The Crowning Glory of Chicago’s Blues King Muddy Waters
Muddy Waters’ Hard Again is his best studio album. It’s a glowing monument to him and to what electric Chicago blues can be at its very best.
Muddy Waters
Rolling Stones, Covered in Blues
On Chicago Plays the Stones, ten Chicago-based blues artists remake a dozen Rolling Stones compositions, with mixed results.
Buddy Guy Makes a Strong Case for the Blues on ‘The Blues is Alive and Well’
On his latest album, The Blues Is Alive and Well, blues legend Buddy Guy stares his mortality in the face.
‘Smithsonian Rock and Roll’ Welcomes the Amateur Concert Photographer
This new book featuring concert photos taken by fans is a stylish, interesting, and absorbing, yet somewhat incomplete look at the history of popular music.
All Hail the King: Chuck Berry Reinvented Music, and America
After Chuck Berry, rock music would forever be a gumbo of competing and complimentary source points, but his first-person flights of fancy still represent its most undiluted potential.
Harvey Mandel: Snake Pit
Harvey Mandel returns with his first widely-distributed album in roughly 20 years. The record finds him playing with the excitement of a newcomer and is a must-hear effort for six-string enthusiasts.
‘Waiting for Buddy Guy: Chicago Blues at the Crossroads’ (excerpt)
In the late ’70s and early ’80s, British blues fan Alan Harper became a transatlantic pilgrim to Chicago. He came to listen to the blues. His memoir, Waiting for Buddy Guy captures not only the music, but the memories of many of Chicago’s great blues legends and others who lived during this important era.
Keith Richards: Crosseyed Heart
Richards' first release in 23 years sounds neither like an old man's record nor a placeholder for the next Stones album.
Foo Fighters 4th of July 20th Anniversary Blowout at RFK Stadium (Photos)
Foo Fighters and friends, like Buddy Guy, Heart and LL Cool J, celebrated the band's 20th anniversary, and the 4th of July, with a huge festival in Washington, D.C.
Junior Wells: Southside Blues Jam
Junior Wells and his men straddle two decades and lay down 15 gems.
Bettye LaVette: Worthy
More than 50 years into her career, Bettye LaVette still has a voice for the ages.
‘Brian Jones: The Making of the Rolling Stones’ Serves as a Crucial Corrective
Brian Jones, founder of the Rolling Stones, had the vision and musical intuition which helped make the band a vital force in the '60s.