Arts Dec 25 Watch 6:41 ‘Ma Rainey’s’ director on celebrating artists now gone Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, called the mother of blues, helped expand the universe of American music. Director George C. Wolfe talks to Jeffrey Brown about the new film about her life, based on the play by August Wilson, and how it…
Arts Nov 11 Watch 5:44 Mississippi’s Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram on a blues revival The blues is a quintessentially American art form, yet one whose early masters have mostly passed away. The genre relies on each succeeding generation to renew and reinvigorate it. In Clarksdale, Mississippi, 21-year-old guitarist Christone “Kingfish” Ingram is taking up… By Tom Casciato
Arts Jun 14 Watch 7:06 With the Juke Joint Festival, a Mississippi city aims to lose its economic blues In Mississippi’s Clarksdale, the heart of the rural Delta, a celebration of the blues has been drawing thousands of fans to the area for the past 16 years. The Juke Joint Festival, named for bars and informal music venues scattered… By Jeffrey Brown, Frank Carlson
Nation Nov 09 Watch 3:54 This great-grandfather lost his sight but became a rock star Robert Finley, a 64-year-old blues guitarist and singer, relaunched his career in music after years of working as a carpenter. Before he knew it, he was playing with Dan Auerbach from The Black Keys and other prominent artists. Finley spoke… By Frank Carlson
Jul 05 Watch Taj Mahal and Keb Mo sing the “Diving Duck Blues” By Mary Jo Brooks Taj Mahal and Keb Mo are both living legends in the blues music scene. But they haven't released an album together -- until now. Continue reading