This Week In The Blues: December 28 – January 03, 2026

HEY BLUES FANS - Here's the latest episode of "This Week In The Blues" for the week of December 28 – January 03, 2026.

Some of the highlights include Matt “Guitar” Murphy, bass man Hank Van Sickle, Little Smokey Smothers, and Chicago blues singer and the day Howlin’ Wolf recorded “Smokestack Lightning”.

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:

Matt "Guitar" Murphy - Murphy's Boogie 1963 (live)" - Matt Murphy - Murphy's Boogie 1963 (live)

Howlin' Wolf - Smokestack Lightning" Live 1964 - https://youtu.be/BAJ9-5rJHZw?si=IV8kvqkAiPqoPtsR

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

Matt “Guitar” Murphy came into the world on December 29, 1929, in Sunflower, Mississippi, and grew up in Memphis, where his father worked at the Peabody Hotel. Murphy picked up the guitar young and never put it down. By 1948 he was in Chicago, plugged in with Howlin’ Wolf, and carving out a name as a fierce and tasteful player. Decades later, Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi caught his act and immediately drafted him into the touring band for The Blues Brothers, launching him into big-screen fame.

Bo Diddley, born Ellas McDaniel on December 30, 1928, stands tall as one of rock ’n’ roll’s founding architects. His African-inspired rhythms, swaggering groove, and that famous five-accent hambone beat shaped everyone from Buddy Holly to the Beatles to the Stones. He built his own wild rectangular guitar—the Gretsch “Twang Machine”—and pushed tone, attack, and attitude into the future.

Lillian McMurry, born December 30, 1921, was a visionary long before people called her one. From the back of her Jackson, Mississippi furniture store, she launched Trumpet Records and became one of America’s first female record producers. She recorded gospel at first, but soon captured blistering blues, including Elmore James’ original “Dust My Broom” and multiple sides by Sonny Boy Williamson II.

Houston Boines entered the world on December 30, 1918, in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, and brought a raw, soulful edge to blues harmonica. He recorded for Modern Records in 1952 thanks to talent scout Ike Turner, then for Sun Records in 1953. A World War II Army veteran, Boines later paired up with Charley Booker, Houston Stackhouse, and Eddie Cusic.

Bass man Hank Van Sickle, born December 31, 1961, grew up surrounded by music. His father, Rodney Van Sickle, was a world-class classical bassist, and the whole family played. Hank eventually carved out his own lane in blues rock, best known for his work with the Bluesbreakers.

Goree Carter—born on New Year’s Eve, 1930, in Houston—was a triple-threat singer, guitarist, and songwriter. Performing under names like Little T-Bone and Rocky Thompson, he was already playing clubs as a teen while working at the Comet Rice Mill. In 1949 he cut “Sweet Ole Woman Blues,” the first step in a strong career in jump blues and early rock.

Estelle “Mama” Yancey, born January 1, 1896, brought warmth, humor, and soul to every stage she touched. Raised in Chicago, she sang in church choirs, played guitar, and in 1925 married boogie-woogie pioneer Jimmy Yancey. The two recorded together often, and Mama Yancey went on to earn four Traditional Blues Female Artist award nominations.

Johnny “Man” Young arrived on New Year’s Day in 1918 and helped usher electric blues into postwar Chicago. One of the few mandolin players in the genre, his nickname came straight from the instrument he championed. Young’s recordings helped keep the mandolin alive in urban blues.

Another New Year’s baby, Frank Stokes—born January 1, 1877—was the father of Memphis blues guitar. Orphaned young and raised in Tutwiler, Mississippi, he later worked as a blacksmith and traveled to Memphis on weekends to perform with Dan Sane. Together, they helped define the city’s early blues sound.

Little Smokey Smothers, born January 2, 1939, in Tchula, Mississippi, learned guitar at 15 and moved to Chicago soon after. By his late teens he was sharing stages with Magic Sam, Otis Rush, and Lazy Bill Lucas. In 1958 he joined Howlin’ Wolf and played on Chess Records sessions. When the blues scene thinned in the 70s, he even took construction jobs, but he eventually returned to clubs and recordings where he belonged.

Edith Johnson, born January 2, 1903, wasn’t a professional singer, but her warm, confident delivery made her 1928–29 recordings unforgettable. Tracks like “Honey Dripper Blues” and “Eight Hour Woman” became her calling cards. While working at her husband’s Deluxe Music Store in St. Louis, she recorded 18 sides, including one session attended by none other than Charley Patton.

Rubin “Rube” Lacy, born January 2, 1901, in Pelahatchie, Mississippi, was once one of the most popular bluesmen in the Jackson area. His bottleneck guitar style shaped players like Son House, though his own 1927 Columbia recordings never made it to release and the masters were lost. Still, his influence echoes through Delta blues history.

And finally, on January 3, 1956, Howlin’ Wolf recorded “Smokestack Lightning” for Chess Records—a hypnotic, driving classic that hit number 11 on the Billboard R&B chart. Wolf had been refining the song since the early 1930s, performing it in Delta towns with Charley Patton. Its eerie groove and pulsing rhythm helped define the very sound of Chicago 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 and we’ll talk about Fabulous Thunderbirds co-founder Kim Wilson, and slide guitar player Tampa Red. It’s going to be a great show! …we’ll see you then!