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 [...]

The 323rd Roadhouse has legs. You’ll know what I mean when you hear how the hour propels itself down the dusty road. Super Chikan, Tab Benoit, Tracy Nelson, Ruthie Foster, and Johnny Rawls will have you moving for another hour of the finest blues you’ve never heard – the 323rd Roadhouse.

In this edition of The Roadhouse, the music clearly does the talking. Rather than set a theme in the intro, I let the music create its own. Johnny Rawls, Doug MacLeod, Long John Hunter, Hound Dog Taylor, and Trampled Under Foot share the little bandstand in the corner. They set the stage well for all [...]

This edition of The Roadhouse proves the statement we’ve been making for six years of Saturdays – that the blues isn’t just about the old guy on his porch, an acoustic guitar in his lap. Blues can be upbeat, too. The Chris O’Leary Band, Kelley Hunt, Hamilton Loomis, Janiva Magness, and The Juke Joints set [...]

This edition of The Roadhouse contains chunks of music that make sense when standing on their own. Lurrie Bell, Billy Boy Arnold, Hamilton Loomis, Ben Prestage, and Carolina Chocolate Drops help fill out the hour. There’s a chunk of urban, a chunk of youth, a chunk of acoustic, and it’s all up to you to [...]

We walk the line between traditional and contemporary this week with Byther Smith, Rory Block, John Mayall, Earl Thomas, and Son Seals. They give a nod to the ancestors by shoving the old right in with the newand draw the links from one to the other by the music alone. It’s another hour of the [...]

We mark the passage of blues legend Pinetop Perkins in this edition of The Roadhouse. Shaun Murphy, Todd Sharpville, Robert Nighthawk, Earl Hooker, and Joe Bonamassa help fill out the show around a set of Pinetop and his blues friends. It’s another hour of the finest blues you’ve never heard – the 318th Roadhouse.