WHAT'S INSIDE:

Latimore

Some Things You Can’t Fake

By David Whiteis

Forty-four years after Let’s Straighten It Out shot to No. 1 on the R&B charts, the deep, rich-toned vocals of Benny Latimore still melt hearts. 

Roosevelt Purifoy Jr.

It’s Like I Stumbled Into the Blues

By Scott M. Bock

One of Chicago’s top pianists, Roosevelt “Hatter” Purifoy Jr. never thought he would wind up playing the blues. Now at age 60, he has played and recorded with some of the city’s best.

Bruce “Mississippi” Johnson

Soulful Funky Music

By Mike Stephenson

Winner of the 2017 LB award for “Artist Deserving More Attention,” Bruce “Mississippi” Johnson tells a unique life story that has taken him from Starkville, Mississippi, to Zaire, Paris and now England to sing the blues.

Bitten by the Blues

The Alligator Records Story

By Bruce Iglauer and Patrick A. Roberts

In this excerpt from his new book, Bitten by the Blues: The Alligator Records Story, label founder Bruce Iglauer tells the story of recording Hound Dog Taylor for his first release.

Record Reviews

• New Releases from: Cedric Burnside, Trudy Lynn and Frank Bey
• Reissues of: Voices of Mississippi: Artists and Musicians Documented by William Ferris, The Chicago Blues Box 2: The MCM Records Story and Ted Hawkins Watch Your Step 

Editorial

Blues News

Artist to Artist with Sheryl Youngblood

Catching Up with Andrew “Junior Boy” Jones

Living Blues Talks to Johnny Rawls

Book Reviews

Obituaries

Radio Charts

Cover photo by Bill Steber, Latimore, Tunica, Mississippi, August 2018.