News & Updates — blues

The Bishop of Soul, Solomon Burke mixed gospel, blues, R&B and country to become one of the earliest self-identifying "soul" artists. Legend has it that he was the one to coin the phrase. This is due to his relationship to the church and not wanting to be labeled a "blues" singer. He was a preacher in church since the age of 7 and became pastor at 12 and a father at 14. As a teen he worked at a meat market with Chubby Checker. At 15 he was signed to Apollo Records (although the label was told by his manager...

Here's a birthday tribute to Eddie James House, Jr! His high-emotion and intense style as a vocalist and slide player are about as heavy as classic blues got. As well, he mixed in a capella spirituals into his performances. Born in the Mississippi Delta, Son House was a nomadic preacher for some time. Coming out of the church, he went blues in '27 after initially disapproving of it due to his former position. This happened after he was entranced while hearing someone play bottleneck guitar. He was already 25 when he picked up a guitar for the first time. After killing...

The original soul sister Rosetta Tharpe was the first secular gospel recording star, a huge influence on rock & roll and an excellent electric guitarist. Whether in church or in a concert hall in front of a big band, she captivated everyone. As a child she barnstormed across the South with her mom and was called a "singing and guitar playing miracle". She cut her first records in '38 with Lucky Millander's orchestra, including "Rock Me". She appeared at the Spirituals To Swing concert that year and played with Cab Calloway's band as well. As bad as it was to...

Here's a birthday shout-out to Sam "Lightnin" Hopkins, the influential blues great from Texas. He played both electric and acoustic guitars, but his first instrument was a home-made cigar-box "guitar" with chicken wire for strings. He was boogieing from the '20s (although didn't record until '46) until the '80s, mostly in Texas until 1960 when he played at Carnegie Hall for an integrated audience for the first time. (Pete Seeger and Joan Baez were also on the bill). In the period between he worked with his cousin Texas Alexander and even played with Blind Lemon Jefferson on at least one...

Soul-jazz organist Shirley Scott came out of the Philly scene to cut a ton of sides for Prestige, Moodsville, Impulse, Atlantic, Strata East, Muse, Cadet and more. Usually in either just an organ trio format or with an added horn (often her husband Stanley Turrentine), her records were a consistently grooving mix of bop, soul-jazz, gospel, standards, and pop & Motown covers, with the funk underneath and even some light Latin fare. Born and raised in Philadelphia, she first played trumpet and then piano before switching to organ when she filled in on a club gig, immediately loving the instrument....