By John Morthland, eMusic ContributorTo the best of my knowledge, nobody has ever made a good case for a Cincinnati blues sound, but the Queen City was no stranger to the blues. A rough-hewn, urban backwater on the banks… more »
By Kevin Whitehead, eMusic ContributorSo who was the first electric guitarist on a Bob Dylan single? Well, duh, you can read a headline — not Mike Bloomfield, not Robbie Robertson, but George Barnes, in 1962. The record was Mixed-Up… more »
By Kevin Whitehead, eMusic ContributorThe act of playing any musical instrument is part transcendental and part physical. Transcendental, because on one level the instrument's a mere vehicle for conveying ideas born in a musician's brain: "Put a C9 chord… 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 »