This Week In The Blues: Jan. 19 – Jan. 25, 2025

HEY BLUES FANS - Here's the latest episode of "This Week In The Blues" for the week of Jan. 19 – Jan. 25, 2025.

Some of the highlights include Chicago blues piano player Henry Gray, blues vocalist, harmonica player, and drummer Willie "Big Eyes" Smith , and Grammy nominated musician and vocalist Beth Hart.

We just covered some of the highlights here. If you want to know more about these artists or other things that happened this week in the blues, be sure to visit our website or follow our Facebook page:
https://bigtrainblues.com
https://www.facebook.com/BigTrainBlues

Photo credits (if known) and past episodes are posted on our YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@BigTrainBlues

Here are links to a few of the artists or songs we've referenced in this week's episode:

Henry Gray -  "Live at Lovers Lane" - https://youtu.be/i7s7Diy5KaY?si=6SJU8TU1BgVozCta

Willie "Big Eyes" Smith & Blues Special With Luciano Boca - https://youtu.be/7qEZCw7J2Ds?si=ZwjkX6SLZw9Sx3_B

Join me every weekday from 12:15pm-12:45pm CT to watch a live stream on Facebook of the longest running blues radio show program. https://www.facebook.com/DeltaCulturalCenter

We’ll have a new episode next week – we’ll see you then!

ARE YOU A FAN OF BLUES HISTORY? US TOO!

If you want to know more about these artists or other things that happened this week in the blues, be sure to visit our website or follow our Facebook page:

https://bigtrainblues.com

https://www.facebook.com/BigTrainBlues

Transcript

This Week In The Blues: Jan 19 – Jan 25 2025

Chicago blues piano player Henry Gray was born January 19, 1925 in Kenner, Louisiana. Growing up he began playing piano and organ in the local church, and his family eventually got a piano for the house. By the time he was 16 he was asked to play at a club near the family home. In 1956 Howlin' Wolf asked Gray to join his band. He quickly accepted the offer and stayed on until 1968. Gray also became a session player for Chess Records, and recorded or performed with Muddy Waters, Hubert Sumlin, Buddy Guy, James Cotton, Jimmy Reed, and Koko Taylor among others.

Blues vocalist, harmonica player, and drummer Willie Lee "Big Eyes" Smith was born January 19, 1936 in Helena, Arkansas. Smith learned to play harmonica at age 17 after moving to Chicago, and the next year he formed a trio. In 1955 Smith played harmonica on Bo Diddley's recording of the Willie Dixon song "Diddy Wah Diddy" for the Checker label. Drummers were in more demand than harp players so Smith switched to drums and starting playing with Muddy Waters band, the first of several stints with Waters.

Chicago blues guitarist Luther Tucker was born January 20, 1936 in Memphis, TN. Tucker's family moved from Memphis to Chicago when he was nine years old. While soft-spoken and shy, Tucker made his presence known through his unique and clearly recognizable guitar style. Tucker helped to define the Chicago blues sound, and while never achieving the fame and notoriety of some of his contemporaries, he was considered one of the most prominent rhythm guitarists of Chicago blues along with Eddie Taylor, Jody Williams and Freddie Robinson.

New Orleans guitar legend Snooks Eaglin born January 21, 1937.  His ability to play a wide range of songs and make them his own earned him the nickname "The Human Jukebox." Eaglin claimed in interviews that his musical repertoire included some 2,500 songs. At live shows, he usually did not prepare set lists and was unpredictable, even to his bandmates. He played songs that came to him on stage, and he also took requests from the audience.

Blues songstress Zora Young was born January 21, 1948 in West Point, Mississippi. She is distantly related to Howlin' Wolf. Young's family moved to Chicago when she was seven. She began singing gospel music and as an adult she began singing blues and R&B. Over the course of her career, she has performed with Junior Wells, Jimmy Dawkins, Bobby Rush, Buddy Guy, Albert King, and B. B. King. 

the “King of Soul” Sam Cook was born January 22, 1931 in Clarksdale, MS. Cooke relocated to Chicago with his family at a young age, where he began singing as a child and joined the Soul Stirrers as lead singer in the 1950s. Going solo in 1957, Cooke released a string of hit songs, including "You Send Me", "A Change Is Gonna Come", "Cupid", "Wonderful World", "Chain Gang", "Twistin' the Night Away", "Bring It On Home to Me", and "Good Times". During his eight-year career, Cooke released 29 singles that charted in the Top 40 of the Billboard Pop Singles chart.

Blues singer and songwriter Teeny Tucker was born January 22, 1958 in Dayton, Ohio. She has variously appeared on the same bill with B.B. King, Koko Taylor, Etta James, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, and Keb' Mo'. She is the daughter of the late blues musician Tommy Tucker. In additional painting and creating visual art she continues to record and tour, appearing at a variety of venues and festivals. If you see her name, please go catch her live!

harmonica player Hammie Nixon was born January 22, 1908 in Brownsville, Tennessee and began his music career with jug bands in the 1920s. He is best known as a country blues harmonica player, but he also played the kazoo, guitar and jug. Nixon played with the guitarist Sleepy John Estes for half a century, first recording with Estes in 1929 for Victor Records. He also recorded with Little Buddy Doyle, Lee Green, Clayton T. Driver, Charlie Pickett and Son Bonds.

Huddie Ledbetter better known as Lead Belly was born January 23, 1888 on the Jeter Plantation near Shiloh, LA.  Between 1915 and 1939, Ledbetter served several prison and jail terms for a variety of criminal charges. folklorists John Lomax "discovered" and recorded Leadbelly in prison. Lomax petitioned the Governor for Leadbelly’s early release, a note written on the back of Lead Belly’s recording of “Goodnight Irene”, spawning the legend that Lead Belly had sung his way out of prison, something the state of Louisiana repeatedly denied. Lead Belly was sometimes referred to as the “Singing Convict”.

Muddy Waters recorded his classic song "Long Distance Call" on January 23, 1951. Joining him was Little Walter on harmonica and Ernest "Big" Crawford on bass. This same session also produced "Too Young To Know", "Honey Bee", and "Howlin' Wolf".  "Long Distance Call" was first released as a single in 1951 by Chess Records and reached #8 on the US R&B chart. Muddy Waters version originates in the song "Long Distance Moan", recorded in September 1929 by Blind Lemon Jefferson.

Grammy nominated musician and vocalist Beth Hart was born January 24, 1972. Hart is known for her "visceral", "gritty", "soaring" and "dynamic" contralto vocals. Hart also plays piano, guitar, cello, bass guitar and percussion. She rose to fame with the release of her 1999 single "LA Song (Out of This Town)" from her second album Screamin' for My Supper. beginning in 2011 Hart has had several well received collaborations with guitarist Joe Bonamassa, with several topping the Billboard Blues Album Chart.

blues harmonica player and singer Moses "Whispering" Smith born January 25, 1932 in the town of Union Church, Mississippi. In the 1960s, Smith played harmonica on recordings by the swamp blues notables Lightnin' Slim and Silas Hogan, before he was able to record some tracks of his own. Although he was a powerful singer with harmonica style that was more straightforward than that of his peers, he hit the mainstream just when swamp blues was declining in popularity. He was later inducted into the Louisiana Blues Hall of Fame.

Jamesetta Hawkins who you know better as Etta James, was born January 25, 1938. Starting her career in 1954, she gained fame with hits such as "The Wallflower", "At Last", "Tell Mama", "Something's Got a Hold on Me", and "I'd Rather Go Blind". James's deep and earthy voice bridged the gap between rhythm and blues and rock and roll. She won six Grammy Awards and 17 Blues Music Awards.

Blues singer, guitarist and evangelist Blind Willie Johnson, born January 25, 1897 in Pendleton, Texas. Like his contemporary Blind Lemon Jefferson, Johnson channeled the expressiveness of the blues into his religious message. An important aspect of Johnson's recordings was his bottleneck guitar technique, which was immediately influential on Robert Johnson and Howlin' Wolf. He punctuated his music with tonal control and sense of timing, often using the guitar as a part of his harmonic phrasing, particularly on his classic "Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground".

Blues guitarist Sleepy John Estes born January 25, 1899 in Ripley, TN. His music influenced such artists as The Beatles, Bob Dylan and Led Zeppelin. At the age of 19, while working as a field hand, he began to perform professionally, mostly at parties and picnics, with the accompaniment of harmonica player Hammie Nixon, and guitarist and mandolin player, and James "Yank" Rachell. By the time blues historians tracked him down in 1962, he was completely blind and living in poverty. Estes, Nixon and Rachell appeared at the Newport Folk Festival in 1964.

Well blues fans, we just covered some of the highlights here. If you want to know more about these artists or other things that happened this week in the blues, be sure to follow our social media pages or visit our website at Big Train Blues.com. We’ll have a new episode next week – we’ll see you then!