self-titled 1964 Vanguard debut album,...Long Distance Call - Muddy WatersIn 1967, Chess Records attempted to capitalize on the psychedelic rock boom by putting their three biggest artists...These Arms of Mine - Otis ReddingOtis Redding wasn't supposed to record on this day; he was simply the driver for guitarist Johnny Jenkins. When...When the Sun Goes Down - Big Bill BroonzyBig Bill Broonzy's 1935 recording of "When the Sun Goes Down" is a masterclass in adaptation. Drawing from the...Trouble in Mind - Big Bill BroonzyBig Bill Broonzy was a master of adaptation, and his recording of "Trouble in Mind" proved he could handle...I'd Rather Go Blind - Etta JamesEtta James traveled to Rick Hall's FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, to record the defining tracks of her career....Wang Dang Doodle - Koko TaylorWillie Dixon had first cut "Wang Dang Doodle" with Howlin' Wolf in 1960, but Wolf was not enthusiastic about the...Like a Rolling Stone - Bob DylanDuring a grueling June 1965 session at Columbia Studios in New York, a young session guitarist named Al Kooper sneaked...Dr. Feelgood - Aretha FranklinWhen Aretha Franklin signed with Atlantic Records in 1967, the label foregrounded her gospel and blues strengths more...When a Man Loves a Woman - Percy SledgePercy Sledge was working as an orderly at an Alabama hospital when he improvised the melody to "When a Man Loves a...Mustang Sally - Wilson PickettWilson Pickett was a notoriously fiery, demanding vocalist, and he required an equally powerful rhythm section to match...Waiting for a Train - Jimmie RodgersJimmie Rodgers, the "Singing Brakeman," was the first massive star of commercial country music, but his repertoire was...Dead Man Blues - Jelly Roll MortonJelly Roll Morton famously, and controversially, claimed to have invented jazz. Regardless of his boasting, his 1926...Strange Things Happening Every Day - Sister Rosetta TharpeSister Rosetta Tharpe completely ignored the boundary between the sacred and the secular. In the fall of 1944, the...Subterranean Homesick Blues - Bob DylanBob Dylan opened Bringing It All Back Home with a track driven by a frantic, electric rock-and-roll band. Recorded in...Black Angel Blues - Tampa RedTampa Red first recorded "Black Angel Blues" in 1934, establishing a melody that would echo through the decades....Worried Life Blues - Big Maceo MerriweatherBig Maceo Merriweather possessed one of the heaviest left hands in blues history. During a 1941 session in Chicago, he...Death Letter Blues (1965) - Son HouseSon House had completely abandoned music and was living in Rochester, New York, when he was rediscovered by young folk...See My Jumper Hanging on the Line - R.L. BurnsideTraveling through the North Mississippi hill country in 1967, folklorist George Mitchell set up a portable tape...Boogie Chillen' No. 2 - John Lee HookerIn 1970, the veteran Detroit blues musician John Lee Hooker entered a Los Angeles studio with the blues-rock band...Blue Horizon - Sidney BechetSidney Bechet was a pioneer of early jazz, but his profound connection to the blues was undeniable. In December 1944,...I Be's Troubled - Muddy WatersLong before Chicago and the electric guitar, this was Muddy Waters in his rawest form. Alan Lomax and John Work III...Kind Hearted Woman Blues (SA.2580-1) - Robert JohnsonThis was the very first song Robert Johnson ever recorded. Producer Don Law set up a makeshift studio in Room 414 of...Ramblin' On My Mind (Take 1) - Robert JohnsonCut on the exact same Monday as his debut track, this recording captures a different side of Johnson's arsenal. While...Coffee Blues - Mississippi John HurtDecades after his 1928 sessions for OKeh, Hurt was rediscovered in Avalon, Mississippi, and brought north. This session...Worried Life Blues - Jimmy ReedJimmy Reed takes Big Maceo Merriweather's 1941 piano blues standard and pulls it into his own signature groove. While...T-Bone Blues - T-Bone WalkerT-Bone Walker didn't even play guitar on this track; he was strictly the vocalist. Backed by Les Hite and His...This Train - Sister Rosetta TharpeThough technically a gospel record, Sister Rosetta Tharpe's guitar work on this track is undeniably blues-based. She...She's Long, She's Tall (She Weeps Like a Willow Tree) - John Lee HookerRecorded during Hooker's prolific early Detroit period, this track highlights his raw, unaccompanied electric style....My Own Version of You - Bob DylanFrom his acclaimed Rough and Rowdy Ways album, Dylan builds a narrative about constructing a companion using spare...Switching in the Kitchen - Big Joe TurnerBig Joe Turner was the ultimate blues shouter, with a voice loud enough to cut through an entire jazz orchestra without...Worried Life Blues - Roy BrownRoy Brown reinvents Big Maceo's piano classic, infusing it with his trademark gospel-tinged vocal wails. Brown was a...Knock Me A Kiss - Louis Jordan & His Tympany FiveLouis Jordan was the King of the Jukeboxes, and this track shows exactly why. He stripped down the massive swing big...Stormy Weather - Billie Holiday"Stormy Weather" is a standard 32-bar pop song, but Billie Holiday turns it into a blues. Recorded for Norman Granz's...Evil Woman - Champion Jack DupreeCut during the Blues from the Gutter sessions, this track features the New Orleans pianist alongside a tight Atlantic...Choo Choo Ch' Boogie - Louis JordanThis became one of the biggest hits of the jump blues era. The lyrics follow a hobo riding the rails looking for work...Hobo's Lullaby - Woody GuthrieRecorded by Moses Asch, this is Woody Guthrie interpreting a song by the "Texas Drifter," Goebel Reeves. It's a gentle,...Early Mornin' Rain - Bob DylanFeatured on Dylan's polarizing Self Portrait album, this is a cover of Gordon Lightfoot's modern folk standard about...Southbound Train - Muddy WatersMuddy Waters covers a song by his mentor, Big Bill Broonzy, backed by the legendary Little Walter on harmonica and Big...Rambler Blues - Blind Lemon JeffersonRecorded in Paramount's notoriously low-fidelity Chicago studios, this track highlights the foundational sound of Texas...Mean Old World - T-Bone WalkerThis is one of the foundational records for the electric blues guitar solo. Recorded for Capitol with Freddie Slack's...Ease My Pain - Johnny WinterRecorded in a small Austin studio before his massive Columbia Records breakthrough, this track captures the ferocity of...A Blue Song - Joe "Guitar" HughesJoe "Guitar" Hughes was a fierce, unsung hero of Houston's Third Ward blues scene. Coming up alongside Johnny Copeland...Shakin' Dem Bones - U.P. WilsonKnown as the "Tornado," U.P. Wilson was a legend of the Dallas/Fort Worth blues clubs. Unlike the smooth,...Dying Crapshooters Blues - Blind Willie McTellJohn A. Lomax and his wife Ruby recorded this track in an Atlanta hotel room. McTell plays his signature 12-string...Samson And Delilah - Rev. Gary DavisReverend Gary Davis was ordained in 1933 and refused to play secular blues, but his guitar technique was the definition...Motherless Chile Blues - Barbecue BobRobert Hicks worked as a cook at an Atlanta barbecue stand, which Columbia Records capitalized on by photographing him...Goodbye Blues - Ralph Willis & Brownie McGheeRalph Willis was born in Alabama but relocated to New York, where he fell in with the East Coast Piedmont crowd. Backed...San Francisco Bay Blues - Jesse FullerJesse "Lone Cat" Fuller was a one-man band. He sang, played 12-string guitar, harmonica, kazoo, and an invention he...Southbound Train - Big Bill BroonzyBefore Muddy Waters arrived, Big Bill Broonzy was the leading figure in Chicago blues. He bridged the gap between the...Two Bugs and a Roach - Earl HookerEarl Hooker was widely considered the guitarist's guitarist in Chicago, admired by B.B. King and Jimi Hendrix alike....Bad News Is Coming - Luther AllisonIt's a rare occurrence to find heavy Chicago blues on Motown's roster. Berry Gordy signed Allison, trying to capture...Goodbye Jimmy Reed - Bob DylanFrom 2020's Rough and Rowdy Ways, Dylan pays direct homage to the Vee-Jay Records legend. The blues connection isn't...Hard Travelin' - Woody GuthrieRecorded during his marathon sessions for Moses Asch, this is Woody Guthrie chronicling the exhaustion of the itinerant...Blue Yodel No. 4 (California Blues) - Jimmie RodgersThe "Singing Brakeman" was the first true superstar of country music, but his foundation was the blues. Rodgers learned...Collector Man Blues - Sonny Boy Williamson IJohn Lee Williamson helped define modern blues harmonica, playing it not just as a novelty, but as a lead instrument...CWA Blues - Joe PullumJoe Pullum was a Houston-based blues singer with a distinctive, high-pitched vocal style that rarely rose above a...Dust Bowl Refugee - Woody GuthrieRecorded during his first major sessions for Victor Records, this song solidified Guthrie's reputation as the voice of...Kansas City - James BrownJames Brown took Leiber and Stoller's rhythm and blues standard and injected it with maximum funk. Backed by the tight...I Just Want To Make Love To You - Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters, Little WalterThis comes from the Super Blues album, a session produced by Ralph Bass to cash in on the blues-rock boom by putting...Grits Ain't Groceries (All Around The World) - Little MiltonOriginally recorded by Titus Turner as "All Around the World," Little Milton Campbell turned it into a soul-blues hit....Iceman - Albert CollinsAlbert Collins, the "Master of the Telecaster," recorded this late-career title track utilizing his entirely unique...Hard Times - The Hoodoo KingsThe Hoodoo Kings were a short-lived supergroup featuring three veteran blues eccentrics: John Lee Hooker collaborator...Nickel and a Dime - Sugar Pie DeSantoSugar Pie DeSanto was a fireball of energy, discovered by Johnny Otis and later signed to Chess/Checker. Standing just...Rusty Dusty Blues (Mama Mama Blues) - B.B. KingOriginally a hit for Count Basie with Louis Jordan on vocals, B.B. King tackles this swing-era standard and makes it a...Switching in the Kitchen (Swing Age) - Big Joe TurnerWhile Turner's massive voice is the focal point, the backbone of this session is the rhythm section provided by...Honey Dripper (Pt. 2) - King CurtisKing Curtis takes Joe Liggins' 1945 jump blues classic and turns it into a blistering tenor saxophone showcase. Curtis...Paris Blues - T-Bone Walker, Big Joe Turner, Otis SpannCut for the Super Black Blues album, producer Bob Thiele put three titans into a Los Angeles studio. You have the...