Diunna Greenleaf sings the blues

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 “Super Chikan” Johnson and grew up in the middle of the Clarksdale, Mississippi blues scene. After years of struggling down South, he has moved north to make a name for himself in the blues.

Taj Mahal gave Pat Wilder her first real guitar back in 1997 and over the past 20 years she has become one of the Bay Area’s best blues players.

After a ten-plus year quest, writer Gene Tomko has solved the mystery of Left Hand Charlie. Charlie recorded some scorching sides for Excello and Goldband back in the mid-1950s and then disappeared. But now we finally know the story of the elusive guitarist.

This issue’s Let It Roll focuses on Bukka White and his March 7-8, 1940 recording session in Chicago for Vocalion/OKeh Records. White was one of the most powerful of all blues singers and one of its most creative songwriters. Just weeks after being released from Mississippi’s Parchman prison, White went to Chicago and recorded what was one of the last great pre-war country blues sessions.

All of this plus Catching Up with Ike Cosse, LB Talks to Tom Hambridge, the latest in Blues News, and over 50 record reviews including a special Christmas CD review section.

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