Blues You Should Know
The purpose of this podcast will be to pull your coats to some of the influential and notable blues artists who have contributed mightily to our genre. I won’t be talking about the folks you probably already know about: Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, BB King and the like, instead we’ll explore the lives and music of some of the greats who have either become forgotten or perhaps never quite made the “A list.”. The blues has a deep and rich history and the more you broaden your listening scope the more you’ll appreciate and understand this music we all love so much.
Episodes
39 episodes
Robert Lockwood, Jr. 1st Interview
This program features what I, and the original interviewer Ron Weinstock, believe is the first ever extended interview with Robert Lockwood, Jr. This took place at the studios of radio station WRUW-FM on the campus of Case-Western Reserve...
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Season 5
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Episode 1
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54:16
Eight String Blues, Pt. 2
The second half of our two part series on blues mandolin features several of the post-war stars of the mandolin including Johnny Young, Martin, Bogan & Armstrong, Steve James, and more. This program also includes our first ever live intervi...
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Season 4
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Episode 4
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55:54
Eight String Blues, Pt 1
Do you think of the mandolin as a blues instrument? You should and you will after hearing these two programs. In part 1 we'll hear some of the early practitioners of blues mandolin like Coley Jones, Yank Rachell and Charlie McCoy. We'll even he...
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Season 4
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Episode 3
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47:46
Lonnie Johnson, Pt. 2
In part two we explore Lonnie's post-war recordings and life. We hear how he adapts his music to a new era. Lonnie has his biggest hit, "Tomorrow Night" for King Records, in 1947 and becomes a favorite of British trad-jazz fans. In the '60s Lon...
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Season 4
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Episode 2
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54:09
Lonnie Johnson Pt. 1
Lonnie Johnson may arguably be the most influential guitarist of all time. He was the first guitarist to play single string solos in both jazz and blues styles long before even Django Reinhardt or Charlie Christian. Robert Johnson imitated him ...
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Season 4
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Episode 1
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48:37
The Long Legacy, Pt. 2
One of the most interesting characters in genre full of interesting characters was J.B. Long of North Carolina. Long was a shopkeeper who, for reasons we may never fully understand, made recording great bluesmen a hobby/passion/obsession. In th...
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Season 3
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Episode 6
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39:23
The Long Legacy Pt. 1
One of the most interesting characters in genre full of interesting characters was J.B. Long of North Carolina. Long was a shopkeeper who, for reasons we may never fully understand, made recording great bluesmen a hobby/passion/obsession. In th...
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Season 3
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Episode 5
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40:54
Percy Mayfield-Poet Laureate of the Blues
Known today mainly for his sensitive and evocative compositions like Hit the Road Jack, Please Send Me Someone to Love, and Rivers Invitation, Percy Mayfield began his career as a big band vocalist of the Bronze Baritone genre, until a serious ...
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Season 3
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Episode 4
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25:24
Another Pair of Kings, Pt.2 - Earl King
Every blues fan knows about the three Kings of the Blues, Albert, BB & Freddie, but we're going to add two more: Saunders King and Earl King. In Part 2 we explore the music and life of Earl King of New Orleans. Earl was a singer, guitarist,...
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Season 3
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Episode 3
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45:29
Another Pair of Kings Pt. 1-Saunders King
Every blues fan knows about the three Kings of the Blues, Albert, BB & Freddie, but we're going to add two more: Saunders King and Earl King. Part 1 takes a look at the music and life of Saunders King who was in fact, the first blues artist...
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Season 3
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Episode 2
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32:06
Cleveland Blues
We kick off season three with a special program about blues from my home-town, Cleveland, Ohio. We start by explaining why Cleveland has never the blues center that Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta, or Mississippi were, then move on to feature some gr...
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Season 3
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Episode 1
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1:04:22
The Liggins Bros.-Joe & Jimmy
While Louis Jordan was clearly the most successful recording artist of the jump-blues era of the late '40s-early '50s, there were also quite a few great performers of that era including Tiny Bradshaw, Wynonie Harris, Roy Brown, Roy Milton, and ...
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Season 2
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Episode 12
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41:48
Bob Wills Blues
According to legend, a young Bob Wills once rode 50 miles on horseback to hear Bessie Smith sing. Throughout his long career, Wills mined the blues for some of his best and most popular numbers. His band, Bob Wills & the Texas Playboys, wer...
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Season 2
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Episode 11
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34:19
King Records 7.1-Our Final Episode on King Records
Blues You Should Know Podcast presents our final (yes, I mean it this time) program on the music of King Records, Ohio's great eclectic record label. There was just too much great music, and too many great artists left over, so we offer o...
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Season 2
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Episode 10
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56:58
King Records Pt. 7-Odds & Ends
Here in Part 7 we go over the life of King Records founder and president Syd Nathan. We also spotlight some great King artists we haven't been able to fit into the programs so far. These include some of King's biggest selling artists like Earl ...
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Season 2
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Episode 9
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49:17
King Records, Pt. 6-James Brown!
Part 6 of our series on King Records is devoted to one artist-James Brown. We cover the recordings he made for King from his debut single, Please, Please, Please through his recordings with Bootsy & Catfish Collins. Brown was King's biggest...
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Season 2
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Episode 8
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50:35
King Records Pt. 5, Kings of Kings
There were indeed Kings at King Records. Two of the best known were Albert and Freddy King, but there were more! Kings of King on Blues You Should Know.
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Season 2
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Episode 7
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46:08
King Records Pt. 4 "King Bluegrass"
King records released a great deal of Bluegrass music without a large roster of Bluegrass performers. The artists they did have, though, were the top-o-the heap. Reno & Smiley, Bobby Osborne and Jimmy Martin, Napier & Moore, and of cour...
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Season 2
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Episode 6
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41:15
King Records Pt. 3
The Blues on King. King wasn't a hard-core blues label the way Chess was, but blues was a significant part of its catalog. Hear John Lee Hooker, Smokey Smothers, Tiny Topsy, Cleanhead Vinson, Johnny Guitar Watson, and of course, the voice of Sy...
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Season 3
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Episode 5
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34:26
King Records Pt 2
As the '40s fade into the '50s, Syd establishes a toe-hold, then a foot-hold in the R & B market while maintaining King's presence in the Country market. Hear Earl Bostic, Tiny Bradshaw, Lonnie Johnson, Moon Mullican, Hawkshaw Hawkins, the ...
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Season 2
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Episode 4
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39:37
King Records Pt. 1
We begin our 8 part series on Ohio's great, eclectic record label King Records, started and owned by the wonderfully colorful and irascible Syd Nathan. We begin with Syd's journey into the record business and King's early years recording ...
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Season 2
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Episode 3
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36:35
Ma Rainey's Real Producers-J. Mayo Williams & Aletha Dickerson
The film and play "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" is a great piece of historical fiction, but it gets one thing very wrong: Ma Rainey's records were actually produced by two extraordinary African-Americans: J. Mayo Williams & Aletha Dickerson. H...
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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1:00:13
John Henry & the Cocaine Blues
Here's a look at American music's ultimate crossover song: John Henry. To African-Americans he was a symbol of racial pride; to unionists, he represented the power of the American worker and union solidarity; to poor whites; he was&nbs...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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32:18
Lillian McMurray & Trumpet Records
What would make a genteel, white Southern lady from Mississippi want to start a company to record black blues and golspel artists,...and in the early 1950s? Find out on this episode of "Blues You Should Know" with Bob Frank. Trumpet Recor...
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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37:15
Election Special-Georgia on My Mind, Pt 2
In honor of the recent election, this show is dedicated to the great Peach State: Georgia. All songs will either contain the word "Georgia" in the title, or will be by an artist or group whose name includes "Georgia". Pt. 2 features Jimmy...
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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43:14