Bman's Blues Report

Rare Air  Skip James - I'm So Glad The Skip James was easily one of the most haunting, brilliant, and uniquely eerie figures in the entire history of the Delta blues. Born near Bentonia, Mississippi in 1902, he didn't sound like anyone else of his era. While other bluesmen were stomping their feet and playing driving rhythms, James was casting musical spells. He tuned his guitar to a moody, minor-key open D, picked the strings with a lightning-fast three-finger technique, and sang in a ghostly, high-pitched falsetto that could give you chills. In 1931, he recorded a handful of absolute masterpieces like "Devil Got My Woman" and "Hard Time Killing Floor Blues." But bad luck struck hard: the Great Depression hit right as his records dropped, sales tanked, and a frustrated James walked away from music entirely. For the next 30 years, he lived a completely quiet life, working in lumber camps, doing some bootlegging, and even servin...

Rare Air  The New Orleans Swamp Donkeys Traditional Jass Band - Swamp Donkey The New Orleans Swamp Donkeys Traditional Jass Band is a wild, high-energy crew that has been keeping the rowdy spirit of early 1900s traditional jazz alive since bursting onto the scene in late 2012. Fronted by the incredible James Williams—whose powerhouse trumpet playing and gravelly, Louis Armstrong-style vocals command the room—this New Orleans outfit serves up a gritty, soulful mix of authentic early "jass," gut-bucket blues, and old-school vaudeville. They respect the city's legendary roots but strictly skip the stuffy museum treatment, bringing a party-first, dance-ready vibe to every single stage they stomp on. They completely broke the internet back in 2014 when their ridiculously catchy, brass-heavy cover of the Game of Thrones theme song went mega-viral. That viral spark launched them out of local French Quarter clubs and onto massive global stages, send...

RARE aIR  Johnny Guitar Watson Johnny "Guitar" Watson was the ultimate musical shape-shifter, blazing a trail through blues, soul, and funk for over forty years with a ton of attitude and a wildly aggressive guitar style. Growing up in Houston and later cutting his teeth in Los Angeles, he wasn't afraid to break the rules from day one. In fact, his 1954 track "Space Guitar" practically predicted psychedelic rock by messing around with feedback and reverb a decade before anyone else caught on. Through the ’50s and ’60s, he racked up R&B hits like "Three Hours Past Midnight" and the famously cool "Gangster of Love," cementing his reputation as a guitar hero who could out-play and out-swagger just about anyone on the scene. But instead of riding the nostalgia wave, Watson completely flipped the script in the mid-1970s and reinvented himself as a flashy, gold-tooth-wearing funk maestro. He started producing his o...

Rare Air  Johnny Winter - Be Careful With A Fool John Dawson Winter III, known to the world as Johnny Winter , was an American blues-rock guitarist, singer, and music producer. Growing up in Beaumont, Texas with his younger brother Edgar, both boys were born with albinism and quickly found comfort and purpose in music. Immersed in the regional sounds of the American South, Winter crafted a raw, high-energy guitar style featuring lightning-fast solos and a fierce slide technique. His career completely took off in the late 1960s after Rolling Stone magazine highlighted his incredible talent. This breakthrough led to a historic contract with Columbia Records and a highly memorable performance at the 1969 Woodstock festival . Behind the scenes, however, Winter’s life was darkened by severe exploitation. For nearly two decades, his infamous former manager, Teddy Slatus , allegedly abused his power by isolating Winter from his own brother and deliberate...

Rare Air  Buddy Guy and Son House Eddie James “Son” House (1902–1988) poured more raw emotion into the Delta blues than almost anyone else. He spent his life torn between preaching in church and playing in rowdy jukes. Living in Mississippi during the 1930s and '40s, he became a massive influence on legends like Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters . While he started out playing for local crowds at weekend house parties, House hit the international stage during the 1960s blues revival . Fans loved his intense, trance-like performances, aggressive guitar style, and powerful a cappella gospel singing. He first recorded with Charley Patton in 1930, and later did legendary field recordings for the Library of Congress in 1941 and 1942. House walked away from music in 1943 and moved to Rochester, New York, where young blues fans tracked him down in 1964. This "rediscovery" launched a major comeback career, leading to his famous 1965 Colum...

Rare Air  Danny Gatton - ACL Boogie Danny Gatton (1945–1994) was an acclaimed American guitarist famous for pioneering "redneck jazz"—a unique genre blending blues, rockabilly, jazz, and country. He adopted the term from fellow Washington, D.C. guitarist Evan Johns, who originally wrote a song with that title before finding success with his own band, Evan Johns and the H-Bombs. Known sometimes as "The Telemaster" or "the world's greatest unknown guitarist," Gatton was revered for his unreal speed. Fellow guitarist Amos Garrett called him "The Humbler" for his ability to defeat other players in legendary "head-cutting" jam sessions. Yet, Gatton remained humble himself, noting that jazz-guitar wizard Lenny Breau was the ultimate humbler and the best he had ever seen. 👈 LOOK TO THE SIDEBAR: Don't forget to fire up the video player running i...

Rare Air  Nicole Glover - Blues Up And Down  I found Nicole Glover about a 2 years ago when I went to see trumpet player, Ingrid Jensen in one of her side bands, Artemis. Artemis is an all women band that plays jazz and Nicole was a recent addition. Ingrid was terrific but I wasn't expecting powerhouse Glover to blow me out of my seat. Here piano wiz Miki Yamanaka showcases Glover in her Youtube show, Miki's Mood. I was fortunate to see Yamanaka in a small club in Scottsdale and she's great. I've also been fortunate to see Glover with Billy Hart Trio and Ursa Major with Christian McBride.  Enjoy! Nicole Glover is a saxophonist, bandleader, composer, and educator based in New York City. In 2026, Nicole was awarded “Up and Coming Musician of the Year” by the Jazz Journalists Association and #1 Rising Star Tenor Saxophonist & #1 Rising Star Soprano Saxophonist by Downbeat Magazine. Nicole’s trio featuring bassist Tyrone Allen II and Kayvon Gordon h...