Living Blues #269 November/December 2020

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Dom Flemons

American Songster 

By Scott Barretta
At age 38 multi-instrumentalist Dom Flemons has spent the last 15 years taking a deep dive into the roots of African American music eager to understand more about the story of the blues. First as a founding member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops and now as a solo artist, Flemons has dedicated his life to sharing what he learns.

Jontavious Willis

More Than Just Music 

By Corey Harris

Greenville, Georgia native Jontavious Willis fell for the blues 10 years ago and since then has been laser focused on learning, exploring and sharing the blues.

Leyla McCalla

Finding Her Voice and Using It 

By Alex McCarthy

Another member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops to set off on a solo career, New York-native Leyla McCalla has spent the last decade discovering her own voice and exploring the power of music paired with a social conscious.

Cedric Watson

Laches pas la Patate 

By Corey Harris

Multi-instrumentalist Cedric Watson is a true expression of the modern Creole man. An early member of the Pine Leaf Boys, Watson has dedicated his life to exploring the music and traditions of his native eastern Texas and south Louisiana.

The Next Generation of the Blues 

By Frank Matheis

• Andrew Alli: It Just Clicked 
• Sean “Mack McDonald – Growing with the Blues
• Allison Russell: The Holiest Thing I Know
• Tevis Hodge Jr.: Heritage and Heart
• Marcus “Mookie” Cartwright: Blessed by the Blues 
• Jayy Hopp: Once You Start Believing in Yourself

Let It Roll

Robert Wilkins, Brunswick Records, Peabody Hotel, Memphis, September 23, 1929 

By Jas Obrecht

Memphis bluesman Robert Wilkins walked in through the rear entrance of the Peabody Hotel for his first recording session for Brunswick Records and laid down four sides that day, including his most influential side That’s No Way to Get Along.

The Blues Will Never Die 

By Jim DeKoster

Fifty recordings by 50 artists born since Living Blues was founded in 1970.

Record Reviews

• New Releases: Shemekia Copeland, Bobby Rush, and Rev. John Wilkins
• Reissues: Barrelhousin’ Around Chicago: The Legendary George Paulus 1970s Blues Recordings, Billy Boy Arnold, and Jimmy Sweeney

Editorial

Blues News

Artist to Artist with Christopher Henderson

Breaking Out –Songhoy Blues

Obituaries

Radio Charts

Cover photo by Jack Vartoogian
Dom Flemons performing at “Ring the Golden Bells: Celebrating 101 Years of Sister Rosetta Tharpe” at the Brookfield Place Winter Garden Atrium, New York City, May 8, 2016.