Summertime in Oxford is a little slower-paced as locals and visitors enjoy the town without the hustle and bustle. This June, the annual Summer Sunset Series returns to the Grove stage on the campus of the University of Mississippi. Each Sunday night in June, starting at 6 p.m., make your way to the Grove to …
Living Blues #289 features one of the greatest living soul men on the cover. William Bell released his first single for Stax back in 1961. Over the next six decades he has poured out a string of hits including winning a Grammy in 2017. We take a deep dive into the legendary vocalist’s long career. …
Living Blues #287 features Houston singer Diunna Greenleaf. Greenleaf grew up immersed in gospel music. Encouraged by the likes of Katie Webster and Teddy Reynolds, she began to sing the blues. Now, with more than 25 years in the blues, Greenleaf has become one of its strongest voices. Danva Johnson is the son of James …
Living Blues #284 (May/June 2023) features bluesman Albert White, who is among the last of the great Atlanta blues artists. His 60-plus-year career, which he kicked off as a member of one of the city’s most popular 1960s blues bands, Dr. Feelgood and the Interns, has made White a local legend. Robbin Kapsalis and Vintage …
Living Blues #282 features Chicago bluesman Jimi “Primetime” Smith. His first gig at age 13 was backing his mother, Chicago drummer Johnnie Mae Dunson’s, friend Jimmy Reed at the 1973 Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Festival. Smith’s journey in the blues has certainly been atypical. Now, at age 63, he has absorbed all of the …
Living Blues #281 features the Soul Queen of New Orleans, Irma Thomas. It has been 26 years since Thomas has graced the cover of Living Blues. We sat down with her earlier this year and talked about her career, Katrina, and life at age 81. Chicago drummer Merle Perkins has played behind everyone from Freddie …
Living Blues #280 features the Mississippi Blues Child, Mr. Sipp. In 2013 Mr. Sipp seemed to come out of nowhere and reached the IBC finals in Memphis. But Castro Coleman was already a well-established name in the gospel scene in Mississippi; he was just rebranding himself as a blues artist. Over the past decade he …
Archives and Special Collections opens exhibition of memorabilia related to Sonny Boy Williamson Sonny Boy Williamson soap and incense, test pressings of Memphis Slim and Buddy Holly records, and a signed contract by B.B. King are only a few of the many items recently donated by the family of William “Bill” Donoghue to the J.D. …
Living Blues #276 features vocalist Sugaray Rayford on the cover. Texas-born former Marine Rayford stands 6’5” and has a commanding stage presence. His career has been ascending for the last 20 years and, with a new CD about to drop, he is ready to hit the ground running post-COVID. Eighty-two-year-old Alabama Slim has been part …
Living Blues #274 (September/October 2021) is an Old School Southern Soul special. Mississippi bluesman Sam Mosley has spent his life making music. Now 75, Mosley looks back on his long career, which includes multiple bands with his partner, Bob Johnson, and their decades of successful songwriting for Malaco Records. Billy Ray Charles has been singing …