Bman's Blues Report

Blues musician Nathaniel H. ‘‘Nat’’ Reese (March 4, 1924-June 8, 2012) was born in Salem, Virginia. When he was four, Reese’s family moved to Itmann, Wyoming County, where coal jobs were plentiful. In 1935, the family moved to Princeton where Reese heard a rich musical mix from big-name jazz musicians, local black musicians, and performers on such radio broadcasts as the Grand Ole Opry. He learned to play instruments, including guitar, piano, organ, bass, and string harp. Reese worked in the coal mines after classes at Genoa High School. For two years, he played jazz and blues on Bill Farmer’s Saturday night show on radio station WHIS Bluefield. He attended Bluefield State College for two years, then left to serve in the U.S. Army during World War II. During and after his college years, he was part of a dance band that played jazz, polkas, and blues throughout the southern coalfields. In the early 1950s, Reese moved to Michigan and worked in construction, returning to West Virginia i...

Nathaniel H. "Nat" Reese was born in 1924 in Salem, Virginia, moving to Itmann, Wyoming County, in 1928. He now lives in Princeton, Mercer County. Nat grew up in the coal camps, surrounded by gospel, swing, and blues music. A former coal miner himself, Nat later turned to music as a profession, plying his skill as a guitarist and singer in a wide array of musical styles. Today Nat is a consummate performer, focused primarily on the traditional blues and swing music he learned as a boy in the coalfields. Photograph by Michael Keller. Like my Facebook Page, Post your video on my Wall or post your Photos of great blues events! Share your favorite posting and get more exposure for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”