Lloyd Price was born in 1933 in the New Orleans suburb of Kenner. As he grew up, he took formal training on trumpet and piano, sang in his hometown gospel…

The Henry’s Postbag received an interesting note from a British bluesman living in France. It read, “My name is Giles Robson and I’m writing an article on Memphis Slim. I’ve…

American Blues Legends ’74 took the likes of Doctor Ross, Cousin Joe, Big John Wrencher and Eddie Playboy Taylor on a tour across the UK and Europe, before recovening in…

Chuck Berry, photographed by Jim Simpson at Birmingham Hippodrome in 1964 Chuck Berry was a difficult man. Moody, erratic, arrogant, rude and utterly Trumpian when it came to greed. He…

Following on from last week’s Part 1 of Paris Blues featuring Memphis Slim and Willie Mabon, we feature the third of those great American bluesmen who made Paris their home – Mickey Baker.…

Willie Dixon, maybe the single most influential of bluesmen, was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, on the first day of July 1915. A composer, record producer, arranger, bass player, recording artist,…

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…

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…

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…

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…