Born Emmit Ellis, Jr., Bobby Rush was born in Homer, Louisiana. Rush gained renown in Chicago starting in the 1950s and 60s where he performed…
Artist Profiles: Bobby Rush
Tag: blues
Artist Profiles: Bo Diddley
Bo Diddley was an artist with legendary stature and a remarkable five-decade career. Called ‘The Originator’ for his role in the birth of rock ‘n…
Artist Profiles: Blind Boy Fuller
Blind Boy Fuller Fulton Allen, also known as Blind Boy Fuller, was one of the most influential and popular Bluesmen of the 1930s. Born in…
Bluesmen Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ Announce New Album and Tour
Celebrated blues musicians Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ have announced an extraordinary, full-band tour in support of their first album as a duo, ‘TajMo’ (Concord).…
Artist Profiles: Shemekia Copeland
Charon Shemekia Copeland was born April 10, 1979 in Harlem, New York City. She is the daughter of famed blues guitarist and vocalist Johnny Copeland…
Mamadou Kelly Meets Cindy Cashdollar
Mamadou Kelly – Politiki (Clermont Music CLE 016CD, 2017) Superb Malian guitarist Mamadou Kelly skillfully combines Saharan desert blues with American blues on Politiki. In…
Artist Profiles: Muddy Waters
Born in Issaquena County, Mississippi as McKinley Morganfield in 1913,Artist Profiles: Muddy Waters was deeply rooted in the Mississippi Delta blues. He got his nickname…
Blues Harmonica Virtuoso James Cotton Dies at 81
Acclaimed blues harmonica player James Cotton died on March 16, 2017. He was a legendary musician who had performed with some of blues’ greatest musicians…
Artist Profiles: Knut Reiersrud
Knut Reiersrud was born in 1961 in Oslo. He has been a much sought-after guitarist since he was teenager. He started out as a…
The Hybrid Sounds of Belgium’s Zanzibar
Zanzibar – Fiali in Chicago (Home Records, 2016) Belgian multi-ethnic band Zanzibar plays an unexpected mix of rhythmic Afropop music, harmonica-based American blues, boogie woogie,…