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Category: Blues

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Chicago Blues

Posted by: Amanda Smith

Chicago is on my mind. How is it that some places, more than others, capture your heart? Like many who dream of the mesmerizing hum of New York City, I am enamored with Chicago. In Chicago, railcars rumble just feet above your head on open air tracks; their squealing brakes are a reminder of earlier century steam …

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Blind Lemon Jefferson

Posted by: Amanda Smith

Recently, I discovered that September is the birth month of Blind Lemon Jefferson, a tried and true guitar player and singer who is celebrated in the American folk-blues world. It’s been awhile since I’ve celebrated a musician’s birthday on this blog, by writing a post about their career and lasting accomplishments. I can’t resist the …

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Behind the Scenes: An Interview with NLS Narrator Julian Thompson

Posted by: Katie Rodda

Continuing our series of interviews with narrators from NLS’s own studio, I got a chance to sit down and talk with narrator Julian Thompson. Recently, Julian has recorded the liner notes for one of our Smithsonian Folkways books, Richmond Blues (DBM 03642). In addition, he has also narrated a number of books about music and musicians in …

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Bill Irwin & “A Light History of Piano Jazz”

Posted by: Katie Rodda

The NLS Music Section has recently acquired another new title by popular and prolific contributor, Bill Irwin. Patrons of the Music Section, and followers of this blog, may already be aware of Mr. Irwin’s background. If you wish to read more about Bill Irwin, please check out our blog post from June of last year, …

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News about popular contemporary music? Yeah, we got that!

Posted by: Mary Dell Jenkins

My colleague, Amanda Smith recently blogged about one of our magazines Musical Mainstream. While I have written of my classical music background and attend concerts in the area, I still like to be connected with what is trending in popular music. Contemporary Soundtrack is a compilation of magazine articles and reviews of popular music, featuring …

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Richmond Blues

Posted by: John Hanson

The following is a guest blog from Ed O’Reilly, Head of the NLS Collection Development Section. He is a folklore specialist, with a strong interest in American folk music.   The blog highlights a recent addition to the Music Section’s offerings: Richmond Blues John Cephas and Phil Wiggins, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, NLS book number DBM …

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Thanksgiving with Hendrix and Handy

Posted by: Amanda Smith

This year, Thanksgiving Day falls on November 27th, which also happens to be the birthday of legendary guitar player, James Marshall “Jimi” Hendrix. Hendrix was born on November 27, 1942, and influenced the world with his lengthy solos and stylistic touch to the electric guitar during the late 60’s. In the spring of 2006, Hendrix’s album, Are …