Living Blues #265 (February/March) begins the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Living Blues. Eighty-eight-year-old Leon Blue has had a remarkable, though mostly under the radar, musical career. Through run-ins with Bob Wills, recording with Lowell Fulson, and touring with Ike Turner and Albert Collins, Blue has seen it all. Chicago club stalwart Smilin’ Bobby …
Living Blues #260 (April/May 2019) features bluesman Eric Bibb on the cover. Eric Bibb’s music is rooted in the American blues tradition, but the scope of his vision is expanded by his world travels and musical partnerships. California bluesman Mike Henderson is a true Renaissance man. His artistic skills are wide ranging. A musician, filmmaker …
Living Blues #259 (February/March 2019) features Chicago guitarist Linsey Alexander on the cover. The Delmark Records artist is one of the top acts in the Windy City and has a growing national profile. Cash McCall first emerged on the Chicago gospel scene in the 1960s but soon moved to the blues. As a guitarist, songwriter, …
Living Blues#256 (August/September 2018) takes a look at protest in the blues. There have been songs of protest throughout the history of the blues and in this issue we trace a sampling of the voices of dissent over the decades and then turn our gaze to several contemporary musicians and their strong voices of dissent.
Living Blues #255 (June/July 2018) features Louisiana bluesman Chris Thomas King on the cover. A second generation Baton Rouge bluesman, King has been making records for more than 30 years and over that time his perception of the blues and where it came from has evolved and broadened. King discusses his early years with his father, Tabby Thomas, and his forthcoming book about the origins of the blues.
Living Blues #254 (April/May 2018) features the duo of Warner Williams and Jay Summerour on the cover. One of the last great East Coast blues duos, Williams (age 87) and Summerour do it the old-school way.
Living Blues #253 (February/March 2018) is a special look at the current North Mississippi Hill Country Blues scene.
Living Blues #249 (June/July 2017) is a special issue devoted to the blues of Yazoo County, Mississippi. We explore the history of the county, the music and the musicians who made it. We then turn our spotlight on the current scene and the man who has committed his life to keeping it alive.
The October/November 2016 issue of Living Blues features the griot of the blues Taj Mahal on the cover. At age 74 Taj Mahal is one of the biggest stars in the blues today. His musical and cultural knowledge is vast and his desire to share this lifetime of knowledge is his enduring legacy.
Documentary work will be the theme of the Brown Bag Lecture for Wednesday, Sept. 14 at noon in Barnard Observatory. Several faculty and staff members of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture will discuss documentary photography, film, oral history, and audio recording and show examples of their work and teaching. Participants will include Becca Walton (Mississippi Stories), Rex Jones and Andy Harper (Southern Documentary Project), Sara Wood (Southern Foodways Alliance), and David Wharton (director, documentary studies).