bb
king Throughout the 1990's as well as the 1980's, 1970's, 1960's
and 1950's, there has been only one King of the Blues - Riley B.
King, affectionately known as B.B. King. Since B.B. started recording
in the late 1940's, he has released over 50 albums many of them
considered blues classics, like 1965's definitive live blues album
"Live At The Regal", and 1976's collaboration with Bobby
"Blue" Bland, "Together For The First Time".
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eric clapton In the late 1960s, one of the most prominent pieces of
graffiti seen in London and New York was "Clapton is God."
Thirty years later, the stalwart guitarist and singer continues
to hold the initiated enthralled, and a fair share of his present-day
fans weren't even born when those words of worship were emblazoned
on public edifices. Clapton's meandering and groundbreaking musical
career has been punctuated by extreme personal hardship and tragedy.
learn more muddy waters From the start it was he who dominated the music, who led
the way-in style, sound, repertoire, instrumentation, in every way-first
as a greatly popular club performer from the mid-1940s on and, a
few years later, as the most influential recording artist in the
new amplified blues idiom. In the years 1948-55 he put forth for
definition the fundamental approaches and usages of modern blues
in a remarkable series of ground-breaking and, as time has shown,
classic records. learn more
the blues brothers Whether celebrated as a sincere tribute or derided as a
tongue-in-cheek put-on, the Blues Brothers -- Joliet Jake and his
silent brother Elwood -- was among the most popular groups of the
late '70s; what started as a skit on the hit NBC television sketch
comedy series Saturday Night Live quickly snowballed to become a
true phenomenon, complete with hit records, a sold-out concert tour,
and even a feature film. learn
more
billie holiday The first popular jazz singer to move audiences with the
intense, personal feeling of classic blues, Billie Holiday changed
the art of American pop vocals forever. Almost fifty years after
her death, it's difficult to believe that prior to her emergence,
jazz and pop singers were tied to the Tin Pan Alley tradition and
rarely personalized their songs; only blues singers like Bessie
Smith and Ma Rainey actually gave the impression they had lived
through what they were singing. learn
more
john lee hooker Born near Clarksdale, Mississippi on August 22, 1917 to
a sharecropping family, John Lee Hooker's earliest musical influence
came from his stepfather, Will Moore. By the early 1940's Hooker
had moved north to Detroit by way of Memphis and Cincinnati. Hooker
found work as a janitor in the auto factories, and at night, like
many other transplants from the rural Delta, he entertained friends
and neighbors by playing at "house parties" learn
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buddy guy High-energy guitar histrionics and boundless on-stage energy
have always been Guy trademarks, along with a tortured vocal style
that's nearly as distinctive as his incendiary rapid-fire fretwork.
He's come a long way from his beginnings on the 1950s Baton Rouge
blues scene -- at his first gigs with bandleader "Big Poppa"
John Tilley, the young guitarist had to chug a stomach-jolting concoction
of Dr. Tichenor's antiseptic and wine to ward off an advanced case
of stage fright. But by the time he joined harpist Raful Neal's
band, Guy had conquered his nervousness. learn
more
johnny lang It's not important where you've been, but where you are,
and at 22, Jonny Lang is right where he wants to be. Though his
past awards, commendations and achievements are enough - including
having two platinum selling albums and a Grammy nomination by age
19 - Jonny comments, "I'm the happiest I've ever been, and
I've just finished recording an album I couldn't be happier with."
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kenny wayne shepherd A few years ago, Kenny Wayne Shepherd took a well-deserved
vacation after touring for eight years to support his previous three
albums. And the eleven blazing tracks that comprise The Place You're
In, his long awaited new Reprise Records release, are proof that
it's been worth the wait. One of the most acclaimed guitarists of
his generation, Kenny Wayne Shepherd reveals intense musical passion
in this new recording, the first to feature his soulful vocals.
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