Fingerstyle Blues
Blind Blake-the Stevie Wonder of the 1920s
Blind Blake was an important American recording artist at the dawn of the recording industry.
Traveling to the north from the Piedmont region of the eastern seaboard, he recorded for Paramount Records, the premiere label marketing ‘country blues‘ music to black audiences in the late 1920s. Because he was one of the first widely heard players, [...]
What the Hell are the Piedmont Blues?
I had been playing fingerstyle blues for many years before I ever heard the term ‘piedmont blues.’
I had gravitated towards a group of players that included Blind Blake, the Reverend Gary Davis, and Brownie McGee, looking for songs that I felt comfortable singing, without knowing they were all from the same region. There’s certain [...]
Blind Boy Fuller — “Weeping Willow”
Here’s a really unique acoustic guitar blues by Blind Boy Fuller.
This is video is from the YouTube channel of ‘Ragtime Dorian Henry‘, who has taken over 1800 blues and ragtime recordings and made them into video soundtracks. You can listen to it all in playlists–an incredible educational resource for anyone interested in finding out [...]
Ragtime & Blues Guitar Collection on YouTube
Do not go to YouTube if you value your life. There is too much there and yes, you will be enriched, but your laundry will never happen. Amazingly, there’s even lots of content for people like me who obsess about pre-war era acoustic guitar blues. I just found this insane channel where someone even more [...]
The Difference Between Country Blues & Folk Blues
The Blues, and roots acoustic blues in particular, covers a lot of ground. With so many regional styles and so much history, its a complex landscape to describe.
If someone were to ask me ‘what’s the difference between Country Blues and Folk Blues?‘ I’d say ‘Woah, don’t let classifying the music be a distraction [...]
