Playlist for Blues Unlimited Show #30 – Blues Instrumentals, Pt. 1 October 22, 2009

SONG TITLE • ARTIST • ALBUM

#1) Fast Boogie • Little Walter • Chess Blues (Box Set)

#2) Rib Joint • Sam Price & His Texas Bluesicians • In The ’50s; Hit, Git & Split

#3) Down Town • Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated • R & B From The Marquee

#4) Shuffleboard • Memphis Slim • The Come Back

#5) Elmo’s Shuffle • Elmore James & His Broomdusters • The Classic Early Recordings 1951-1956

#6) Track Down • Calvin Frazier • Stompin’ 27 – 22 Rockin’ Blues Classics!

#7) Frog Hop • Earl Hooker • Earl Hooker – Simply The Best

#8) Cuban Getaway (aka Bayou Rock) • Ike Turner & The Kings Of Rhythm • Ike’s Intrumentals

#9) Old Time Shuffle • Lloyd Glenn • Honky Tonk Train

#10) Boogie In The Dark • Jimmy Reed • Jimmy Reed – The Complete Vee-Jay Recordings

#11) Chicken (aka Chuck-A-Luck) • Baby Boy Warren • Detroit Blues (JSP)

#12) St. Louis Sunset Twist • Benny Sharp And His Orch. • Stompin’ 3

#13) Five Spot • Otis Spann • Chess Blues Piano Greats

#14) Juke Box Boogie • Doctor Ross • The Complete Sun Singles, Vol. 1

#15) Dog Man • Big Amos Patton • River Town Blues

#16) Shake Dancer • Little Walter • Blues With A Feeling

#17) The Squeeze • Wild Jimmy Spruill (With Horace Cooper & Band) • Scratch ‘n Twist – Rare And Unreissued 1956-1962

#18) L.C.’s Shuffle • L.C. Good Rockin’ Robinson • Mojo In My Hand

#19) I Got It • Johnny Young • Johnny Young And His Friends

Be sure to check out our podcast page for more great Blues!

Post War Down Home Favorites, Part 1 August 1, 2009

AFBF Part 3 & Great Texas Blues Guitarists! July 22, 2009

Tonight on “Blues Unlimited,” it’s part 3 of our special tribute to the American Folk Blues Festival tours, this time, the tours from 1980 to 1985. Eddie Taylor, Willie Mabon, Sunnyland Slim, Hubert Sumlin, Cephas & Wiggins, James “Son” Thomas, Lonnie Pitchford, Louisiana Red, and many more! Don’t miss it! That’s Wednesday, July 22, 2009, from 2-4am MST, only on www.kxci.org

And next week, don’t miss a show that we’re very proud to present, which will profile the greatest of the greats of Texas Blues Guitar. We stay pretty much strictly uptown for this tribute– T-Bone Walker, Gatemouth Brown, Lowell Fulson, Albert Collins, and, yes, Freddy King, too! (Some of the great Texas Country Blues artists– like Lightnin’ Hopkins, Frankie Lee Sims, Smokey Hogg, Soldier Boy Houston (and many more)– will be featured in an upcoming show).

It all happens on “Blues Unlimited,” every Wednesday, from 2-4am, only on KXCI Community Radio, 91.3FM, right here in Tucson.

Interested in previous shows? Write to us at bluesunlimited@gmail.com

Tribute to the ‘American Folk Blues Festival’ Tours – Pt. 1 of 3 July 8, 2009

Tonight on ‘Blues Unlimited,’ part one of a special three-part series devoted to the music and performers who were part of the legendary American Folk Blues Festival tours. Tonight, in particular, is devoted to the early years, 1962-1966. Organized by two German men, Horst Lippmann and Fritz Rau, the Festivals (or just AFBF for short) brought together an amazing array of blues talent that was soaked up by an eager, young, European audience just when they were ready to hear it. In England, particularly, future members of the Rolling Stones (among others) rented a truck to drive to the 1962 show to catch a glimpse of some of their blues-hero legends in person. In the spring of 1963, Blues Unlimited magazine was born, and the blues revival of the 1960s was well underway.

Perhaps you’ve seen the DVDs of the AFBF performances, or heard of them. Relive some of the heady magic of yesteryear, tonight, July 8, 2009, from 2-4am, MST, only on www.kxci.org

Oh, and future programs will be devoted to the AFBF 1967-1972 years, and a third installment on the early 1980s tours. Enjoy!

Live in the 1960s June 16, 2009

On the next edition of Blues Unlimited, a look back to some of the greatest moments of live blues performance. From B.B. King’s classic ‘Live at the Regal,’ to Muddy Waters’ ground-breaking performance at the 1960 Newport Jazz Festival, to Robert Nighthawk’s low-down (and jaw-dropping!) gutbucket blues recorded live at Chicago’s legendary Maxwell Street Market in 1964, to Magic Sam’s incredible performance at Ann Arbor in 1969, we’ll have two hours of not just great blues, but some of the greatest blues ever recorded, period. Don’t miss this extra special edition of Blues Unlimited, only on Tucson’s Community Radio Station, KXCI, 91.3 FM, this Wednesday from 2-4am. Or listen online at www.kxci.org.

Originators of the Memphis Blues June 9, 2009

On this week’s installment of ‘Blues Unlimited,’ a very special program dedicated to the originators of the Memphis Blues. From Furry Lewis to Gus Cannon to Frank Stokes, Will Batts, Noah Lewis, and more. And of course, the best of the best from those great Memphis Jug Bands. Only on www.kxci.org (91.3 FM if you live in Southern Arizona), from 2-4am MST, this Wednesday, June 10, 2009.

This Week on “Blues Unlimited” (27 May 09) May 26, 2009

This week on “Blues Unlimited,” don’t miss a special two-hour tribute to some of the greatest Post-War Chicago Blues Guitarists. From Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup, Muddy Waters, & Jimmy Rogers to Elmore James, J.B. Lenoir, & Jimmy Reed, we’ll take a chronological look, starting with Crudup’s seminal waxing of “That’s All Right Mama” and Muddy’s very first 78 (in 1946) to Elmore James’ 1952 arrival in Chicago with his patented super-amplified electric-Delta-Chicago blues. Only on www.kxci.org, this Wednesday, 5/27/09, from 2-4am MST (Or catch us over the air on 91.3 FM if you happen to live in Southern Arizona).

On KXCI this Saturday 5/16/09 May 16, 2009

I’ll be filling in for Marty Kool this Saturday, from 5-9pm MST, on 91.3 FM (if you live in Southern Arizona) or you can stream it live over www.kxci.org — Yeah, it might sound redundant, but we’ve got four great hours of blues planned — don’t miss it.

On the next “Blues Unlimited” (5/13/2009) May 13, 2009

This week on “Blues Unlimited,” it’s more of our favorite post-war down home Rhythm Rockin’ Blues. Everyone from Junior Brooks to K.C Douglas and a little bit of everything else in between. Don’t miss it, only on www.kxci.org, this Wednesday morning, May 13, 2009, from 2-4am MST

Leadbitter receives posthumous award; New book, “Record Makers and Breakers” April 20, 2009

Thanks to a heads up from another early contributor to Blues Unlimited, John Broven, that Mike Leadbitter will be inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame next month in Memphis in conjunction with the 30th Annual Blues Music Awards. Here’s a press release about it from the Blues Foundation’s website. Scroll down the page to read a paragraph-length bio about Leadbitter.

And speaking of John Broven, his new book, “Record Makers and Breakers: Voices of the Independent Rock ‘n’ Roll Pioneers (Music in American Life)” already is garnering positive reviews, such as this comment from an Amazon.com reader:

Broven combines fascinating excerpts from years of interviews with these record giants with an equally compelling historical background. The vintage photos are alone worth the modest price of this extremely well-researched book…they document an important era in American popular culture and one which has largely disappeared. Any one with more than just a passing interest in the history and origins or rock ‘n roll and certainly every avid record collector should buy this book.

Quite frankly, can’t wait to get my hands on this one. More comments here from the great mail-order/review website Roots and Rhythm. And while you’re at it, be sure to check out Broven’s other books on Louisiana Music here and here.

BTW, there’s a nice tribute to Mike Leadbitter, also written by Broven (who was his childhood friend and schoolmate), which you can read here (excerpted from the pages of the December 1974/January 1975 issue of  Blues Unlimited magazine).