This Week In The Blues: May 10 - May 16, 2026

HEY BLUES FANS

Here's the latest episode of "This Week In The Blues" for the week of May 10 - May 16, 2026.

Some of the highlights include the day Howlin' Wolf recorded “Moanin’ at Midnight”, blues harp player and singer Big George Brock, and blues guitarist Kansas Joe McCoy.

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:

Howlin' Wolf - “Moanin’ at Midnight” - https://youtu.be/I9lvpocL_20?si=9Sae6BqwMPv2lV_6

Big George Brock - "I Got to Keep My Bedroom Door Locked" - https://youtu.be/NLb4QQmCx9Y?si=5PudA5clV6Dp5vxu

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 Theodore "Ted" Bogan was born on May 10, 1909 in Spartanburg, South Carolina. His career spanned over 50 years and during that time developed a finger-picking guitar style that was much admired. He played in various string bands for most of his career, including Martin, Bogan & Armstrong.

Kansas Joe McCoy was born May 11, 1905 in Raymond, Mississippi. McCoy was drawn to Memphis, Tennessee, where he played guitar and sang during the 1920s. There he met, and teamed up with his future wife, Lizzie Douglas, a blues guitarist better known as “Memphis Minnie”.  Their 1930 recording of the song "Bumble Bee" for Columbia Records was a hit. In 1930, the couple moved to Chicago, where they were an important part of the burgeoning blues scene there. 

On May 12 in 1952, blues harmonica virtuoso Little Walter recorded "Juke". The track was the groundbreaking instrumental that established Little Walter Jacobs as a national recording star and brought unprecedented prominence to the harmonica as a prime instrument in the blues. Untold numbers of blues performers took up the harp in the wake of 'Juke''s 20-week run on the Billboard rhythm & blues charts. 

L. C. “Good Rockin’” Robinson, born May 13, 1915, in Brenham, Texas, was a highly versatile blues musician, mastering both guitar and fiddle. Influenced by regional bottleneck styles and later by Western swing through Leon McAuliffe, he incorporated steel guitar ideas into his playing. He mentored Don “Sugarcane” Harris and performed with his brother A. C. Robinson on the West Coast. His later recordings, including sessions with notable players, showcased his relaxed vocals and fluid style. Robinson died June 6, 1976, in Berkeley, California, after a heart attack.

On May 14, 1951, Howlin' Wolf recorded “Moanin’ at Midnight” at Memphis Recording Service, later known as Sun Studio. With eerie guitar from Willie Johnson and a slow, hypnotic groove, the track leaned on mood over structure. Released by Chess Records, it helped introduce Wolf nationally. Its raw vocal and dark, repetitive feel marked a shift from Delta roots to amplified blues, influencing generations of blues and rock artists.

On May 15, 1929, the blues singer Bessie Smith recorded "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" in New York City. It became one of her biggest hits and is the song that most people associate with Bessie Smith. When Smith's record was released on September 13, 1929 (a Friday), the lyrics turned out to be oddly prophetic. The New York stock market had reached an all-time high less than two weeks earlier, only to go into its biggest decline two weeks later in the Wall Street Crash of 1929, which signaled the beginning of the ten-year Great Depression.

Blues harp player and singer Big George Brock was born May 16, 1932 in Grenada, Mississippi. By the time he was eight, he was working as a sharecropper picking cotton. Brock was surrounded by blues music, and his father taught him and his brothers how to play harmonica as a child. Later in life he gave up boxing and focused on his music, forming his own band Big George & the Houserockers. He relocated to St Louis, and blues guitarist Albert King played in Brock's band before forming his own.

Alright blues fans, that’s just a quick stop on this week’s ride through blues history. If you want to know more about these stories or other things that happened this week in the blues, then head over to BigTrainBlues.com and explore the archives. Better yet, follow us on social media and see every blues history post. We’ll be back next week with more blues stories, legends, and history. Until then, keep the Big Train Blues rolling down the track. See you at the next stop.