See You Later, Alligator
I will never understand why Hurricane Bobby Charles is not a household name in Blues and Rock & Roll. Admittedly, he never seemed to seek the limelight, which I suppose…
When The Wolf Met The Bear
Photograph: Howlin Wolf at Birmingham Town Hall, 1964. Copyright Jim Simpson. June the 10th marks the 111th anniversary of an undisputed great of Chicago Blues: Howlin’ Wolf. Back when he…
American Blues Legends 75
Producer of the American Blues Legends ’75 album Jim Simpson talks us through the backstories behind the bluesmen on the record, including Tommy Tucker, Homesick James, Eddie Guitar Burns, Little…
Blues Boys a Long Way From Home
A remarkable number of important Black American bluesmen, as well as jazz musicians, singers and dancers, left the U.S. and made their home in Europe, most of them staying for…
There’s Only Two Sonny Boys
Sonny Boy Williamson #2 backstage at Birmingham Town Hall, photographed by Jim Simpson In the Blues world, the odd incident of larceny is not unknown. Poaching another bandleader’s sideman is…
Cadillac Jack
Sometime in the early 1970s I received a seven inch single along with a note from Andre Williams in Chicago who until that moment I had never heard of. The…
Remembering Tony Ashton
Tony Ashton was for much of his life a well – kept secret, respected by many of our finest musicians, but apart from his moment in the sun with his…
Shooting the Blues
We’re in the scary process of trying to put in some semblance of order the artefacts created by around 60 years of working in the music business. There are recordings…
Home Sweet Homesick James
April 30th would have been the 100 and somethingth birthday of the legendary Homesick James. Jim shares his reminisences of the colourful character: Every time that I look back on…
American Blues Legends ’73
Producer of American Blues Legends ’73 Jim Simpson talks us through the stories and characters behind the Big Bear Records cult classic album, featuring Lightnin’ Slim, Homesick James, Snooky Pryor,…