This Week In The Blues: July 13 – July 19, 2025

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

Some of the highlights include Chicago blues guitar player Buster Benton, the man they call The Blues Maestro, Little Freddie King, and the day that Jimi Hendrix plays his eighth and final show as the opening act for The Monkees.

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:

Denise Lasalle - "Why Am I Missing You" - https://youtu.be/3JbFptukamg?si=MDsERJoRSd54cc3R

Peppermint Harris - "I Got Loaded" - https://youtu.be/MscvK3ajcuA?si=pyD1VrHav2NX0ypu

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: July 13 - July 19, 2025

Texas blues guitar player, singer and songwriter Long John Hunter was born July 13, 1931. Hunter was born in Louisiana, raised in Arkansas, and by his early twenties was working in a box factory in Texas. He bought his first guitar after attending a B. B. King concert. He adopted the stage name Long John Hunter in 1953. He released seven albums in his own name, and in his later years found critical acknowledgement outside of the U.S.. Hunter's best known tracks are "El Paso Rock" and "Alligators Around My Door".

Blues musician Washboard Sam Brown was born on July 15, 1910. He was reputedly the half-brother of Big Bill Broonzy. In the 20s he performed with Sleepy John Estes and Hammie Nixon in Memphis. In the 30's, he moved to Chicago, performing regularly with Broonzy, Memphis Slim and Tampa Red. In 1935, he began his recording career, and became one of the most popular Chicago blues performers of the late 1930s and 1940s, selling numerous records and playing to packed audiences. He recorded over 160 tracks in those decades.

blues harp player Willie Cobbs was born July 15, 1932. Cobbs is best known for his classic "You Don't Love Me" which has been covered by the Allman Brothers, Magic Sam & John Mayall among others. Born in Smale, Arkansas, Cobbs moved to Chicago in 1951, where he occasionally performed in local clubs with Little Walter, Eddie Boyd and others. Cobbs released singles for various labels and he ran nightclubs in Arkansas and Mississippi through the 1970s and 1980s. He has performed at the King Biscuit Blues Festival and the Chicago Blues Festival.

Soul and blues star Denise LaSalle born on July 16 in 1939. After the death of Koko Taylor, LaSalle had been recognized as the "Queen of the Blues". She was born in rural Leflore County in Mississippi, and her family moved to Chicago in her mid-teens. There she worked with the gospel group The Sacred Five. In 1967 LaSalle made her first blues recordings, and continued to record both blues and gospel albums up until her passing in 2018. In 2011, she was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.

delta blues guitar and piano player Richard "Hacksaw" Harney was born on July 16, 1902. He first entered a recording studio back in 1928, playing guitar on tracks by Pearl Dickson and Walter Rhodes. The loss of his murdered brother, a speech impediment and naturally shy disposition, were all factors in preventing Harney from achieving fame. He spent most of his working lifetime as an itinerant piano tuner and repairer. He predominately played on street corners and in juke joints, but also had a spell on the King Biscuit Time radio show, based in Helena, Arkansas. However, Harney rarely recorded, until his belated solo album in 1972.

Here is a weird one for you…on July 17 1967, Jimi Hendrix plays his eighth and final show as the opening act for The Monkees, which understandably does not go well, as the 10-year-old bubble gum chewing Monkees fans want nothing to do with Hendrix. Go figure.

July 17, 1925 marks the birthday of Harrison Nelson, Jr., better known as Peppermint Harris. Originally from Texarkana, Texas, he first recorded in the late 1940s, accompanied by his friend Lightnin' Hopkins. In 1951 he had his biggest hit “I Got Loaded", which reached number one on the U.S. Billboard R&B. He continued to record various singles through the 1950s and into the 1960s, but none were as successful. He continued to record and play live over the next decades, working in both Shreveport and Sacramento before recording a final album in New Jersey on the Home Cooking label in 1995.

Blues guitar player Johnny Burgin was born on July 17, 1969. He's an extraordinary musician whose soulful playing and captivating performances have earned him a well-deserved reputation as one of blues finest guitarists. With a career spanning over three decades and growing, Burgin has become a respected figure in the blues community, admired for his technical prowess, deep understanding of the blues tradition, and ability to connect with audiences. He also let me borrow his Firebird at a music jam in Clarksdale, MS a few years ago. So, thanks, Johnny!

guitar player Lonnie Mack was born on July 18, 1941! Mack was a self-taught musician who developed a unique blend of blues, rock, and country that defied categorization. Mack's virtuosic guitar skills were evident from an early age, employing techniques such as string bending, vibrato, and fast-paced solos. His signature instrumental track, "Memphis," showcased his incredible talent and became a blueprint for future generations of guitarists.

Chicago blues guitar player Buster Benton was born on July 19, 1932. Despite the amputation of parts of both his legs during the course of his career, Benton never gave up playing his music. During the ’60s, he cut a series of soul-slanted singles before hooking up with the great Willie Dixon in 1971. Benton was a member of Dixon ’s Blues All-Stars for a while, and Dixon is credited as songwriter of Benton’s best-known song, the slow blues “Spider in My Stew.”

The man they call The Blues Maestro, Little Freddie King, was born July 19, 1940, in McComb, Mississippi. Despite the name, his style is not based on that of Freddie King, but is more influenced by John Lee Hooker and his approach to electric blues is original. His style is characterized by a powerful, rhythmic approach that blends intricate fingerpicking with forceful strumming. His guitar tone is gritty and soulful, reflecting the hardships and joys of a life dedicated to the blues.

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 where we’ll talk about blues guitar player T-Bone Walker and Blues singer Alberta Adams – we’ll see you then!