WHAT'S INSIDE:

Give Me the Beat

In this issue—the third in the history of LB that we’ve dedicated to drummers—we look at the important roles played by blues drummers. The nine artists featured here anchor the backbeat of the genre.

Introduction
by Susan Bauer Lee 

Rodd Bland
by David Whiteis

Jamiesa Turner
by Jim O’Neal

Joe “Iceman” Williams
by Bill Steber

Greg Gordon
by Gene Tomko

Joseph “Lil’ Joe” Frenchwood
by Roger Wood

Andrew “Blaze” Thomas
by Alex McCarthy

James Carter
by Christopher Klug

Sheryl Youngblood
by David Whiteis

Cornelius “CG” Green
by David Whiteis

Let It Roll

Ma Rainey: Paramount Records, New York City, mid-October 1924

By Jas Obrecht

Ma Rainey was one of the very first stars of the blues and her October 1924 sessions for Paramount Records rank as some of the best of the pre-1925 blues recordings.

Record Reviews

• New Releases: Irma Thomas, Wee Willie Walker, and Clarence Spady
• Reissues: Eddie “Guitar” Burns, Johnny Rawls, and Eddie C. Campbell

Books

LB Talks to Bruce Iglauer

Editorial

Blues News

Obituaries

Radio Charts

2021 Living Blues Awards Winners

Cover photo by Bill Steber