By Andrew Perry, eMusic ContributorTo celebrate the new Iggy & The Stooges album Ready To Die, we invited guitarist James Williamson to rifle through eMusic's catalog and talk us through some of his favorite albums. You can read about… more »
By John Morthland, eMusic ContributorAustrian collector Johnny Parth launched Document Records in 1986 in order to reissue the complete works of early 20th-century American roots musicians, mostly blues artists. Document's modus operandi was simple: Pick an artist and reissue… more »
By John Morthland, eMusic ContributorThe biggest debate in blues circles these days is, "where did the blues begin?" Ever since the blues revival of the 50s and 60s, the answer has been "the Mississippi Delta." But in recent years,… more »
By Mike McGonigal, eMusic Contributor"Yes, I'm gonna get me religion, I'm gonna join the Baptist Church/ You know I wanna be a Baptist preacher, just so I won't have to work" — Son House, "Preachin 'the Blues" Blues singers recorded… more »
By John Morthland, eMusic ContributorIn 1941 — just four years after the last of Robert Johnson's two sessions and three years after his death — a researcher from Fisk University in Nashville surveyed jukeboxes at the five black bars… more »
By John Morthland, eMusic ContributorIn a sense, we know more about the African antecedents of the blues than we do about the African-American music that prevailed just prior to the codification of the blues form around 1900. Most prominent… more »
By John Morthland, eMusic ContributorBoth were born and raised in the Mississippi Delta and have binding ties to Robert Johnson. Both are primarily acoustic bluesmen, though they occasionally play electric guitar and/or with a band. Their repertoires include many… more »
By John Morthland, eMusic ContributorQuick, name all the major blues stars you can think of who aren't guitarists. Applying the term "major star" liberally, there's Marcia Ball, Dr. John and Pinetop Perkins on piano; Kim Wilson, Carey Bell, Charlie… more »