This Week In The Blues: April 12 - April 18, 2026

HEY BLUES FANS

Here's the latest episode of "This Week In The Blues" for the week of April 12 - April 18, 2026.

Some of the highlights include Chicago blues guitarist “Hound Dog” Taylor, The "Empress of the Blues", Bessie Smith, and boogie-woogie and blues pianist “Little Brother” Montgomery .

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:

Hound Dog Taylor - "Shake Your Money Maker" (live 1967) - https://youtu.be/WT5vkGyNvCk?si=enl5gnrdDOMtmBQ0

Little Brother Montgomery - "No Special Rider Blues" (1930) - https://youtu.be/Bi4MO3LpSxU?si=hDcXJ1915ivnA3zJ

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

Chicago blues guitarist “Hound Dog” Taylor, the original table rocker, was born April 12, 1915, in Natchez, Mississippi, though some sources say 1917. He started on piano and picked up guitar around age twenty, later moving to Chicago in 1942. Taylor had polydactylism, giving him six fingers on each hand, though the extra digits were small and unusable. In a famously wild moment, he reportedly cut off the extra one on his right hand with a straight razor, earning a legend as raw as his slide guitar sound.

Roger Stolle was born April 13, 1967 and is one of the Mississippi Delta’s most influential blues promoters. After a 13-year marketing career, he moved to Clarksdale in 2002 to help promote the blues from within. Stolle owns Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art and co-founded major events like the Juke Joint Festival. A respected writer, radio producer, and film collaborator, he has authored books on Mississippi blues and contributed widely to blues media. His work has earned Blues Music and Keeping the Blues Alive awards.

Chicago blues musician Joseph “Mojo” Morganfield, born April 14, 1964, in Chicago, was the youngest son of Muddy Waters. Raised in the blues, he toured with his father and learned guitar directly from him, and others in his father’s band. Morganfield was active in the Chicago blues scene, working with the Chicago Blues Hall of Fame and appeared at events that celebrated his father’s music while helping keep the Chicago blues tradition alive.

The "Empress of the Blues", Bessie Smith was born April 15, 1894. Even on her first records in 1923, her passionate voice overcame the primitive recording quality of the day and still communicates easily to today’s listeners, which is not true of any other singer from that early period. At a time when the blues were in and most vocalists, particularly vaudeville vocalists, were being dubbed “blues singers,” Bessie Smith simply had no competition.

Chicago blues slide guitarist Johnny Littlejohn, born April 16, 1931, in Lake, Mississippi, was active on the Chicago blues scene from the 1950s through the 1980s. Born John Wesley Funchess, he first learned the blues from Henry Martin, a friend of his father. After leaving home in 1946, he traveled through the South and Midwest before settling in Gary, Indiana, in 1951, performing regularly in nearby Chicago clubs.

Electric blues guitarist Lonnie Shields, born April 17, 1956, in West Helena, Arkansas, blends Delta tradition with a funky edge. Mentored by Sam Carr of nearby Lula, Mississippi, Shields learned the foundations of Delta blues early on. The two played together in the Unforgettable Blues Band and drew inspiration from Frank Frost and Big Jack Johnson. Shields later shared stages with all three while performing with the legendary Jelly Roll Kings.

Boogie-woogie and blues pianist “Little Brother” Montgomery was born April 18, 1906. He began playing piano at the age of four and was performing in Louisiana barrelhouses by the age of eleven. He was largely self-taught, and developed a distinctive blues style. He also worked in jazz bands with arranged ensembles, learning everything by ear. In 1941 he moved to Chicago, where he lived the rest of his life while touring across the United States and Europe.

Alright blues fans, that’s just a quick stop on this week’s ride through blues history. If you want more, then head over to BigTrainBlues.com and explore the archives, or follow us on social media to keep the blues rolling all week long. We’ll be back next week with more legends, history, and blues stories. Until then, keep the Big Train Blues rolling down the track. See you at the next stop.