Blues with a Feeling - The Official Podcast

Taj Mahal Classic Album Feature – Dancing The Blues   “Songs from Fats Domino to Louis Jordan. Etta James joins in on the classic “Mockingbird” along with a “slamming” band including Texacali Horns, Tony Braunagel, Chuck Domanico, Mick Weaver, Johnny Lee Schell, and Bill Payne & Ritchie Hayward from Little Feat. Dancing The Blues will get ya shakin&rsqu...

 “The first of Freddie King’s three albums for Leon Russell’s Shelter label set the tone for his work for the company: superb electric blues with a prominent rock/soul influence. The massive Texan and the longhaired Oklahoman got it right the first time around with the aptly titled Getting Ready LP. Recorded at the legendary Chess studios in Chicago, it might well rank as Fr...

“Muddy "Mississippi" Waters Live - 1979 brings you the electrifying and unforgettable live performance of one of blues' most legendary artists, Muddy Waters. Capturing his raw energy and soulful presence, this live album is a testament to Muddy Waters’ profound influence on the blues genre. Featuring classic tracks like "Hoochie Coochie Man" and "Mannish Boy" this collection offers an...

“When they referred to consistently amazing guitarist Snooks Eaglin as a human jukebox in his New Orleans hometown, they weren't dissing him in the slightest. The blind Eaglin was a beloved figure in the Crescent City, not only for his gritty,  Ray Charles -inspired vocal delivery and wholly imaginative approach to the guitar, but for the seemingly infinite storehouse of oldies that he...

“The Blues Foundation has announced its 2025 Blues Music Awards winners. The winners were revealed on Thursday, May 8, in Memphis, Tennessee. Big winners from the night included Ruthie Foster, Sue Foley, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Curtis Salgado, and John Primer, who all took home multiple awards. Ronnie Baker Brooks led the way with three wins.” With the announcement of the Blues Music Awar...

“Magnificent, staggering, almost beyond belief.  Utterly Blues approved.” --“GUITAR PLAYER” MAGAZINE, U.S.A.   “There’s no more explosive Blues guitar player in the world.” --“ESQUIRE”, U.S.A.     “DAVE HOLE is a musician whose time has finally come. In fact, considering the acclaim he's received in the past few months...

“One of the world's greatest rock 'n' roll bands ever to strut the 50 States, these sharp-dressed Texas titans-Billy F. Gibbons, Frank Beard, and Dusty Hill-are a righteously hell raisin' power trio boasting a 30-plus year hit-making legacy, both in the studio and at concert arenas. With their revved up blues 'n' boogie, they always make the most of their Texas birthright with with a distinc...

On the Jimmy Reed Highway  began as an Omar Kent Dykes album, but once Jimmie Vaughan came into the studio “the songs took on their own life,” remembers Omar. “I figured Jimmie would come in and play a couple of solos, but he got so excited about it he stayed for the rest.” Ain't nobody can do Jimmy Reed like Jimmy Reed could. But this drive down Jimmy Reed Highway wit...

The center of Clarence Gatemouth Brown's taste is post-World War II jump blues and R&B with a distinctly Southwestern feel. Tasty as his guitar playing is, he likes to add horns and even a bit of country fiddle to the mix. As its title indicates, Back to Bogalusa particularly investigates the Louisiana influences… notably on the tracks "Going Back to Louisiana," "Breaux Bridge Rag," "Bo...

"Basic and bare-boned West Coast jump blues, down home Texas grit, and Memphis rockabilly . . . wild, funky and menacing." -- Guitar Player "Sizzling roots rock . . . gutbucket power . . . no-holds-barred excitement." -- Billboard Music writers have likened The Paladins' high-energy blend of rock 'n' roll, R&B, swing and rockabilly to the music of Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Fabulous Thunderbirds...

“Smokey is difficult if not impossible to categorize. Possessor of a powerful voice, he can bellow like Wolf or cry sweetly like B.B. King. Smokey's guitar playing is equally diverse as he romps through the stylings of Elmore James and Jimmy Reed (which Smokey calls "countryfied blues") one song and then polished urban blues the next. He also digs into the soulful side a la Z.Z. Hill and Tyr...

  “Clarke's timing and music are right on the money, with the great Alex Schultz on lead guitar. There is no doubt that Clarke is one of the few modern bluesmen who are exploring and extending the amplified blues harp tradition without violating any of its principles. No one plays chromatic blues harp with this kind of passion and sheer conviction.”   &nbs...

“The band were at the peak of their powers as a live unit at this point, so it made sense that their next release should reflect that; the self-explanatory  Live  was recorded at a rapturously received gig held at Cincinnati Gardens on 23 May 1986. Including firm favourites such as ‘Who Do You Love?’, ‘I Drink Alone’ and ‘Madison Blues’, the LP w...

"Recorded in both Memphis and Texas and prominently featuring the amazing Bill Willis on Hammond B-3 (who doubles on bass pedals -- leaving this as one of the few blues albums without an official bassist), Jimmie's more subtle approach leaves lots of spaces to nail a groove that gets deeper as the album progresses. Guests like James Cotton on harp and longtime associate singer Lou Ann Barton (who...

“He was one of the most gifted blues guitar players of all time. A mere thirty two years old at the time of his passing, Fats had already made a big splash in this small pond. His playing however continues to make waves and has had an impact on blues guitar players worldwide.” David Mac Blues Junction Productions With the legendary Hollywood Fats birthday this week, I thought I was lon...

“That Little Ol’ Band From Texas” has been at it for well over a half century, delivering rock, blues and boogie on the road and in the studio to millions of devoted fans.  With classic songs such as “Sharp Dressed Man”, “Legs” and “Gimme Me All Your Lovin” and iconography as distinctive as their sound, ZZ TOP is virtually synonymous...

“A soul-blues revivalist who isn't strictly a traditionalist, Eli "Paperboy" Reed synthesized several strands of 1960s soul, marrying gritty Southern funk with gutsy Chicago blues.” With Eli “Paper Boy” Reed set to tour in Australia in May, I sat down for a chat with him about 20 years in the biz, about those amazing times chasing his muse following school, and our favourit...

"Thorogood deals strongly in early '50s style rock and timeless blues and this album captures him at his slidin', pickin', wailin' best." Cashbox With the announcement that George Thorogood & the Destroyers will return to Australia in April for a month of gigs, I’m digging deep into the bands incredible multi-million selling back catalogue to feature the bands debut album “George T...

“This captures Magic Sam and his band in more laid-back form, playing a small, booze-free venue rather than a rowdy bar or a festival audience in the thousands. Magic Sam may be in a more relaxed temper here, but his guitar work is absolutely on point; Sam's agile, incisive lead work, his dazzling string bends, and his fiery solos in which he fires off notes with the precision of a machine g...

  “The Taj Mahal Sextet’s  Swingin’ Live at the Church in Tulsa  won the Best Traditional Blues Album Grammy Award. The award was announced on February 2, 2025. Swingin’ Live at the Church in Tulsa captures a live performance at the historic Tulsa studio once home to Leon Russell. The album features ten tracks spanning multiple genres, performed by his long-t...

“After detours into jazz, pop and country, Etta James is back in the smoking eye of an R&B maelstrom, singing with controlled fury and vinegary bite.  Surrounding this queen bee of the blues are two fresh princes: sons Donto and Sametto, who produced and engineered, and played drums and bass, respectively. The young bloods balance classic and contemporary approaches, leavi...

“ With a formula that began a serious legacy, ‘ZZ Top’s First Album’ introduced the Texan trio as one of the best blues-rock acts in history. Released on 16 January 1971 ,  it established a blueprint that would serve the trio well for the next 50 years, and make them possibly the most enduring and successful blues-rock band of all time.” With ZZ Top announcing pl...

“ B.B. King: Live In Africa captures the legendary blues guitarist's 1974 performance in Kinshasa, Zaire. This concert was part of a three-day celebration of black sports and music that also featured the "Rumble in the Jungle" heavyweight championship fight between George Foreman  and Muhammad Ali…his performances of "The Thrill Is Gone," "Sweet Sixteen," "I Like to Live the...

  "Up-to-date, raw-edged blues…unassailable musicianship, passion and conviction." —Chicago Reader "Jumping, rocking blues…Peterson is a triple-threat player, excelling on guitar, piano and especially Hammond organ."  —Washington Post Another classic blues release from 1994 this week, featuring Lucky Petersons 2nd Verve records release “Beyond Cool”...

  “Hellbent for blues, the red-hot Red Devils have cranked out the year's most electrifying live album, a stunning debut. Even a band this sharp and spirited will be hard-pressed to top it. The raw and rootsy King King,  produced by sonic sharpshooter Rick Rubin, was recorded at L.A.'s King King club, where the Devils served as house band for six years. Whether blasting their own Goin' to the Chur...