Detroit Black Bottom
Black Bottom was a predominantly black neighbourhood in Detroit, Michigan. A lot of folk wrongly believe that it got its name from the African-American community that developed there in the…
Eddie C.C. Rider
One Sunday morning, probably in 1984, there was a knock on my front door. I was surprised to find Chicago Blues hooligan Eddie C. Campbell, grinning as he always did,…
Beale Street Blues
From the early 1900s, musicians from the nearby state of Mississippi made their way to Memphis, Tennessee, attracted by the bright lights of Beale Street. Among the more prominent arrivals…
Basie and The Blues
Count Basie in Birmingham (photo by Jim Simpson) A lot of stone blues fans out there are probably unaware of just how blues-rooted the great Count Basie Orchestra was. That…
Whatever Happened To Billy The Kid?
For a man known for taking every opportunity to cuss out his fellow musicians and anyone else who would pay heed – for the merest hint of profanity, an off-colour…
Back To That Same Old Place
The Crown on Station Street, Birmingham, home of the original Henry’s Blueshouse in the late 60s and where it all began. Not long before the pub rang its final last…
Bob The Bear
Bob ‘The Bear’ Hite was the leader and the singer with the massively successful Canned Heat. Formed in Los Angeles in 1965, they always worked at promoting The Blues and,…
Chico’s High-Rise Blues
It’s hard to think of a more appropriate place for a blues musician to be born than on a steamboat in Shreveport, Louisiana. That’s where Napoleon Chism, known to the…
Muddy’s Men
Photo: Muddy Waters at Birmingham Town Hall, 1964. Copyright Jim Simpson. In honour of Muddy Waters’ birthday on 4th April, Jim Simpson pays tribute to the great man and many…
Sounds of The Sixties
Way back in the mists of time, 1969 to be precise, Big Bear were representing a number of bands that we, and a whole bunch of folk hereabouts, believed to…