Hear Brandon Bailey perform two songs live in the NPR studio. The harmonica is a staple of American blues, beginning with the Memphis jug bands of the 1920s. In the 1960s, blues-influenced artists ...

If you ask James Montgomery if he remembers playing the Shaboo inn in Willimantic back in the day — the legendary local club that closed in 1982 — he’ll hem and haw and scratch his head and say “The ...

Born from the spirituals, work songs, and field hollers of African American communities in the Deep South, blues music gave ...

At a young age, the soul of the blues grabbed Eric VonHerzen by the collar and shoved itself into his pocket. In Orange County during the early ‘70s, there probably weren’t too many kids who needed it ...

A blues harmonica player once described as 'the best on the planet' is set to perform in Newbury.

The blues world was changed forever on a sunny day around 1960 when a little boy walked into a five-and-dime in Los Angeles. “I was 8, maybe 9 when I saw it, all shiny in a display case,” says Billy ...

“Classic Harmonica Blues,” out on May 21, features 20 tracks by the blues’ greatest harmonica players. Photo courtesy of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings In the early 20th-century, southern black ...

Usually, when we think of classic rock songs, we think of big electric guitars, thumping bass, a drum kit played by an octopus-armed wild man and enough pyrotechnics to light up the sky. But sometimes ...

Pairing harmonica with guitar can unlock a richer, more soulful blues sound. From classic 12-bar shuffles to expressive bends, the combination offers endless creative possibilities. With the right ...