This Week In The Blues: April 13 - April 19, 2025

HEY BLUES FANS - Here's the latest episode of "This Week In The Blues" for the week of April 13 - April 19, 2025.

Some of the highlights include the "Empress of the Blues", Bessie Smith, Chicago blues slide guitarist Johnny Littlejohn, and blues master Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown. 

Keep in mind that there's so much more that happened this week in the blues. 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:

Bessie Smith - "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" - https://youtu.be/kxTyV_cBz7o?si=Lr-emBjTRR7hI1Ga

Clarence Gatemouth Brown - "Honky-Tonk" - https://youtu.be/Mnx1cheoSkg?si=FkiBO6kidAQyUEwI

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 Apr 13 – Apr 19 2025

Chicago blues musician Joseph "Mojo" Morganfield was born April 14, 1964. He’s the youngest son of blues legend Muddy Waters. Born in Chicago, Morganfield began his career at a young age, traveling and performing with his father and growing up in the blues. He was taught guitar by his father, and his father’s guitarist Bob Margolin. He was very involved in the Chicago Blues Hall of Fame. Mojo also attended many public events on behalf of his father, keeping the name and the blues legacy alive.

Soul blues singer to Mighty Sam McClain was born April 15, 1943. He sang mostly Southern soul-blues, and considered one of the original masters from the 1960s, when the music enjoyed its peak popularity. Like so many soul-blues vocalists, McClain began singing gospel in his mother’s choir when he was five. At 13, disagreements with his stepfather sent forced him to live with grandparents for a while before hooking up with Little Melvin Underwood. In 2008, McClain joined the 'Give US Your Poor' project, benefiting the homeless.

The "Empress of the Blues", Bessie Smith was born April 15, 1894. Even on her first records in 1923, her passionate voice overcame the primitive recording quality of the day and still communicates easily to today’s listeners, which is not true of any other singer from that early period. At a time when the blues were in and most vocalists, particularly vaudeville vocalists, were being dubbed “blues singers,” Bessie Smith simply had no competition.

Delta blues harmonica player Frank Frost was born April 15, 1936 or 1938 probably in Jackson County, Arkansas. Frost began his musical career at a young age by playing the piano for his family church. At the age of 15, Frost left for St. Louis, where he became a guitarist. At the age of 18, Frost began touring with drummer Sam Carr and Carr's father, Robert Nighthawk. Soon after touring, he toured again with Sonny Boy Williamson II for several years, who helped teach him how to play the harmonica.

Blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist Haskell Robert "Cool Papa" Sadler was born April 16, 1935 in Denver, Colorado. He was part of the California blues scene starting in the 60s, which is a blend of jump blues and jazz. Sadler moved to California and worked in clubs in the San Francisco Bay Area starting in the 1960s. He played a number of times at the San Francisco Blues Festival. Sadler wrote "747" as recorded by Joe Louis Walker, and "Yesterday" recorded by Tiny Powell.

Chicago blues slide guitarist Johnny Littlejohn was born April 16, 1931 in Lake, Mississippi. He was active on the Chicago blues circuit from the 1950s to the 1980s. His birthname was John Wesley Funchess and first learned to play the blues from Henry Martin, a friend of his father's. In 1946 he left home and traveled widely, spending time in Jackson, Mississippi; Arkansas; Rochester, New York; and Gary, Indiana. He settled in Gary in 1951, playing whenever possible in the nearby Chicago area.

Blues singer and guitarist Clifford "Grandpappy" Gibson was born April 17, 1901. He is best known for the tracks, "Bad Luck Dice" and "Hard Headed Blues". Gibson was born in Louisville, Kentucky, then moved to St. Louis, Missouri, in the 1920s and lived there for the rest of his life. He played in St. Louis clubs, and in 1929 started his recording career. He is regarded as one of the earliest urban blues performers, with no pronounced rural influences. 

Chicago blues guitarist Byther Smith was born April 17, 1932 in Monticello, Mississippi. Smith was brought up by his uncle and aunt and in his teenage years he moved to Arizona to work on a cattle ranch and played in a country and western band on weekends. He worked in construction and local farmhands taught him to play the double bass. Around this time Smith showed an interest in boxing, so his aunt bought Smith an electric bass guitar to encourage him to follow a musical path instead. 

electric blues guitarist Lonnie Shields was born April 17, 1956 in West Helena, Arkansas. His music has been described as "bewitching, funk-influenced variations on the oldest country blues". His friend and mentor, Sam Carr, from nearby Lula, Mississippi, showed Shields the rudiments of Delta blues. The twosome played together in the Unforgettable Blues Band, and took guidance from Frank Frost and Big Jack Johnson. Shields later played live with all three of them when performing with the Jelly Roll Kings.

blues master Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown was born April 18, 1924! Brown was a great artist with an expansive view of the Blues & American music. Brown was born in Vinton, Louisiana, and raised near Orange, Texas. A local musician taught him several musical instruments including fiddle, piano and guitar by age 5. Although known for his work as a blues musician, Brown spent his career synthesizing traditional blues and country, jazz, Cajun music and rhythm and blues. He was given the nickname "Gatemouth" by a high school teacher who said he had a "voice like a gate".

boogie-woogie and blues pianist "Little Brother" Montgomery was born On April 18 in 1906. He started playing piano at the age of four, and by age 11 he left home for four years and played at barrelhouses in Louisiana. Largely self-taught, Montgomery was an important blues pianist with an original style. He was also versatile, working in jazz bands, including larger ensembles that used written arrangements. He did not read music but learned band routines by ear. In 1941, Montgomery moved to Chicago, which would be his home for the rest of his life, and went on tours to other cities in the United States and Europe

Chicago blues singer and songwriter “Doctor” Clayton was born on April 19, 1898 in Georgia and moved to St. Louis as a child with his family. Clayton's entire family died in a house fire in 1937; following this he became an alcoholic and began wearing outsized hats and glasses. To pursue his music career, Clayton moved to Chicago with Robert Lockwood. He was a prolific songwriter that included "Hold That Train, Conductor" and "Cheating and Lying Blues", frequently covered by other blues artists.  He was a regional sales success and played regularly in Chicago nightclubs with Lockwood and Sunnyland Slim

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 and we’ll talk about The Velvet Bulldozer, blues guitarist Albert King, and The great blues harp master George "Harmonica" Smith. You KNOW it’s going to be a great show - we’ll see you then!