Blues Moments in Time...

On this edition of Blues Moments in Time , we explore a day where acts of resistance, cultural expression and musical innovation intersected across more than a century of history. From John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry in 1859 to the iconic silent protest of Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, October 16 reveals how the pursuit of dignity, justice and human rights has...

On this edition of Blues Moments in Time , we explore a date defined by boundaries and the people who refused to accept them. From the 1883 Supreme Court decision that helped open the door to Jim Crow segregation, to the founding of the Black Panther Party in 1966, October 15 reveals how law, politics and everyday life shaped the experiences of Black Americans and the music they created. Along the...

In this episode of Blues Moments in Time , Kelvin Huggins explores the significant events of October 14 and the powerful role they played in shaping African-American culture, music and social progress. We begin in 1939 with The Chicago Defender , a newspaper that helped inform and guide Black families during the Great Migration, contributing to the growth of Chicago's Southside communities where a...

In this episode of Blues Moments in Time , we explore the remarkable stories of October 13 and their place within the broader history of African-American achievement and resilience. We begin in 1792, when the cornerstone of the White House was laid, a historic project built in part through the labour of enslaved African Americans. From there, we examine the determination and ingenuity of inventor...

October 12 sees the powerful connections between civil rights, community action and the evolution of Black American music on October 12. As the civil rights movement gathered momentum in 1960, organisations like SNCC were demanding change while African American families continued reshaping the nation through the Great Migration. Along the way, rural blues traditions travelled from Southern fields...

In this episode of Blues Moments in Time , Kelvin Huggins explores the remarkable events of October 11 across six decades of African-American history. We begin in 1901, when celebrated entertainers Bert Williams and George Walker stepped into Victor Recording Studio, helping place Black voices onto nationally distributed records during an era of widespread exclusion. From there, we travel to Auror...

On this edition of Blues Moments in Time , we explore how October 10 connects pivotal moments in African-American political history with the enduring power of blues, soul and jazz. From the 1871 assassination of voting-rights advocate Octavius Catto, to government surveillance of Dr Martin Luther King Jr., and the founding of the Black Panther Party in 1966, this date reveals a continuing story of...

On this edition of Blues Moments in Time , we explore how October 9 connects some of the most powerful stories in African American history, politics and music. From abolitionist publisher Mary Ann Shadd Cary using the printed word to fight for freedom, to the tragic lynching of Jesse James Payne , we examine the realities that shaped the world from which the blues emerged. We also reflect on miles...

In this episode of Blues Moments in Time , host Kelvin Huggins unpacks the profound historical and musical crossroads of October 8. Discover how the devastating 1871 Great Chicago Fire inadvertently laid the geographical foundation for the city's legendary Southside blues scene, and how the 1993 lifting of UN sanctions against South Africa mirrored the genre's lifelong fight against systemic oppre...

In this episode of Blues Moments in Time , we unpack the dual narrative of October 7—a date where the struggle for civil rights and the global evolution of the blues intersect. We explore how grassroots organizing in rural Mississippi and the endurance of voters on Freedom Day in Selma mirror the resilience baked into blues music. Through the generational sounds of Big Joe Williams's raw Delta str...

On October 6, the story of the blues reaches far beyond the music itself. From the fight for Black political power at the 1847 National Black Convention, to Fannie Lou Hamer’s lifelong struggle for voting rights, October 6 reveals the deep connection between African American resistance, community and the blues. We travel from the spirituals of the Fisk Jubilee Singers to J.B. Lenoir’s electric Chi...

On this day in blues history, we trace a remarkable journey from the street blues of Texas guitarist George "Little Hat" Jones to the global stages of the American Folk Blues Festival. Along the way, we explore the shared truths between blues storytelling and the civil rights movement through the life of James Foreman, revisit the jazz-blues crossroads of King Oliver and Louis Armstrong, and exami...

On this edition of Blues Moments in Time , we explore October 4, a day that connects Black journalism, civil rights, and the enduring power of the blues. We revisit the launch of the New Orleans Tribune , America's first Black daily newspaper, reflect on the legacy of Bessie Smith, and examine how the activism of H. Rap Brown echoed themes long expressed through blues music. Musically, we spotligh...

On this edition of Blues Moments in Time , we explore October 3, a day where education, resilience, and musical innovation intersect. We revisit Mary McLeod Bethune's founding of a school for Black girls in segregated Florida, reflect on Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation during the Civil War, and trace the influence of Black American music through Ike and Tina Turner's breakthrough telev...

In this episode of Blues Moments in Time , we explore the powerful intersections of blues music, civil rights, and American history on October 2. From a racially motivated attack against Black women students in Colorado in 1930 to the historic swearing-in of Thurgood Marshall as the first African American Justice of the United States Supreme Court in 1967, this date reveals both the hardships and...

October 1 brings together African independence, the American civil rights struggle, the opening of Chicago's House of Blues, and the birthdays of several musical innovators. From Albert Collins' icy guitar style to the enduring legacy of Beverly "Guitar" Watkins, this episode explores the moments and musicians that made history. If you're loving these daily blues history drops, leave us a review v...

On this episode, we trace March 15 as a fault line in American blues history—where politics, faith, and sound collide. From LBJ’s “We Shall Overcome” speech and the Voting Rights Act, to Ray Charles’s “I’ve Got a Woman” redefining Black music, to the intertwined legacies of Lightnin’ Hopkins and Ry Cooder, we explore how the blues becomes a living archive of memory, resistance, and survival. IN TH...

On this powerful episode of Blues Moments in Time , we trace the journey of the blues from the hardship of the Jim Crow South to the electrified streets of Chicago, uncovering how struggle gave rise to sound that changed the world. March 14 connects the dots between the Great Migration’s cultural upheaval and the personal legacies of icons like Buddy Guy, the revolutionary “Queen of the Organ” Shi...

On March 13, two very different front lines—Selma, Alabama and swinging‑London—revealed how deeply the blues runs through global culture. As civil rights marchers faced state violence to secure the vote in 1965, a young Eric Clapton walked away from pop stardom to chase the raw truth of Black blues music. This episode traces how the blues, born from oppression and survival, shaped political resist...

=Listener Discretion= This episode of Blues Moments in Time, includes historical discussion of racism and systemic injustice in the United States and may include the names and stories of people who are no longer with us.. We approach these topics in a factual, educational context, but listener discretion is advised. This episode traces how March 12 reveals the blues as a mirror of struggle — from...

From the Broadway debut of A Raisin in the Sun to the haunting "whoop" of Sonny Terry’s harmonica, March 11th is a day where the blues speaks the truth of the American experience. IN THIS EPISODE: [00:00] - Introduction [00:46] - The Cultural Landscape [01:27] - The Political Climate [01:55] - Exploring The Music [02:57] - Births [03:23] - Passings [03:46] - Conclusion KEY FIGURES MENTIONED: Sonny...

Today, we honour the legacy of Harriet Tubman, celebrate the birth of guitar great Ronnie Earl, and revisit the historic 1972 Gary Convention. IN THIS EPISODE: [00:00] - Introduction [00:43] - The Cultural Landscape [01:20] - The Political Climate [01:56] - Exploring The Music [02:26] - Births [02:56] - Passings [03:26] - Conclusion KEY FIGURES MENTIONED: Harriet Tubman (1822–1913) Luis Russell (1...

Today on March 9, we follow the marchers back to the bridge in Selma, witness a historic legal victory for freedom in the Amistad case, and celebrate the New Orleans legend who gave us "Lawdy Miss Clawdy." IN THIS EPISODE: [00:00] - Introduction [00:43] - The Cultural Landscape [01:10] - The Political Climate [01:35] - Exploring The Music [01:58] - Births [02:18] - Passings [02:42] - Conclusion KE...

From the halls of the Senate to the gentle strings of Mississippi John Hurt, today we explore how March 8th shaped the soul of the blues. IN THIS EPISODE: [00:00] - Introduction [00:43] - The Cultural Landscape [01:17] - The Political Climate [02:01] - Exploring The Music [02:31] - Births [03:00] - Passings [03:21] - Conclusion KEY FIGURES MENTIONED: Mississippi John Hurt (1893–1966) Willie King (...

March 7 is where the blues steps onto the bridge—literally and metaphorically. From Bloody Sunday in Selma to the first commercial jazz record, from Townes Van Zandt’s haunted ballads to Lowell Fulson’s West Coast grit and Ali Farka Touré’s desert trance, this date reveals the blues as a transatlantic story of terror, tenderness, and the stubborn pursuit of dignity. IN THIS EPISODE: [00:00] - Intr...