It’s now more than 60 years since the groundbreaking slide guitarist Elmore James died from a heart attack at the tragically early age of 45.…
The Life and Legacy of Legendary Bluesman Elmore James
Author: John Philpott
Author and journalist John Phillpott has written for many newspapers and magazines during a career that spans more than 50 years. His latest book Go and Make the Tea, Boy! is a memoir of his days as a young reporter.
The music of the pirates and freed African slaves
Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones will always be the world’s greatest rock ‘n’ roll outlaw. This musical prince of thieves who stole a sound…
Album Changed the World
Nearly 60 years ago, in the spring of 1964, an emerging British rhythm and blues band released their first album. It was an event that…
Yankee Jack, The English Shanty Revival
There’s a production currently doing the rounds of British theatres that may ultimately prove to be of great significance in the continuing development of global…
Birth of the Stones
This year marked the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Rolling Stones, the rock band that through its initial championing of what had hitherto…
Living the Blues
AFTER perhaps years of only regional or even just local fame, global recognition arrived late for America’s blues pioneers during the middle of the last…
Cork… where the music never stops
Writer and musician John Phillpott travelled to Ireland before the pandemic struck and discovered a city where the music never stops… The gulls following the…
John Lee Hooker: 20th Anniversary of His Passing
This month – June – sees the 20th anniversary of the death of John Lee Hooker, one of the most influential blues artists of all…
Cuba, Paradise Found
Writer and musician John Phillpott recalls the trip of a lifetime when he became entranced by the hypnotic sounds of Cuba: As a lifelong fan…
America’s Gift, Origins of the Blues
MANY books and countless articles have been written about the blues but only a few authors have dug really deep into the roots of the…