        The Killer Blues Headstone Project
While passing through Illinois in route to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in 1997, Steve Salter decided to pay his respects to a number of blues musicians he held dear. He was able to easily locate the resting places of well known bluesmen such as Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf, but was appalled to find that pianist Otis Spann had laid in an unmarked grave for nearly three decades. After Salter contacted Blues Revue Magazine about the travesty that had befallen a true Chicago blues hero, donations were sent in from around the globe and a headstone was placed on Spann’s grave on June 6, 1999. Salter, who ran the now defunct blues CD vendor Killer Blues, then made it his mission to assure that every deceased blues musician would receive a proper…
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Bessie Smith Strikes Gold
On February 16, 1923, Bessie Smith recorded her first single, the chart-topping« Downhearted Blues », which would set into motion her career as one of the most popular female blues singers of the 20’s and 30’s. Featuring Clarence Williams on piano, Smith’s premier single and its B-side, « Gulf Coast Blues », were recorded for Columbia Records. With 780,000 copies sold in six months, « Downhearted Blues » was a smash hit, and eventually sold 2 million records. Bessie Smith would go on to become the highest paid African-American entertainer of her day, and earned herself the nickname « The Empress of Blues ». While the song was originally composed and recorded by Alberta Hunter, it is Smith’s version that…
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Newport Applauds Mississippi John Hurt
A captivated crowd sits in awe of Mississippi John Hurt at the Newport Jazz Festival on July 24, 1965. The influential Delta and country bluesman was rediscovered in 1963 after decades away from the spotlight and was a welcome addition to the folk revival that bloomed throughout the 60’s. Photo by David Gahr.
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We Love Gary Moore As Much As He Loves You
Northern Ireland’s guitar virtuoso Gary Moore gives an absolutely jaw-dropping performance of Al Kooper’s heartrending number« I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know » at Switzerland’s AVO SESSION Basel (now called BALOISE SESSION) on November 13, 2008. It has been just over three years since the world lost Gary Moore, who passed away on February 6th of 2011. Rest in peace Gary, we love and will never forget you.
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A King and a Champion Sing « Poor Boy Blues »
Saxophone extraordinaire King Curtis teamed with Louisiana boogie woogie pianist Champion Jack Dupree for 1971’s Montreux Jazz Festival which resulted one hell of a tour de force performance. This video shows the two top tier bluesman as they brought « Poor Boy Blues » to the stage backed by an all-star band that consisted of Cornell Dupree on guitar, Jerry Jemmott on bass, and Oliver Jackson bring the beat of the drums.
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Every week we pay TRIBUT to the legends in music and pop culture. See what interesting things happened during the week of February 12 – February 18. Click to view Tribut’s This Week in Rock Culture
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