This Week In The Blues: January 18 – January 24, 2026

HEY BLUES FANS - Here's the latest episode of "This Week In The Blues" for the week of January 18 – January 24, 2026.

Some of the highlights include Chicago blues piano player Henry Gray, blues vocalist, harmonica player, and drummer Willie “Big Eyes" Smith, and the day Muddy Waters recorded his classic song "Long Distance Call" .

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:

Willie "Big Eyes" Smith & Blues Special With Luciano Boca - https://youtu.be/7qEZCw7J2Ds?si=C-Yql1ZpaWYlJOSE

Muddy Waters - "Long Distance Calls (Live)" - https://youtu.be/OD9fRI_SgAg?si=ILlcqS4qv1BudXrW

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

Chicago blues piano player Henry Gray was born January 19, 1925 in Kenner, Louisiana. Growing up he began playing piano and organ in the local church, and his family eventually got a piano for the house. By the time he was 16 he was asked to play at a club near the family home. In 1956 Howlin' Wolf asked Gray to join his band. He quickly accepted the offer and stayed on until 1968. Gray also became a session player for Chess Records, and recorded or performed with Muddy Waters, Hubert Sumlin, Buddy Guy, James Cotton, Jimmy Reed, and Koko Taylor among others.

Blues vocalist, harmonica player, and drummer Willie “Big Eyes" Smith was born January 19, 1936 in Helena, Arkansas. Smith learned to play harmonica at age 17 after moving to Chicago, and the next year he formed a trio. In 1955 Smith played harmonica on Bo Diddley's recording of the Willie Dixon song "Diddy Wah Diddy" for the Checker label. Drummers were in more demand than harp players so Smith switched to drums and starting playing with Muddy Waters band, the first of several stints with Waters.

Born January 19, 1943, Janis Joplin was a singular voice who fused blues, soul, and rock with unmatched emotional intensity. She broke through at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival with Big Brother and the Holding Company, After that she found solo success success with songs like “Me and Bobby McGee.” Joplin died October 4, 1970, at age 27, but her raw, blues-driven legacy remains timeless.

Luther Tucker was  born January 20, 1936. Raised in Chicago after moving from Memphis at the age of nine, he developed a distinctive style that helped define Chicago blues while comfortably crossing into soul, rock, jazz, and gospel. Beginning in 1952 with his uncle J.T. “Boogie” Brown, Tucker went on to work with giants including Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Otis Rush, John Lee Hooker, and the James Cotton Blues Band. A master rhythm guitarist and soulful singer, he also backed numerous blues stars and performed at major festivals. Tucker died of a heart attack in June 1993, at the age of 57.

New Orleans guitar legend Snooks Eaglin was born January 21, 1937.  His ability to play a wide range of songs and make them his own earned him the nickname "The Human Jukebox." Eaglin claimed in interviews that his musical repertoire included some 2,500 songs. At live shows, he usually did not prepare set lists and was unpredictable, even to his bandmates. He played songs that came to him on stage, and he also took requests from the audience.

Muddy Waters recorded his classic song "Long Distance Call" on January 23, 1951. Joining him was Little Walter on harmonica and Ernest "Big" Crawford on bass. This same session also produced "Too Young To Know", "Honey Bee", and "Howlin' Wolf".  The song "Long Distance Call" was first released as a single in 1951 by Chess Records and reached #8 on the US R&B chart. Muddy Waters version originates in the song "Long Distance Moan", recorded in September 1929 by Blind Lemon Jefferson.

Beth Hart, born January 24, 1972 in Los Angeles, is a powerful blues-rock singer and multi-instrumentalist known for her gritty, soaring contralto vocals. She gained international attention with a hit in 1999 and has topped charts worldwide. Hart’s acclaimed collaborations with Joe Bonamassa include the Grammy-nominated Seesaw and multiple # 1 blues albums. Her 2022 release A Tribute to Led Zeppelin became her highest-charting solo album in Europe. This further cemented her reputation as one of the most commanding voices in modern blues.

Well blues fans, we just covered some of the highlights here. If you want to know more about these artists or the many other things that happened this week in the blues, be sure to follow our social media pages or just go out and visit our website at Big Train Blues.com. One little thing to brag about. In the short while we've been doing this, we just passed 5,000 downloads of the podcast version of our show. So a HUGE thanks to all our listeners. We’ll have a brand new episode next week and we’ll talk about Blues guitarist Sleepy John Estes and blues singer Etta James. It’s going to be a great show, so WE'LL SEE YOU THEN!