Music history is full of legendary performers, but the places that shaped them often go unrecognized. Sure, some venues are celebrated for their physical beauty or acoustics—think Red Rocks—but the true lifeblood of music is in the clubs. These are the rooms where artists learn their craft, fail and recover, and refine their sound in […]
Bill’s Blues-Based Best of 2020
Well, it’s over. We got through it, and, while it 2020 was a monster in so many ways, there were some choice blues albums that hit the street. Below is a dozen of my favorite blues (or ‘bluesy’) albums of 2020. Sonny Landreth – Blacktop Run. It’s a great album for when you’re on the […]
Shawn Holt and the Teardrops – Daddy Told Me
Keeping it in the family, Shawn Holt, son of the late blues icon Magic Slim, is the latest of a number of sons of famous fathers to try to break into the music industry. Holt took over as front man for his father’s band earlier this year when Magic Slim was hospitalized hours before opening […]