This Week In The Blues: June 21 - June 27, 2026

HEY BLUES FANS

Here's the latest episode of "This Week In The Blues" for the week of June 21 - June 27, 2026.

Some of the highlights include Chicago blues musician Johnny "Yard Dog" Jones, Delta bluesman T-Model Ford, and blues singer and pianist "St. Louis" Jimmy Oden.

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:

Johnny "Yard Dog" Jones - "Anything But Without You" - https://youtu.be/GJs8xnFHvaM?si=rtl3vt7ubq9qVgPg

"St. Louis" Jimmy Oden - "Going Down Slow (Remastered 2002)" - https://youtu.be/eRQvNWdTr0Q?si=JEIiEvhfz4MJXR6w

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

ALSO - 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 musician Johnny "Yard Dog" Jones was born on June 21, 1941, on a cotton plantation in Crawfordsville, Arkansas. Influenced by Robert Johnson and T-Bone Walker, Jones has said that when he was in his early teens he was given harmonica lessons by Little Walter. At the age of 18, he moved to Chicago and played in clubs and on the blues circuit for several decades before recording his debut album at the age of 55. He won a W.C. Handy Award in 1998.

 blues musician J.W. Warren was born June 22, 1921, in Ariton, Alabama. He learned guitar as a teenager and soon began playing local juke joints and barbecues. After working in a sawmill and serving 14 years in the U.S. military, he returned home to farm and continue performing throughout the region. Warren often shared time with fellow Alabama native Big Mama Thornton and later claimed he inspired her classic hit “Hound Dog,” though that story remains part blues history and part tall tale, like a good late-night juke joint conversation should be.

 Singer Helen Humes was Born in Louisville, Kentucky, on June 23, 1913. She became a versatile vocalist whose career spanned blues, jazz, R&B, and pop music. Starting in church choirs and local dance bands, she recorded blues songs as a teenager before later working with artists like Count Basie and Red Norvo. Critics praised her smooth phrasing and ability to move effortlessly between musical styles, often comparing her to Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. Humes remained active into the late 1970s, earning admiration for her warm stage presence and expressive vocals.

 Delta bluesman T-Model Ford, was most likely born June 24, 1923, in Forest, Mississippi. He lived a hard and unpredictable life before becoming a musician in his 70s. After years spent farming, working in sawmills, driving trucks, and even serving time on a chain gang for murder, Ford taught himself guitar after his fifth wife left him one as a goodbye gift. Unable to read music, he developed a raw, hypnotic style blending Delta blues, Chicago blues, and juke joint traditions. His late-life rise to blues fame made him one of the genre’s most unforgettable characters.

 On June 25, 1949, Billboard magazine replaced the term “Race Records” with “Rhythm & Blues,” a landmark shift credited largely to writer Jerry Wexler. The change reflected evolving attitudes toward Black music and culture in postwar America. The newly named R&B charts featured artists like Louis Jordan, Big Joe Turner, Roy Brown, and John Lee Hooker, whose music blended blues, jazz, gospel, and boogie-woogie into the sound that would help create rock and roll. 

 Blues singer and pianist "St. Louis" Jimmy Oden was born June 26 in 1903 in Nashville. He lost both parents by the time he was eight. He sang and taught himself to play the piano and in his teens, he left home for St. Louis and began performing with the pianist Roosevelt Sykes. After more than ten years playing together they both moved to Chicago. It was there that he was nicknamed “St. Louis Jimmy” and had a solid performing and recording career for the next four decades.

 Johnny “Big Moose” Walker was born June 27, 1927, in Stoneville, Mississippi. He went on to become one of Chicago most respected blues keyboard players. Known for his powerful piano and organ work, Walker began touring in 1947 and backed blues legends including Ike Turner, Sonny Boy Williamson II, Elmore James, and Lowell Fulson. After relocating to Chicago in the late 1950s, he worked with giants like Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Otis Rush, and Sunnyland Slim. His nickname came from the long hair he wore as a child, giving him a larger-than-life image long before his music did.

Alright blues fans, 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, we will See you at the next stop!