This Week In The Blues: November 9 – November 15, 2025

HEY BLUES FANS - Here's the latest episode of "This Week In The Blues" for the week of November 9 – November 15, 2025

Some of the highlights include blues powerhouse Susan Tedeschi, Delta blues legend Bukka White, and one of Chicago’s premier harmonica players Carey Bell.

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:

Susan Tedeschi - "Just Won't Burn" (Live at Farm Aid 1999) - https://youtu.be/D_96KMJEhy0?si=ciesQVuxoQvmrQ_8

Bukka White - "Aberdeen Mississippi Blues" (1967) HQ - https://youtu.be/KbHtNMyAB7g?si=blZO2RRX2_nrhNok

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 kicks off with a modern blues powerhouse Susan Tedeschi who was born on November 9, 1970. A guitarist, singer, and songwriter, she’s a multiple Grammy nominee and co-leads the Tedeschi Trucks Band with her husband, Derek Trucks. Together, they’re keeping the blues alive for a new generation while staying true to its soulful roots.
 
 

Texas bluesman James “Thunderbird” Davis was born on November 10, 1938. He cut several singles for Duke Records in the early ’60s before fading from the scene, only to roar back in 1989 with Check Out Time. Sadly, Davis passed away from a heart attack on stage in 1992, right in the middle of a set at the Blues Saloon in St. Paul, Minnesota. He was just 53 years old.

 Chicago guitarist Hip Linkchain was born November 10, 1936, bringing real depth to the blues. Born Willie Richard in Jackson, Mississippi, he moved north to Chicago in 1954 after years of cotton-picking in Louise, Mississippi. Known for songs like Change My Blues and That Will Never Do, he worked with Pinetop Perkins, Little Walter, and Tyrone Davis. His songwriting and guitar tone stood a cut above the rest.

 Bobby Rush was born on November 10, 1933, in Homer, Louisiana, and started out with a broom-wire diddley bow and a syrup bucket. That homemade groove grew into a lifelong career. It is a career that so far has earned him twelve Blues Music Awards and, at age 83, his first Grammy for Porcupine Meat. Rush now sits in the Blues Hall of Fame, the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame, and the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame.

 George “Mojo” Buford, the great blues harmonica player, was born November 10, 1929. After moving from Mississippi to Chicago in 1952, he formed the group The Savage Boys, which later became known as the Muddy Waters Jr. Band.  Buford played with Muddy on and off for decades, from 1959 into the 1970s, and even returned for Muddy Waters final tours.

 Rhythm and Blues singer LaVern Baker was born November 11, 1929, in Chicago. She began singing in clubs like the Club DeLisa in the mid-1940s, often billed as Little Miss Sharecropper. By the 1950s, she was topping pop charts with hits that still hold up today. In 1991, she became only the second female solo artist, after Aretha Franklin, to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

 Delta blues legend Bukka White was born November 12, 1906, in Houston, Mississippi. A cousin of B.B. King’s mother, he was playing guitar by fourteen and already charming crowds in Clarksdale. There he met Charley Patton, who likely taught him a few things about music, and mischief. Offstage, Bukka also played baseball in the Negro Leagues and tried his hand at boxing.

 New Orleans blues singer “Blue Lu” Barker was born November 13, 1913. She often performed with her husband, guitarist Danny Barker, a cornerstone of the Crescent City scene. Her 1948 hit A Little Bird Told Me reached number four on the Billboard chart and held steady for fourteen weeks. She was inducted into the Louisiana Blues Hall of Fame in 1997, one year before her passing.

 Bobby Manuel was born November 13, 1945, and became one of the unsung heroes of Stax Records. Originally hired as an engineer, he soon found himself behind the guitar, backing legends like Albert King, Rufus Thomas, Luther Ingram, and Isaac Hayes. He was one of those behind-the-scenes players who helped define the sound of soul and blues in the ’60s and ’70s.

 John Hammond, born November 13, 1942, brought Delta blues to a new audience. With a National steel guitar and a gritty voice, he was among the first white artists to record a blues album, back in 1963. Here’s a Fun fact — he’s the only person ever to have both Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix in his band at the same time. Yes, you heard that right. It lasted five days in 1966 at the Gaslight Café in New York.

 Here’s a bit of alliteration: the very versatile vocalist Valerie Wellington was born November 14, 1959. Trained as an opera singer, she switched gears to the Chicago blues scene in the early ’80s. Her album Million Dollar Secret featured blues icons Sunnyland Slim, Billy Branch, and Magic Slim, and proof that versatility and soul can live in the same powerful voice.

 Anson Funderburgh was born November 14, 1954, in Plano, Texas, and launched Anson Funderburgh & The Rockets in 1977. Mixing Chicago and Texas blues, the band hit the road and never really stopped. In 1985, he teamed up with harmonica ace Sam Myers from Mississippi. It was a partnership that lasted more than two decades and produced eight albums.

 Carey Bell was born November 14, 1936. He was one of Chicago’s premier harmonica players, although he could hold his own on bass too. From the 1950s through the 1970s, he backed a who’s who of blues greats, including Earl Hooker, Robert Nighthawk, Eddie Taylor, and Louisiana Red. Later, he performed alongside his son, guitarist Lurrie Bell, keeping the blues in the family.

 Clyde McPhatter, born November 15, 1932, was one of those rare voices that shaped early Rhythm & Blues, doo-wop, and rock and roll. The son of a Baptist preacher, he grew up singing gospel before joining The Dominoes, one of the hottest Rhythm & Blues groups of the time. He later founded The Drifters in 1953, paving the way for decades of Rhythm & Blues innovation.

 That’s the roundup for this week, blues fans. To dive deeper into any of these artists — or explore what else happened this week in blues history — check out our social media pages or visit BigTrainBlues.com. We’ll be back next week with more stories from the heart of the blues, including Chicago blues guitar legend Hubert Sumlin and blues guitarist and singer Mike Zito. It’s going to be a fantastic show so we’ll see you then!