News & Updates — vintage footage

The soulful blues guitarist with Cherokee/Choctaw roots, Lowell Fulson, was as great a representative of West Coast blues as there ever has been. Born in Oklahoma, he hit California in the mid-'40s and formed a band that employed youngsters Ray Charles & Stanley Turrentine. He cut records for Aladdin, Swing Time, Checker, Jewel, Kent, Bullseye and more in his long career. He was the composer of the standard "Three O'clock Blues" (1948), "Reconsider Baby" (1954) (recorded by Elvis in '60) and the awesomely funky "Tramp" ('67) which was covered by Otis Redding & Carla Thomas, Salt N' Pepa, The Mohawks...

One of the great jazz singers, Sassie Sarah Vaughan got her start in her hometown of Newark NJ, playing piano and singing in nightclubs from age 15. She won an engagement at the Apollo after singing "Body & Soul" in a contest at 18. She toured the U.S. in '43 with the great band of Earl "Fatha" Hines, featuring Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Navarro, Billy Eckstine, JJ Johnson and others. After some of the stars mutinied and left Hines to start a new band, Vaughn jumped in too. Others that entered that band include Miles Davis, Art Blakey, Kenny...

The crown prince of dance, the comically inspirational and legendarily entertaining R&B showman Rufus Thomas was born on this day in 1917. A singer, dancer, radio DJ, comedian and father figure in a musical family, Thomas charmed everyone with his songs, dances and personality. A Memphis native, he worked with a minstrel show in the '30s and started performing on the city's nightclub scene in the '40s. He cut his first record in '41. He became a popular radio DJ on the black owned radio station WDIA and hosted talent shows on Beale St. His first big hit ("Bear Cat",...

Tenor player Fred Anderson may have been an underknown saxophonist but there is no denying his amazing, flowing playing and his commitment to nurturing the local scene in Chicago. In fact, it was desire to stay home and run the Velvet Lounge that kept him from a larger international profile. Born in Louisiana, he came to Chicago in the '40s and worked doing carpet installation before opening nightclubs. In the '60's he was a founding member of the AACM and played on a couple of fantastic Joseph Jarman albums. Indeed, those fine albums are where I first heard him, especially...

Here's a birthday tribute to Eddie James House, Jr! His high-emotion and intense style as a vocalist and slide player are about as heavy as classic blues got. As well, he mixed in a capella spirituals into his performances. Born in the Mississippi Delta, Son House was a nomadic preacher for some time. Coming out of the church, he went blues in '27 after initially disapproving of it due to his former position. This happened after he was entranced while hearing someone play bottleneck guitar. He was already 25 when he picked up a guitar for the first time. After killing...