I lost track when I was trying to count just how many albums Rory Block has released through the years. Suffice it to say the number is around 40, and she’s been a fixture in the blues since her solo debut 50 years ago.
Originally from Manhattan, Block has been passionate about the blues since she was 14. During the last 15 years, she has released several amazing albums in homage to blues masters such as Son House, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Rev. Gary Davis, Mississippi John Hurt (I never knew “Mississippi” was such a popular first name!), Skip James, Bukka White and Bessie Smith. But she’s not been tied down to the blues. In 2022, she released Ain’t Nobody Worried, an homage to the “great women of song” featuring a wide selection of pop songs, and in 2024 she released an excellent tribute to Bob Dylan called Positively 4th Street.
With Heavy On The Blues, Block returns to her most comfortable genre with a selection of excellent blues standards and originals that display her famous acoustic and slide guitar skills and gritty vocals. Among the best songs on the album are covers of Koko Taylor’s “Walking the Back Streets,” Jimi Hendrix’s “The Wind Cries Mary,” and Block’s own “Can’t Quit That Stuff,” which was inspired by a conversation she had with blues guitar great Hubert Sumlin. Guest performances from Ronnie Earl, Joanna Connor and Jimmy Vivino help make Heavy On The Blues a really good listen for Block fans, or blues fans generally.
About the author: Bill Wilcox is a roots music enthusiast recently relocated from the Washington, DC area to Philadelphia, PA and back again.