Some of my favorite artists and tracks fill the hour in Roadhouse 343. It’s an hour in Chicago with Walter Horton, Koko Taylor, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, J.B. Hutto, Hound Dog Taylor, and a full stage of other artists who helped make Chicago the home of the blues. They’re just a slice of that sound, [...]

The 342nd edition of The Roadhouse features an effortless arc from beginning to end. Mighty Mojo Prophets, Steve Gerard & The National Debonaires, Suzie Vinnick, JP Soars, and Elvin Bishop help us move through the hour. And, the pieces all fit together nicely from front to back. If ever there was one, this is it: [...]

The 341st Roadhouse shows off all the colors of the blues. Even with old and new, acoustic and electric, male and female, it’s all music that comes from the same place. Solomon Burke, Lurrie Bell, Gary Primich, Son House, and The Fabulous Thunderbirds lead the hour. That’ll tell you a little something about the variety [...]

The dog days of summer roll into the 340th Roadhouse, and slow things down just a bit. The heat of the day plays thief to the clock, but it also brings on a more luxurious feel. Jimmie Vaughan, Brandon Santini, Mississippi John Hurt, Catfish Keith, and Eddie Taylor lead the way in an hour of [...]

The 339th Roadhouse is stacked with tracks – more tracks than any previous edition of the show. Fourteen or fifteen tracks fill out this edition, with three self-released track and five that have been released in the past two months. If you came looking for the finest blues you’ve never heard, you found it in [...]

After a week off, it’s good to be back in The Roadhouse Studios rested and refreshed. We move forward this week with another fun blues variety hour. Steve Cropper, Candye Kane, Hadden Sayers, Matt Woods & The Thunderbolts, and Ana Popovic propel an hour that’s full of new blues and full of blues styles. Maybe [...]

August means vacation in The Roadhouse and I’ve vacated The Roadhouse Studios for a week of R&R. Never fear, though – it’s one of those joints that never really sleeps. I’ve dug into the vault this week and pulled out Roadhouse 175 for a fun replay from Roadhouse history. Susan Tedeschi, Downchild Blues Band, Watermelon [...]

In the midst of a brutal Midwestern US heat wave, we’re cooling with blues in the 336th Roadhouse. Big Daddy Wilson, Monkeyjunk, The Jeff Golub Band, Larry McCray, and The Alexis P. Suter Band provide blues diversity, but never a diversion from being another hour of the finest blues you’ve never heard.

There’s no special theme in this edition of The Roadhouse. It does, however, stay true to the tagline. The hour is full of new releases, lesser-known cuts from legends, and music submitted directly by the artists themselves. Snooky Pryor, Mike Zito, C.C. Bronson, Johnny Adams, and W.C. Clark lead a no-frills hour of the finest [...]

Get your chair-dancing cushion adjusted before settling in for the 334th Roadhouse. The blowout ahead includes Terry Hanck, Mighty Sam McClain, Monkeyjunk, Chris Thomas King, and Jimmy Dillon. With a featured artist set plunked into the middle to give your heart a rest, this edition has a little of everything and a lot of upbeat. [...]

This edition of The Roadhouse brings 27th annual Mississippi Valley Blues Festival into the spotlight, with an hour of music from artists who performed at the festival. Sherman Robertson, Dwayne Dopsie & The Zydeco Hellraisers, Linsey Alexander, Harper, and Chocolate Thunder keep the hour moving right along with the headliners from the festival. The 333rd [...]

In the midst of a summer heat wave in the Midwest, the 332nd Roadhouse delivers a big batch of hot blues. Texas Slim, Guy Davis, Lightnin’ Malcom, Roy Rogers & Ray Manzarek, and James Harman push the mercury to the top of the thermometer. It’s definitely one of the hottest hours in the blues and [...]

In celebration of the blues festivals filling weekends from now until Labor Day, the 331st Roadhouse contains a nice mixture of live and studio blues. Trampled Under Foot, The Jeff Healey Band, Ruthie Foster, Harmonica Shah, and Harry Manx & Kevin Breit are part of a lineup that will help prime the pump for your [...]

The 330th Roadhouse explores the twisty rood of the blues. Outside the city limits, that road leads to our little club in a way that will keep you guessing. Buckwheat Zydeco, Matt Schofield, South Memphis Sting Band, Taj Mahal, and Sister Monica Parker provide the fuel to get us down the road. It’s not necessarily [...]

The 329th Roadhouse is an exercise in discovery. But, that’s what’s made it easy to pull together 329 hours of great blues. Eugene “Hideaway” Bridges, Nine Below Zero, Grayson Capps, Eric Bibb, and Super Chikan & Watermelon Slim provide the joy of new blues discovery in this edition. And if it’s new you know it’s [...]

Out on the edge of town, The Roadhouse is feeling a little crowded and dangerous this week. Johnny Copeland, Rosco Gordon, Aretwork Jamal & The Acid Blues, Paul Rishell & Annie Raines, and Matt Schofield take the little bandstand in the corner. Regardless, or perhaps because of the underlying danger, the 328th Roadhouse is truly [...]

This edition of The Roadhouse proves strong evidence that, despite highs and lows, the blues lives on. Elvin Bishop’s Raisin’ Hell Revue, Grady Champion, Lucky Peterson, Harry Manx & Kevin Breit, and Eric Bibb make the case that the blues is stronger than ever. It’s a vibrant and enduring hour of the finest blues you’ve [...]

There’s a special convergence in the 326th Roadhouse – music that’s both new and guaranteed to induce chair-dancing. Elvin Bishop, Morry Sochat & The Special 20s, The 44s, Quinn Sullivan, and Theodis Ealey leave barely enough time to catch your breath before the next track rolls in. It’s definitely another hour of the finest blues [...]

This edition of The Roadhouse features winners from the 2011 Blues Music Awards, held May 5th in Memphis. And, it’s a show that honors those who passed in 2010, as well. Robin Rogers, Matt Hill, Bob Corritore & Friends, Pinetop Perkins & Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, and Irma Thomas headline the 325th Roadhouse – the [...]

The 324th hour of The Roadhouse is consistent with the plan – a mixture of instruments, regions, tempos, and styles. Tab Benoit, Too Slim & The Taildraggers, Los Fabulocos, Lloyd Jones, and Memphis Gold make up and hour that may not always strike you as blues. But, that might just be part of the fun [...]