Singer | All About Blues Music

BILLY WRIGHT

The ‘Prince of the Blues’ was a gospel Blues shouter from Atlanta whose elaborate costumes, effeminate make-up and extravagant stage show was a model for his protege, Little Richard. After a stellar recording debut this ‘Prince’, a.k.a. Billy Wright, had a busy five year recording career that stopped abruptly around the time Little Richard hit…

TAJ MAHAL

Taj Mahal was never going to be a Blues purist, but on the other hand just about everything he plays is deeply rooted in the Blues. Music from the East, West, North and South has been absorbed and incorporated in Taj’s work from the earliest days, and he continues to cross musical boundaries like a…

ANA POPOVIC

Ana Popovic didn’t come from Central Casting’s idea of what a Blues-Rocker should be. A pretty woman with wild hair and a sparkly mini-dress is not the everyday leader of a Blues band, especially when this one has a great voice and a talent for guitar breaks on her Stratocaster. Add to that her Central…

GUY DAVIS

Guy Davis is a Blues singer, guitarist and harp player who has deep roots in Delta history that inform his playing and writing as he goes about his work of preserving acoustic country Blues. Travelling the world playing clubs and Festivals, Guy is an accomplished actor as well as a musician, and his writing includes…

ERIC BURDON

Eric Burdon’s primitive, gut-wrenching vocals were a revelation to American youth when his band The Animals followed The Beatles as pioneers of The British Invasion of American music in 1964. With his great Blues growl, Eric took his shot at world music stardom with the band; enjoyed an association with some original Blues legends; then…

BUMBLE BEE SLIM

The Blues is a cruel mistress, and a man who sold millions of records can disappear into the footnotes of Blues history. Bumble Bee Slim was certainly not a one-hit-wonder, but he is not well remembered today. He came from the Piedmont area to make a name for himself in Chicago, as country Blues transformed…

BIG MAYBELLE

Big Maybelle lived her life at double speed, packing an awful lot of living into a few years. A big voice, with a big personality and a big woman all round, Maybelle had dozens of R&B chart hits and some successful crossover singles in the 50s, and made the charts as late as 1967, but…

JOHNNY LITTLEJOHN

Johnny Littlejohn was a Delta-born slide-guitar player whose style had much in common with Elmore James, but despite a long career on the Chicago club scene, and travelling the world as a side-man, he remained almost undiscovered outside his adopted hometown. Johnny Funchess was born in Lake MS in 1931 and Henry Martin, a friend…

LIL GREEN

Lil Green had a beautiful, soulful voice trained in Mississippi Churches, honed in Chicago clubs and heard all over the country, especially at the Apollo in Harlem, where she regularly thrilled audiences. She was not a prolific recording artist, and she did not have a string of hits, but Lil did have her moment in…

DADDY STOVEPIPE

Daddy Stovepipe is best known for being one of the first men to record a Blues song. His first record, where he sang and accompanied himself on guitar and harp, was not a hit when it was released in 1924, but it was a significant milestone in the history of the Blues. Born in 1867…