Show Notes:  Back in 2014 we did two shows tracing the origins and evolution of several classic blues songs and revisited the theme with two more shows in 2020. Last week we aired part 5 and today we air part 6. Today we trace the history of “Killing Floor “, “Little Red Rooster”, “Worried Life […] The post Big Road Blues Show 4/14/24: High Priced Whiskey And Woman Done Put Me On The Killin’ Floor – Origins of Classic Blues Songs Pt. 6 first appeared on Big Road Blues ..read more

Show Notes A varied mix show today as we spotlight sets by Mississippi John Hurt, Cal Green, Lovey Williams. Also on deck we hear some outstanding guitarists from Georgia, a set devoted to recordings from Studs Terkel’s radio show, spin some fine downhome blues from the 60s & 70, some great blues from the pre-war […] The post Big Road Blues Show 3/31/24: She’s a River Hip Mama, And They All Wanna be Baptized – Mix Show first appeared on Big Road Blues ..read more

Show Notes: Today’s show spotlights several artists who were proficient both on guitar and piano and recorded on both instruments. A number of today’s artists are linked, including Scrapper Blackwell, Pete Franklin and Tampa Red. The team of Leroy Carr and Scrapper Blackwell were highly influential, influencing both pianists and guitarists alike. Pete Franklin, whose […] The post Big Road Blues Show 3/24/24: Blues Is a Feeling – Multi-Instrumentalists first appeared on Big Road Blues ..read more

Show Notes: I’ll be the first to admit that occasionally there are long gaps between planned follow-up shows. A case in point is today’s show, a belated sequel to a series of shows we aired way back in 2016. Back then we kicked off our sax series with Maxwell Davis, followed by an L.A. sax […] The post Big Road Blues Show 3/17/24: Open Up Them Pearly Gates – Even More Honkin’ Sax Vol. 3 first appeared on Big Road Blues ..read more

Show Notes: Today’s show is part of a semi-regular feature I call Forgotten Blues Heroes that spotlights great, but little remembered and little recorded blues artists that don’t really fit into my weekly themed shows. This time out, several down home musicians who recorded a handful of records between the late 60s and early 80s. […] The post Big Road Blues Show 3/10/24: Learning The Blues – Forgotten Blues Heroes 25 first appeared on Big Road Blues ..read more

Just a quick note that we I will be running some older shows for a couple of weeks. These shows will air live and stream over the internet as usual. Stayed tuned for some interesting shows in the future revolving around some new books, some field recordings, rare & unissued material and the usual spotlights […] The post A Brief Pause first appeared on Big Road Blues ..read more

Show Notes: There are certain artists I’ve played often on this program yet have never devoted a full show to them. One of those artists is the terrific Pee Wee Crayton, an outstanding guitarist and singer, who finally gets his proper due on today’s show. Like just about every guitarist from his era, he was […] The post Big Road Blues Show 2/18/24: Runnin’ Wild – Pee Wee Crayton & Pals first appeared on Big Road Blues ..read more

Show Notes: A varied mix show today as we spin some jazzy blues sides featuring King Oliver and Don Byas. Also on tap, we trace the history of a classic blues lyric, hear some songs about Germany, about jail, spin some fine piano blues, some great harp blowers, sides featuring guitarist Earl Hooker and much […] The post Big Road Blues Show 2/11/24: Got Four, Five Puppies, One Little Shaggy Hound – Mix Show first appeared on Big Road Blues ..read more

Show Notes: Today’s show is something of a sequel to two shows we aired a couple of months ago: Decca 7000 Favorites Pt. 1 & 2. The background for these shows was taken from the book Vocalion 1000 & Brunswick 7000 Race Series By Helge Thygesen and Russell Shor. The Vocalion label started in late […] The post Big Road Blues Show 1/28/24: Don’t Let Your Mouth Start Nothing Your Head Won’t Stand – Vocalion 1000 Series Favorites Pt. 1 first appeared on Big Road Blues ..read more

Show Notes:  Today’s show is part of a semi-regular feature I call Forgotten Blues Heroes that spotlights great, but little remembered and little recorded blues artists that don’t really fit into my weekly themed shows. This time out, four fine blues ladies active between the 40s and 60s. Mary Deloatch AKA Marylin Scott was a […] The post Big Road Blues Show 1/21/24: Around The Clock Blues – Forgotten Blues Heroes 24 first appeared on Big Road Blues ..read more