Blues Music Artists

JAMES BOOKER

James Booker was right up there with the best pianists New Orleans has ever produced, and when you consider that other candidates might include Fats and ‘Fess‘, Toussaint, Dr. John, Huey Smith and Harry Connick Jr. you know that is high praise indeed. James could make his organ or piano sound like a whole band,…

Lead Belly (Huddie Ledbetter)

Lead Belly was an enigma. Nobody could claim to have a wider repertoire; popular songs, dance tunes, blues and folk songs, prison ballads; the man was a human juke-box accompanying himself on guitar, mandolin, accordion and piano. Yet a man so rich in talent lived and died in poverty. In 1889 Huddie Ledbetter was born…

ARCHIBALD

Archibald is not a well known figure outside New Orleans, but his style was a strong influence on younger players in the city like Fats Domino and Huey ‘Piano’ Smith. The old Blues classic ‘Stack-a-Lee’ first came to national attention on Archibald’s only hit record, but despite his lack of recording success, he had a…

‘ROCKIN TABBY’ THOMAS

Swamp Blues has the insistent, hypnotic rhythm that penetrates the listeners body like a virus and provokes inevitable symptoms like shuffling feet and swinging hips. ‘Rockin Tabby’ Thomas played guitar and piano, and sang his energetic Swamp Blues for over 50 years, becoming a legend in the Baton Rouge area, with his band, his record…

CHARLIE SAYLES

Talent does not always get you recognition, as Charlie Sayles can tell you. A hugely talented harp player with a superb technique and a great voice, he incorporates the style of Chicago’s early legends into his wide repertoire of Blues, Rock and Funk influenced material. Charlie has recorded only four albums in forty years of…

JOE LOUIS WALKER

A Legacy in Blues With a razor-sharp guitar tone and the soulful voice of a Blues legend, Joe Louis Walker was a powerhouse who continuously pushed the boundaries of the Blues genre. From old-school Blues classics to funk-driven dance grooves and gospel-tinged ballads, Walker’s music was as versatile as it was passionate. Leading his band,…

KID ORY

Kid Ory led his Original Creole Jazz Band from New Orleans to Los Angeles and from there to Chicago in the years after WWI. He released his earliest records on his is very own Sunshine label (the first Blues music to be made on the West-coast ) and distribited his products through a single store…

LEE DORSEY

New Orleans music made the world dance after WWII, with Jump-Blues and sax and piano driven good-time backbeats, but in the 60s it was home to some real funky R&B. Lee Dorsey was its foremost practitioner, as his records crossed racial and national boundaries, and opened our ears to his soulful voice and clever songs.…

SUGAR BLUE

That big, howling ‘Mississippi Sax‘ sound conveys the heart and soul of The Blues like nothing else, and it is in good hands with younger players like Sugar Blue, who invokes the spirit of the great Blues harp players like Little Walter and Rice ‘Sonny Boy II’ Miller in his work. Sugar’s spectacular runs and…

JAY McSHANN

Big-band swing made people dance in the years before WWII, and Jump-Blues and R&B did the same in the post-War years, and Jay McShann was one of the bandleaders who prompted the change. Recruiting excellent musicians in both causes, Jay (a.k.a. ‘Hootie’) played piano and sang with his band for over 70 years, and they…