Tag Archives: Blues

B.B. King Gains a Museum while Elvis Loses One

Legendary bluesman B.B. King has gotten his own museum in Indianola, Mississippi, his home town. You may not have heard of Indianola, it is a tiny town of just over 12,000. But they rolled out the carpet for their favorite son with a $15 million dollar B.B. King and Delta Interpretative Center. B.B. said that he hopes the museum will be used to education the young and old about the origins of the blues. The 20,000 square foot museum is a mixture of the new (with touch screen interactivity) and the old (vinyl records and yellowed, faded recording contracts from … Continue reading →

Rock ‘n’ Roll Pioneer Bo Diddley Dead at the Age of 79

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Guitarist pioneer Bo Diddley, known for songs lilke “Who Do You Love?” and “Bo Diddley” has died at the age of 79 due to heart failure. He had suffered from diabetes for many years, but even so, he continued to tour through 2006. Diddley is known for his signature beat, which is often known as the “Bo Diddley Beat.” It is an African-based 5/4 rhythm pattern which was picked up by many other rock ‘n’ roll greats such as Buddy Holly, Johnny Otis, the Strangeloves, U2, and even George Michael. Many, many artists have done covers of Bo’s songs over … Continue reading →

The Christmas Shopping Blues

Is anybody else having trouble finding gifts this season? Living out in the country already means shopping is limited, but this year, it’s even worse. With early predictions that it would be an unremarkable Christmas shopping season, retailers seem to be playing it cautious. Simply put, they aren’t ordering enough of anything to keep shelves stocked, apparently afraid that they’ll get stuck with merchandise that will have to be sold at huge post- holiday discounts. Of course, I do love a good after Christmas sale, but right now, I could use a little pre-Christmas help. I guess I’m going to … Continue reading →

At the Crossroads with Robert Johnson

I was out in my Jeep today, running errands, when I head the song “Crossroads” by Cream on the radio. I hadn’t heard it in a while and listening to it reminded me what a great bluesy rock song this was. You may be wondering why a band like Cream would sing about the crossroads. Heck, you may not even know what they mean by the crossroads. Well, let me tell you… “Crossroads” was actually written by bluesman Robert Johnson, although he called it “Cross Road Blues.” Cream took the lyrics from that song and combined it with some lines … Continue reading →