Living Blues #300 (January/February 2026)

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Larry McCray

True to the Blues

By Henry Carrigan

Michigan-based bluesman Larry McCray is a guitar powerhouse. After some life struggles, including a battle with cancer, and more than a decade without a release, McCray has landed back on his feet and is focused on staying true to the blues.

Amadee Castenell

Music Was My Answer and My Salvation and My Passion

By Margo Cooper

Sax maestro Amadee Castenell played with the cream of New Orleans jazz and blues artists during the 1970s and ’80s. Castenell died in late 2024 and this story is the last article written on him, serving as a fitting tribute.

Dre Walker

It’s Like a Ministry to Me

By David Whiteis

Dre Walker of Sardis, Mississippi, is a young man doing old-school soul blues. Mixing the music of Tyrone Davis, Johnnie Taylor, and others with his own, self-penned numbers, Walker sounds like he just walked off of a 1980s soul blues concert stage. 

Lee Holloway

Music Has Been the Passion of My Life

By Mike Stephenson

Guitarist Lee Holloway has spent his career as a sideman working with the likes of Johnny Drummer, Sheryl Youngblood, and Joe Barr. He currently works as a member of the Joe Pratt’s Source One Band. 

Let It Roll!

Alberta Hunter, Columbia Records, New York City, December 17, 1979, and January 8, 1980

By Jas Obrecht

Alberta Hunter recorded her first sides in 1921 but 59 years later, at age 85, she waxed one of the best recordings of her long career. Amtrack Blues is a late career masterpiece by one of the great voices in blues history.

Record Reviews

• New Releases: Mavis Staples, Jimmy Burns, and Sean McDonald
• Reissues: Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, and Clarence Carter

Editorial

Blues News

Breaking Out with Dawn Tyler Watson

Book Reviews

Obituaries

Radio Charts

Cover photo by Laura Carbone: Larry McCray at the Blues Music Awards, Memphis, May 2023.