Living Blues #241 January/February 2016

WHAT'S INSIDE:

James “Super Chikan” Johnson

The Blues Is Soothing Music

By Margo Cooper

James “Super Chikan” Johnson is one of the most colorful and creative artists to come out of the Mississippi Delta in many years. The nephew of legendary bluesman Big Jack Johnson, Chikan is not only a skilled guitarist, he is also a highly imaginative songwriter and visual artist who makes the colorful guitars he plays onstage.

Joshua “Razorblade” Stewart

I Sing From the Heart

By Margo Cooper

Joshua “Razorblade” Stewart is a popular Clarksdale, Mississippi, vocalist and musician who has been performing in the area since returning from Vietnam in 1967. While his day jobs have included work as a security guard and as one of the first African American policemen in Clarksdale, music has always been his love.

Charlie Sayles

The Blues Salvation of Charlie Sayles

By Frank Matheis

Sixty-eight-year-old harp player Charlie Sayles is the walking blues. He has been homeless, fought in Vietnam, had his teeth knocked out, was blinded in one eye and spent time in jail. A streetwise philosopher, Sayles is also a highly skilled musician, busking on the streets of Washington, D.C., for more than 40 years.

Wee Willie Walker

Southern Soul In a Northern Climate

By Steve Sharp

Blessed with one of the best old school soul voices around, Wee Willie Walker is finally getting some much-deserved attention outside of his adopted hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Blues Boy Willie

I Never Put Music On a Back Burner

By Scott M. Bock

Texas bluesman Blues Boy Willie might be best known for his 1990 soul blues hit Be Who?, but this 70-year-old singer and harp player is much more than a one-hit wonder.

Record Reviews

New Releases by: King Edward, Cedric Burnside, Chris Beard, Eddie Cotton and more.

Reissues by: Bobby Rush, Don Covay, and more.

Editorial

Blues News

Obituaries

Living Blues Radio Chart Top 50 Releases for 2015

Radio Charts

Cover photo by Lou Bopp