Blues with a Feeling - The Official Podcast

  “As the milestone tenth studio album from blues luminary Ruthie Foster, Mileage finds the singer-songwriter reflecting on a life full of professional triumphs, personal loss, and a musical journey that took a self-described “little Black girl with a guitar” from singing at churches in rural Texas to chalking up multiple Grammy nominations and collaborating with fellow greats such as Susan Tedesc...

“After many years this is the debut of one of the living legends of Texas blues, drummer/singer and songwriter Bramhall. Since his early days back in 1964, Doyle has been a constant figure on the scene in Dallas with the Chessmen and (Texas) Storm, working together with the young Vaughan brothers. He moved to New Orleans to play with Mason Ruffner, joined Rocky Hill and backed Marcia Ball out of A...

“I’m real proud of it… This is the album where I finally found my ‘voice’ thanks to my dear friend Greg Leisz, who produced and played on the album while guiding me to some of the best performances I had done to that point in my career.” － Dave Alvin   I’m featuring Davin Alvins 1994 Hightone Records classic King Of California this week, Plus new releases from Ruthie Foster, Shemekia Copeland, Er...

Swingin’ Live at the Church in Tulsa   is a snapshot of a vibrant octogenarian artist who is still moving forward. Taj Mahal picks through his vast catalog to reexamine a handful of gems and uses his ever-deepening mastery of American roots music to put a new shine on songs that in some cases he has been playing since the start of his career in the ’60s.                                            ...

  "This album is dedicated to my teachers and inspirations, Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, B.B. King and Robert Jr. Lockwood and to the memories of Francis Snyder, Wilma Lieberman, Beth Christensen, and Arnold Hanson." Ronnie Earl Continuing my celebration of Blues With A Feelings 30 years on air in 2024 by reaching back to this classic Bullseye Blues release by Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters this week...

“A legendary guitarist whose playing is impeccable and spirited… a distinguished American player.” ~ Rolling Stone Ever since Rock & Roll and Blues Hall Of Famer Elvin Bishop first hit the scene with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band back in 1965, he’s blazed his own musical trail. Whether he was playing raw, eye-popping blues, or penning the evergreen radio hit Fooled Around And Fell In Love ,...

“One of a handful of truly inventive blues artists...slashing, incendiary guitar” –  Chicago Tribune Kenny Neal stands tall among the younger generation of blues players. His trademark brand of blues, featuring a combination of Louisiana swamp blues, funky rhythms and soul-deep vocals, powered by his slashing guitar playing and--on his solo albums--loping harmonica, puts him at the forefront of co...

“Everything that makes Otis a unique master of his form is here to savor, from his passionate vocals to the shimmering finger vibrato he applies to the liquid tones of his Fender Stratocaster.”   Reeling in the years to 1994 this week with this classic, Otis Rush 1994 release “Ain’t Enough Comin In”   Plus a dozen of the hottest new releases in stores this week with tracks from Jontavious Willis, ...

  “Like no other electric blues guitarist of his generation, Albert Collins illuminated a stage with incandescent energy whenever he plugged his lethal Telecaster into an amp and let fly with his frigid, minor-key-laced licks.”   Remembering Albert Collins birthday this week, by featuring his cracking 1991 Pointblank Records release Iceman.   Plus new releases from Shemekia Copeland, Ronnie Baker...

  "nobody has released more consistently excellent blues albums than Atlanta's Tinsley Ellis. He sings like a man possessed and wields a mean lead guitar." Billboard   Diving back into 1994 again this week, as part of my ongoing celebration of the programs 30 years on air, to feature Tinsley Ellis Alligator Records classic “Storm Warning”   Plus new releases from Shemekia Copeland , Southern Avenu...

“Shemekia Copeland is the greatest blues singer of her generation.” –The Washington Post I’m taking a good hard listen to just some of the very best of the new releases taking up space on my hard drive this month. Featuring songs from the latest releases by Shemekia Copeland,  Canned Heat, Duke Robillard, Chris Cain, Curtis Salgado, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Frank Sultana, Jontavious Willis, Vaneese Th...

"Rambler's Blues," the shuffling hip-shaker that opens Charlie Musselwhite's The Well, is the most autobiographical statement he's ever made -- until you listen to the rest of the record... The most compelling thing about The Well is its lack of pretension; Musselwhite has risen to the task of recording a completely autobiographical album that refuses easy clichés, or resting on laurels; its energ...

“The Paladins are a renowned American roots rock and rockabilly band that has been captivating audiences with their electrifying performances for over three decades. Formed in 1980 in San Diego, California, the group consists of Dave Gonzalez on guitar and vocals, Thomas Yearsley on bass guitar and vocals, and Brian Fahey on drums. Known for their unique blend of rockabilly, blues, and country, Th...

“For much of Kim Wilson's musical career he was the original harmonica player for the legendary Texas band, The Fabulous Thunderbirds. Some say it was Jimmie Vaughn's work at the heart of that group, but l'm convinced that it was Wilson's harp that set the tone and muscle for that group. It was his wailing yet controlled playing that set that group apart from most blues band throughout the '70s an...

"A burn-down-the-house live performer. The multi-talented Allison is a soulful singer, an excellent, original songwriter, and a powerful guitarist, equally capable of playing screaming slide, scratchy soul rhythm and stabbing single-note solos, all with overflowing energy, abundant confidence and a deft touch...high-intensity. Allison delivers dancing-on-a-razor's-edge West Side guitar. He comes o...

A fire-breathing live set from one of the greatest and most celebrated Chicago bluesmen. "Searing and expressive...he strikes with no-holds-barred ferocity"--DOWN BEAT   The great Son Seals would have celebrated a birthday last week and I wanted to mark the occasion by featuring this explosive show. Recorded at Buddy Guys Legends over three nights, it’s Son Seals in smoking form out front of his i...

“ Chris Cain is one of the most brilliant and vital figures making music of any kind ...He’s near legendary on the blues scene...an extraordinarily talented, consummate musician delivering passionate, heartfelt vocals, potent, superb playing and marvelous songs.” –Blues Music Magazine   With Chris Cains imminent arrival in Australia and the recent release of his latest Alligator Records release Go...

Since 1974, The Robert Cray Band has been touring and recording their unique groove,  born from a love of Soul, R&B, Gospel, Blues and Rock n Roll.  The five-time Grammy winner has been inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame and earned the Americana Music Awards Lifetime Achievement for Performance.  The Robert Cray Band has released over twenty acclaimed albums and has sold millions worldwide. ...

  “In 1965, British blues artist John Mayall enlisted  Eric Clapton  – then a rising guitar virtuoso – to join his band, the Bluesbreakers. While their musical partnership would only last for one album, the guitarist’s imprint was mighty. Affectionately known as “ the Beano album ” (as it features Clapton reading the British comic on its jacket cover), 1966’s  Bluesbreakers  forever changed the la...

New on CD,  The Dead Reckoning Years !   A retrospective of Kevin’s Dead Reckoning Records releases, it includes some of his finest work, and was first out as a vinyl-only release in 2017. “There’s always been a squabble between art and commerce. Around 1995 the Dead Reckoning crew just kinda bowed out. We decided to do what nobody in town (except Prine and Al) were doing. We had no money, and we...

“Harmonica virtuoso Musselwhite raises the level of emotional expression on his instrument beyond even the masters he learned from…the grizzled veteran richly decorates his music with telling nuance and chiseled detail.”  –  San Francisco Chronicle   With Charlie Musselwhite and his sensational band heading to Australia in September, I’ve dug deep into the Blues With A Feeling record library to re...

“Deep in the Blues is a fascinating jam session between James Cotton, guitarist  Joe Louis Walker , and jazz bassist  Charlie Haden . The trio runs through a number of classic blues songs written by  Muddy Waters ,  Percy Mayfield , and  Sonny Boy Williamson  and a few originals by  Walker  and Cotton.”   Celebrating the remarkable life in music this week of James Cotton, by featuring his Grammy w...

“Blues Summit  is the thirty-third studio album by  B.B. King  released in 1993 through the  MCA  label. The album won a  Grammy Award  in  1994  for  Best Traditional Blues Album . It is the first of three  duet albums  in King's studio album discography. Unlike  Deuces Wild  and  80 , all the guests come from the blues and R&B scene. The only song which is not a duet is the original "I Gotta...

  “The Fabulous Thunderbirds is a familiar name for anyone into contemporary blues and blues rock. This is the band that created classic albums like  T-Bird Rhythm  and  Tuff Enuff , powered by hits like the title track and “Wrap It Up,”  Tuff Enuff  went platinum, selling more than one million copies. Led by founding member Kim Wilson, the Fabulous Thunderbirds have been nominated for Grammy Awar...

John Hammond Jr. made the leap to the Virgin blues division Pointblank with Got Love If You Want It in 1992, but he truly made an artistic comeback with its follow-up, Trouble No More, an excellent collection split between solo acoustic numbers and storming electric blues. For the electric numbers, he's supported by Little Charlie & the Nightcats who give Hammond a surprisingly gritty and flex...