This Week In The Blues: March 29 - April 04, 2026

HEY BLUES FANS

Here's the latest episode of "This Week In The Blues" for the week of March 29 - April 04, 2026.

Some of the highlights include Blues guitarist and singer Sue Foley, early blues singer Lucille Bogan, and jump blues pianist Amos Milburn.

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:

Sue Foley ~ Slow Blues Live October 2024, New Orleans - https://youtu.be/psCOkofZj9I?si=20Zjj3Fk_b2bbZc0

Amos Milburn - "Bad, Bad, Whiskey" (Live) - https://youtu.be/oCX--0wJQkQ?si=PL2gz1s0SOoEcoKm

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

ALSO - Consider joining the Blues Society of Oklahoma and helping them continue their mission - https://bluessocietyoklahoma.com/membership/

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

Blues guitarist and singer Sue Foley was born March 29, 1968, in Ottawa, Canada. She gained attention after signing with the Austin Texas based Antone’s Records, and releasing her 1992 debut album Young Girl Blues, followed by Without a Warning. Known for her powerful guitar work and fresh interpretations of blues classics, Foley has built a respected reputation as both an electric and acoustic blues performer.

John Lee “Sonny Boy” Williamson was born March 30, 1914. He was a pioneering blues harmonica player, singer, and songwriter who helped establish the harmonica as a powerful lead instrument in blues bands. His influential style shaped generations of blues musicians. Williamson died at age 34 after a violent robbery on Chicago’s South Side.

Lowell Fulson was born March 31, 1921 on a Choctaw reservation in Atoka, Oklahoma. He became a leading figure in West Coast blues after T-Bone Walker. He later moved to California and formed a band that included a young Ray Charles. Fulson’s classic song “Reconsider Baby” helped shape modern blues and rock, earning Hall of Fame honors. He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1993, and the song was later listed among the “500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.”

Lucille Bogan was born April 1, 1897, in Birmingham, Alabama. This early blues singer was known for bold, sexually explicit “dirty blues” songs. Recording under her own name and the pseudonym Bessie Jackson, she began recording in 1923 and produced classics like “Pawn Shop Blues” and the original “Black Angel Blues,” later covered by B.B. King and others.

Jump blues pianist Amos Milburn was born April 1, 1927, in Houston, Texas. He helped bridge blues and early rock and roll after World War II. A piano prodigy by age five, he later served in the U.S. Navy and earned thirteen battle stars in the Philippines. After returning home, he formed a band and became known for energetic boogie-woogie hits, including the classic “One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer.”

Mitch Woods was born April 3, 1951, in Brooklyn, New York. He is a pianist, singer, and bandleader known for reviving boogie-woogie and jump blues. After moving to San Francisco in 1971, he formed Mitch Woods & His Rocket 88s in 1980. With energetic piano and a style he calls “rock-a-boogie,” Woods has toured internationally, released numerous albums, and earned multiple Blues Music Award nominations while helping keep classic rhythm and blues traditions alive.

The one and only Muddy Waters was born April 4, 1913, and his birth name is McKinley Morganfield. He became the central figure in postwar blues and is often called the father of modern Chicago blues. Raised on Stovall Plantation near Clarksdale, Mississippi, he learned guitar and harmonica while influenced by Son House and Robert Johnson. In 1941 folklorist Alan Lomax recorded Waters for the Library of Congress, helping launch the career of one of blues music’s most influential artists.

Alright blues fans, that’s just a sample of the history that happened this week. If you want to explore more about these artists and the stories behind the music, head over to BigTrainBlues.com and dig in. You can also follow us on social media to keep the blues rolling all week long. We’ll be back next week with another episode packed with more history, more legends, and more blues stories. Until then, keep that blues train moving down the line, and we’ll see you at the next stop.