This Week In The Blues: October 26 – November 1, 2025

HEY BLUES FANS - Here's the latest episode of "This Week In The Blues" for the week of October 26 – November 1, 2025

Some of the highlights include Chicago blues piano player "Detroit Junior" Williams, Fleetwood Mac founder Peter Green, and Mississippi hill country blues singer and harmonica player Johnny Woods.

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:

Sippie Wallace - "Women Be Wise" - https://youtu.be/rf9gvuVXt0U?si=kZ6ot_CAOBuUAQjP

Fleetwood Mac - Live in Norway, 1969-11-03 - https://youtu.be/BaNakJdgySg?si=JV0cziQjswJmGIyl

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: October 26 – November 1, 2025

Chicago blues piano player "Detroit Junior" Williams was born October 26, 1931. Born in Haynes, AR, as a child, Williams was moved around quite a bit, as his family relocated from Arkansas to Memphis, then to Pularski, IL, and finally to Flint, MI, where Williams lived with his grandmother. He started his recording career in 1960, and over the next decade recorded and released several singles and an LP. It was here that he earned the name Detroit Junior.

Henry "Mule" Townsend was born way back in October 27 1909! This blues singer, guitar and piano player was influenced by Roosevelt Sykes and Lonnie Johnson. He was a commanding musician, adept on both piano and guitar. During the ’20s and ’30s, Townsend was one of the musicians that helped make St. Louis one of the blues centers of America. Townsend arrived in St. Louis when he was around ten years old, just before the ’20s began. By the end of the ’20s, he had landed a record contract with Columbia, cutting several sides of open-tuning slide guitar for the label.

Blues guitar player and singer Sherman Robertson was born October 27, 1948 in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. He’s been described as "one part zydeco, one part swamp blues, one part electric blues and one part classic rhythm and blues." Robertson was raised in Houston, Texas and at the age of 13, got his first guitar. He lived close to the Duke/Peacock recording studio and took the opportunity to get to know some of the musicians who recorded there. Later in life Robertson's guitar work also appeared on Paul Simon's Graceland album.

Chicago blues and soul blues guitar player L.V. Banks was born October 28, 1932. Banks was born in Stringtown, Mississippi. He taught himself to play the guitar and fronted a blues band in Greenville, Mississippi. Banks moved to St. Louis, Missouri, before he was drafted into the U.S. Army. After his duty was over, in the early 1960s, he relocated to Chicago. He played on Maxwell Street and later was a regular fixture for over three decades in local clubs, particularly on the South Side. Banks's debut album, Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear, was released in June 1998.

The "Queen of the Boogie" Hadda Brooks was born on October 29, 1916. She sang at Hawaii's statehood ceremony in 1959 and was asked for a private audience by Pope Pius XII. Brooks preferred ballads to boogie-woogie, but worked on her style by listening to Albert Ammons, Pete Johnson, and Meade Lux Lewis records. Her first recording, "Swingin' the Boogie", was a regional hit in 1945. She was Inducted in the Rhythm and Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in 1993.

Fleetwood Mac founder Peter Green was born October 29, 1946! The English blues guitar player first learned guitar at the age of 11 and soon mastered the instrument. In October 1965, Green had the opportunity to fill in for Eric Clapton in John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers for four gigs. Soon afterwards, Green became a full-time member of Mayall's band. In 1967, Green decided to leave the Bluesbreakers and with Mick Fleetwood and John McVie, formed Fleetwood Mac.

The blues classic "Baby, Please Don't Go" was recorded by Delta blues musician Big Joe Williams October on 31, 1935 in Chicago. Many cover versions followed, and it’s become one of the most played, arranged, and rearranged pieces in blues history. It features Williams on vocal and guitar, Dad Tracy on one-string fiddle and Chasey "Kokomo" Collins on washboard.

Blues singer Julia Lee was born October 31, 1902 in Boonville, Missouri. She's sometimes categorized as a "dirty blues singer" because of some lyrics of songs like "King Size Papa" and "Snatch and Grab It" and "The Spinach Song". Lee was raised in Kansas City, and began her musical career around 1920, singing and playing piano in her brother George Lee's band, which for a time also included Charlie Parker. 

Blues piano player Little Johnny Jones was born November 1, 1924, in Jackson, Mississippi. In 40 short years on earth, he established himself as one of the greatest piano players ever to hit the Chicago blues scene. Jones arrived in Chicago from Mississippi in 1946 with Little Walter and "Baby Face" Leroy Foster. Jones is best known for his rock-solid accompaniment to slide guitarist Elmore James. Jones joined Tampa Red's band in 1947.

Blues and gospel legend Sippie Wallace was both born (1898) and died (1986) on November 1. She was born in 1898 and started performing in the 1920s. Wallace kept performing and recording until her death. She was a major influence on a young Bonnie Raitt, who recorded several of Wallace’s songs and performed live with her.

Mississippi hill country blues singer and harmonica player Johnny Woods was November 1, 1917! His harmonica playing first gained attention in the 1960s, when he was a duet partner with the guitarist and singer Mississippi Fred McDowell. They recorded a number of records together starting in 1967 for a variety of labels.

The founder of Peacock Records Don Robey was born November 1, 1903. As the eventual owner of Duke Records, he was responsible for developing the careers of many rhythm and blues artists in the 1950s and 1960s. Artists included the likes of Big Mama Thornton, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Otis Rush, Junior Parker, and Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown. 

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 blues legend Bonnie Raitt and Blues singer and guitar player Delbert McClinton. It’s going to be an awesome show – we’ll see you then!