The “Father of the Blues” W.C. Handy claims he was at a train station in 1903 when he first heard the long, low sound of a knife on steel strings. According to myth, Handy hearing that slide guitar was the official birth of the blues. Makes sense. There are more 78s and 45s dedicated to stations, railways and locomotives than can ever be counted…

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In a town known worldwide for its music, Toussaint’s name was among the rarified cultural bastions of the city, along with James Booker, Professor Longhair, Dr. John and Louis Armstrong.

This is the latest installment of our weekly series The Language of the Blues, in which author and rock musician…

It’s 1981. And a synthpop duo called Soft Cell isn’t doing so well. They’ve got one last chance to make a hit before their label kicks ‘em to the curb. So they took one final shot with a version of an old soul song—Tainted Love…

It is a too common tale that legendary artists have had to wait years or decades to get a fraction of what they’re owed. The story of “The Father of Rock n Roll”; Arthur Big Boy Crudup is the king of those stories.

This is the latest installment of our weekly series The Language of the Blues, in which author and rock musician…

This is the latest from The Bluesmobile’s C.C. Rider, who spends her life venerating the founding fathers of the blues. She’s walked the…

There are dozens of blues/rock bands in the current musical landscape, but hearing Dudley Taft is akin to one’s first sighting of Mt. Ranier above his hometown of Seattle.

Best of all, these performances make us smile those wonderful wide and quiet smiles we save for ourselves.