Snowstorms, cold snaps, the most contagious wave of COVID-19 yet—it’s clearly time for the Secret History of Chicago Music to begin its yearly Winter Blues series. That’s where I cover […]
Tag: Sonny Boy Williamson
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Billy Boy Arnold helped the blues give birth to rock ’n’ roll
Billy Boy Arnold might be best known as Bo Diddley’s 1950s harmonica player, but he’s 25 years into a comeback of his own.
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Luther Allison was the Jimi Hendrix of blues guitar
Guitarist Luther Allison learned his craft in Chicago, but he spent much of his career in Europe when American interest in the blues waned.
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The Secret History of Chicago Music: Tampa Red
Influential slide guitarist Tampa Red recorded 335 sides of hokum and jump blues between 1928 and ’53 but died largely forgotten in ’81