Blues with a Feeling - The Official Podcast

This week on Blues With A Feeling, we’re diving deep into the world of one of the great modern torchbearers of Texas blues guitar — Sue Foley. With Sue celebrating her birthday last week, and with her brand‑new book Guitar Woman: Conversations and Life Lessons with the Heroines of Guitar on the way in June, it felt like the perfect moment to revisit her remarkable story and her 2021 album Pinky’s Blues.

Sue...

There are albums that entertain, albums that impress, and then there are albums that feel like they open a door into a whole other world. Marcia Ball’s Let Me Play With Your Poodle is one of those rare records — a joyous, rolling, deeply human celebration of Gulf Coast blues delivered by an artist at the height of her powers. Released in 1997, at a time when the blues landscape was dominated by guitar‑slinging men, this...

“Black Magic is a marvellously atmospheric and easy record to listen to - with Sam's resonant and flexible vocals a perfect match for his clean virtuoso guitar playing. Moving on from the scorching Chicago blues captured so unforgettably on West Side Soul - here the accent is on a smooth sound with a potential wider appeal. Hit songs like I Just Want a Little Bit, You Belong to Me a...

On his fourth album in four years, Earl proves that he's robust enough to muscle through a set of swinging jazz (Jimmy Smith's "Blues for J"), sizzling gospel ("Walking on the Sea" with the Silver Leaf Gospel Singers), and explosive blues (everything else) with strapping aplomb. As opposed to his previous almost entirely instrumental disc, vocals are featured on about half of these tracks. Kim Wilson sings and plays electrifying ha...

This week on Blues With A Feeling, following the sad passing of John Hammond in February, I’m rolling the tape all the way back to 1962 — back to a moment when a young New Yorker with an old soul stepped into a studio and cut a debut album that felt less like a beginning and more like a declaration.

The record was simply called John Hammond, but don’t let the plain title fool you. This was a mission statement. A l...

Not many living blues musicians can say they have performed with and recorded for legends like Big Mama Thornton, Sonny Rhodes, Luther Tucker, Jimmy McCracklin, Pee Wee Crayton, Carla Thomas, Booker T. Jones, Percy Mayfield, Etta James, B.B. King, and Jimmy Reed.

Ron Thompson can, and that's just the beginning!

Ron Thompson was a legendary rhythm and blues guitarist and master keyboardist whose career began in the rough and tumble ...

Grammy Winners Showcase

For more than three decades, Blues With A Feeling has been your weekly home for stories, songs, and the artists who keep the blues alive. And this week, we’re taking a deep dive into the very best of the last six years — a special feature celebrating the winners of the Blues categories at the Grammy Awards from 2021 right through to 2026.

It’s a journey through a remarkable period in modern...

“Burke, who turns 65 this month, proves once again that his reengineered fusion of classic rock and soul is essential listening.

Produced by Don Was, and ably backed by such stalwart musicians as guitarist Ray Parker, Jr. (“Ghostbusters”), the ten songs on Make Do… draw once again from Burke’s deep list of admirers and famous friends. Van Morrison and Dr. John selected songs specifically for Burke, &l...

“Christone “Kingfish” Ingram stands at the crossroads of legacy and innovation. A native son of Clarksdale, Mississippi — a city steeped in blues history — he channels the spirit of the Delta while fearlessly reshaping its future. With Hard Road, his most introspective and ambitious project yet, Kingfish reflects on a journey that’s taken him from local prodigy to global torchbearer for a new era...

“Five-time GRAMMY-nominated guitarist and songwriter Kenny Wayne Shepherd returns to Australia for the first time since 2018 to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of his landmark debut Ledbetter Heights.

Shepherd’s fiery tone and emotive phrasing have cemented him as one of modern blues-rock’s leading voices. This anniversary tour showcases both the evolution and vitality of his craft, spanning hits like Blu...

Classic Album feature & Interview

After a much needed break over Christmas, I’m back for Blues With A Feelings 32nd year with an all time classic, Kim Wilsons first solo album and his debut for Antones Records Tigerman.

With a crack bunch of the hottest players on the scene, this record was a big part of my early Blues education and I’m thrilled to feature it this week.

And to add a little something for the pot, I&r...

“In the studio, Sam Cooke was a consummate pop crooner, whose delicate, caramelized voice charmed the reserved and mild. By the early sixties, his success and stature as a groundbreaking R&B crossover sensation loomed large in the music business.

But when Cooke stepped into Miami’s Harlem Square Club on the warm night of January 12, 1963, he let his hair down. He delivered a blistering 37-minute set that showcased h...

“It's been over 30 years since world-class musicians guitarist Little Charlie Baty and harmonicist/vocalist/songwriter Rick Estrin first teamed up and took hard Chicago blues, jump, Texas swing and jazz and mixed it with rockabilly, proto-rock'n'roll, jumping jive, bebop and Estrin's sharply original lyrics, creating a sound one critic described as "Charlie Christian playing in Little Walter's band....

"Billed as her most personal statement, this may well be Mavis Staples’ finest solo effort to date. In 2004, the powerhouse lead singer of the famed Staple Singers released the rootsy Have A Little Faith on Alligator. Here, producer/guitarist Ry Cooder places the reigning queen of gospel’s voice in an even more intimate setting, paring the instrumentation down to the bare essentials.

But it’s the repertoire t...

Live Focus – Mike Henderson – Last Night At The Blue Bird - Live

“Mike Henderson's long musical career saw him tour with Mark Knopfler, record with Emmylou Harris, John Hiatt and Kelly Willis. His song writing skills have been showcased by the Dixie Chicks, Trisha Yearwood and Patty Loveless, and he's played in numerous bands over the years including The Steel Drivers with Chris Stapleton. He first started playing...

Classic Album Feature – The Paladins – Years Since Yesterday

“Hottest roots rock band on the West Coast; terrific guitar from Dave Gonzales. Minimalist and raw as hell. "Beat for beat, there's no better band than The Paladins. This lineup is lethal!"--L.A. WEEKLY

The Paladins' own way of making music has earned them fans from many quarters. They have toured often with Los Lobos and Stevie Ray Vaughan...

“David Johansen is a true musical chameleon. Whether fronting the influential punk band the New York Dolls, lounging it up as Buster Poindexter or invoking the blues with the Harry Smiths, he has always demonstrated his unique talent for taking a musical style and making it his own. On David Johansen and the Harry Smiths, David and his first-rate band summon the spirit of the blues through American musicologist/folklorist Har...

The first live album from the King of Texas Roadhouses. Raw rockers, soul ballads, driving band. A best seller. "Breathtaking, hardcore roadhouse rhythm & blues"--Rolling Stone

I’ve long been a fan of this classic live set from Delbert and his amazing band and now, for the first time, I’ll be featuring it in its entirety on the show.

Plus new music from Buddy Guy, Roomful Of Blues, Eric Bibb, Sue Foley, Kim W...

A favourite band of mine from back in the very early days, a copy of this incredible live show has recently made its way back into the Blues With A Feeling record library and I’m beyond excited to be featuring this album for you this week.

Plus tracks from the latest releases by Buddy Guy, Jimmy Burns, Mike Henderson, Shirley Johnson, Kirk Fletcher, Bily Branch & The Sons of Blues, Fiona Boyes & The Fortune Tellers fe...