“Tall” Paul Sabel Harmonica Player “Tall” Paul Sabel, originally from DePere, WI, started his journey in music oddly enough during his first year of Physician Assistant school at UW Madison. On a Monday night he heard Westside Andy Linderman playing harmonica into a bullet microphone and a tube amp with The Blue Monday Band which was led by Clyde Stubblefield. Paul was mystified by the sound and felt an immediate calling to learn how to do that. At the time, he had been re-awakening his creative side and decided to go at learning the harmonica with the mind of a child—no inhibitions and no ..read more

  Jimmy Schwarz Harmonica, Vocals Blues Disciples Tell us a little about your history as a blues artist. Bands you’ve played with, how long etc. I started The Blues Disciples over 30 years ago. In the late 80’s, I lived near Brady Street and started spending a lot of time at the Up & Under Pub.  Having been trained as a vocalist in college, I began to sit in at open jams and eventually started the band. During those early years, I also played with “Jimmy and The Flamethrowers” which was the same core band with a different guitar player.  Over the years I have played a l ..read more

  Jeff “H” Harrington Bass player of esteemed band the Blues Disciples . . . Tell us a little about bands you’ve played with. I’ve played with the Blue Rubies, Perry Weber and the DeVilles, and the Blues Disciples (also played a bit with some Cleveland blues artists when I lived there) What do you do for fun when you are not playing? Um, mostly more music, honestly All day, every day! Who are your biggest musical influences? Hendrix, Dylan, The Meters, Stevie Wonder, Miles Davis, Snatam Kaur, and so many of the classic blues, r&b, jazz, and funk records. Do you write songs?  ..read more

Eric Heiligenstein  AKA Too Sick Charlie Cigar Box, Vocals Tell us a little about your history as a blues artist.  Bands you’ve played with, how long etc.Too Sick Charlie plays the cigar box guitar, a once forgotten instrument of American blues and roots music. His music has been described as traditional Upper Midwestern cigar box guitar blues. Too Sick was born in a Nassau blue Chevy Bel Air that was being used as a beagle pen on the outskirts of Belleville, Illinois. He performed on the Mississippi River Medicine Show Circuit for several years before transitioning into a ..read more

By Eric Heiligenstein, MD (aka Too Sick Charlie. ) Rock-n-Roll was invented by a woman who played the electric guitar in ways very few people could have ever imagined. The Godmother of rock music is Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Her Gibson guitar and voice changed the trajectory of rock & roll, blues, and soul music. She influenced individual musicians such as Tina Turner and Aretha Franklin, while her guitar style had a significant impact on Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Keith Richards and innumerable others. Born Rosetta Nubin in Cotton Plant, Arkansas in 1915, her parents were both passionate ab ..read more

By Eric Heiligenstein, MD  (AKA Too Sick Charlie and His One Man Band; https://TooSickCharlie.com) Chester Arthur Burnett (Howling Wolf) was born on June 10, 1910, in West Point, Mississippi. He was in his early forties when he made his first records for Sam Phillips in Memphis. Phillips later said that Wolf was the most arresting figure he ever saw play music, and that no one could transform themselves more completely than Wolf in the span of two-and-a-half minutes.  Wolf is widely considered one the greatest blues singer of the 20th century. Phillips said of his voice, “It’s w ..read more

A special hope and promise of renewal By Shari Davis Madison Blues Society Board President Shari Davis and the Hot Damn! Blues Band President Shari Davis Greetings, fellow Blues lovers, Here we are on the brink of summer – always a welcome time in Wisconsin – and now more than ever. Summer 2021 holds a special hope and promise of renewal. It has been a long, strange year of social distancing and no live music! We cautiously venture out again to see our friends and families in person and enjoy the activities we have missed. Before we proceed with announcements and other news, I want to take a m ..read more

We are so excited to partner with Kujichagulia Madison Center on this community event. Join Madison Blues Society this Saturday 6/19/21 at the JUNETEENTH Celebration in the Park at Penn Park (2101 Fisher St, Madison.) Stop by our booth and say hello and ask about memberships! Other events include a parade, Spoken Word/Open Mic, and more! Click here for a full schedule ..read more

MBS Board member Eric Heiligenstein, AKA Too Sick Charlie Lost But Found Again: A look behind the music By Eric Heiligenstein, MD Madison Blues Society Board Member (AKA Too Sick Charlie and His One Man Band; https://TooSickCharlie.com By the end of the 1950’s, blues music was at a crossroads. The blues was dying, as it so often does, in mainstream culture. It was disparaged as low-class, old fashioned, and unenlightened. Many blues musicians chose to readjust and redefine themselves to cope with changing tastes. Yet few foresaw the revolution that was to come. In the early1960’s social and ..read more