This Week In The Blues: February 08 - February 14, 2026

HEY BLUES FANS - This week we are celebrating FOUR YEARS of "This Week In The Blues"!!!

Here's the latest episode for the week of February 08 - February 14, 2026.

Some of the highlights include pioneering blues and jazz guitarist Lonnie Johnson, folk, blues, and protest singer Josh White, and Chicago blues guitarist Magic Sam.

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:

Lonnie Johnson - "Another Night to Cry" -  https://youtu.be/n8fyb9vpIc0?si=9hUZB0kse1ekBweV

Magic Sam - "Magic Sam's Boogie 1969" (live) - https://youtu.be/-OlA_JVbQl8?si=uE5a4_L5DuXXk8TE

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

Lonnie Johnson was born February 8, 1899. This pioneering blues and jazz guitarist had early recordings that defined single-note soloing, string bending, and vibrato. Every lead guitarist owes their style to Johnson. Raised in a musical New Orleans family, Johnson mastered multiple instruments but focused on guitar, influencing players from Django Reinhardt to T-Bone Walker. After winning a 1925 blues contest and recording for Okeh Records, he wrote songs reflecting urban Black life and complex relationships. Injured by being hit by a car in Toronto in 1969, he made one final appearance with Buddy Guy before his death on June 16, 1970.

Catfish Keith was born February 9, 1962. He is a leading modern acoustic blues artist renowned for his National steel resonator guitar mastery. Raised in Indiana, he absorbed early influences like Buddy Guy before diving deep into country blues inspired by Son House and the Caribbean stylings of Joseph Spence. His 1984 debut Catfish Blues launched decades of touring, acclaim, and award nominations. A Blues Blast Acoustic Album winner and Iowa Blues Hall of Fame inductee, Keith remains a vital torchbearer for classic acoustic blues.

North Carolina’s Willie Trice was born February 10, 1908. He was a lifelong torchbearer of the Piedmont blues tradition, blending ragtime rhythms with intricate fingerpicking. Raised in Chapel Hill and Raleigh, he was deeply influenced by Reverend Gary Davis. In 1937, Trice recorded two sides with his brother Richard after befriending Blind Boy Fuller, but poor sales stalled his recording career. Despite losing both legs to diabetes, Trice returned to recording in the 1970s. His 1975 album secured belated recognition.

Pioneering folk, blues, and protest singer Josh White was born February 11, 1914. His career literally reshaped American popular music. Blind from childhood, he began performing young and recorded prolifically in the 1930s under a variety of pseudonyms. After moving to New York, White broke racial barriers on radio, Broadway, film, and at the White House, becoming a major cultural force in the 1940s. His outspoken activism later drew Red Scare backlash. A trailblazer in civil rights and popular culture, White died September 5, 1969, leaving a legacy that bridged blues, folk, and protest music.

Sticking with Peidmont blues, guitarist Pink Anderson was born February 12, 1900. Raised in South Carolina, Anderson honed his rhythmic guitar style and storytelling in medicine shows, including Dr. Kerr’s Indian Remedy Company, and recorded influential 1928 sides with Blind Simmie Dooley. He remained active through the 1950s, was documented by folklorists, and rediscovered during the 1960s folk revival. After a brief final tour, Anderson died October 12, 1974. His legacy continued through his son, Little Pink Anderson.

Chicago blues guitarist Magic Sam was born February 14, 1937. He was the guitarist who defined the modern electric sound of Chicago’s West Side blues. Raised in Mississippi and Chicago, he developed a sharp, tremolo-soaked style full of urgency and tension. His 1957 hit “All Your Love” became a blues standard. After setbacks, he recorded the landmark albums West Side Soul and Black Magic for Delmark. A breakout appearance at the 1969 Ann Arbor Blues Festival cemented his legacy. Magic Sam died December 1, 1969, at just 32, leaving a sound that still resonates and lives on today.

Alright blues fans… we just covered some of the highlights in this week’s show. If you’re blues nerds like us, then you’ll want to know more about these artists or other things that happened this week in the blues. To do that, be sure to follow our social media pages or just go out and visit our website at Big Train Blues.com. We’ll have a new episode next week. It’s going to be a great show, so…we’ll see you then!