A story about how beauty flowers from the fields of brutality

A detailed story about the birthplace of the blues appeared in an unexpected publication, one that is devoted to reporting on homelessness, poverty, human rights and related issues.

Yet, the article,"The Mississippi Delta: Birthplace of the Blues," published in the April issue of Street Spirit, makes perfect sense, according to editor Terry Messman.

"You cannot listen to blues music for long before you are confronted by the terrible and tragic history of racism, slavery, segregation and discrimination in America," he wrote.

According to Messman, the article is a "reflection on a beautiful trip through the Mississippi Delta my wife Ellen and I took last month." In it, he details his journey to "the wonderful series of blues museums, state blues markers, murals, grave sites and birthplaces of the Mississippi blues musicians that we love the most."

Street Spirit is a publication of the American Friends Service Committee in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Read the article

Legendary bluesman Hubert Sumlin dies at 80; lead guitarist for Howlin' Wolf

Hubert Sumlin, one of the towering figures of blues guitar, died Sunday, Dec. 4, 2011. The 80-year-old Sumlin had congestive heart failure, according to his agent, Hugh Southard, and died at a hospital in Wayne, N.J.

Sumlin was the lead guitarist for legendary blues singer Howlin' Wolf on their seminal recordings for Chess Records. Although overshadowed by the massive Wolf, it is impossible to think about blues classics such as "Killing Floor," "Back Door Man," "Spoonful" and "Wang Dang Doodle" without imaging Sumlin's stinging yet soulful guitar riffs.

Ironically, millions of people who have never heard of Howlin' Wolf have been listening to Sumlin's distinctive guitar work on the classic song "Smokestack Lightin'" as the soundtrack to a recent TV commercial for Viagra.

Sumlin's influence lives on today in the countless rock guitarists who were influenced by him, including Keith Richards and Eric Clapton.  In 2004, both men played with Sumlin on his recording, "About Them Shoes," a star-studded effort including Levon Helm on drums, James Cotton on harmonica and David Johansen on vocals.

A recent poll of guitarists in "Rolling Stone" magazine ranked Sumlin 43rd among the greatest guitarists of all time. "I love Hubert Sumlin," said Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page in the "Rolling Stone" article on Sumlin. "He always played the right thing at the right time."

Tributes

New York Times
Rolling Stone
Washington Post
Official Web site

Lee Shot Williams dies at 73

Chicago blues soul singer Lee Shot Williams died on Nov. 25, 2011, according to his record label, Ecko Records. Williams was 73.

Henry Lee Williams was born in Lexington, Miss., on May 21, 1938. Lee "Shot" moved to Detroit in 1954, finished school, and relocated to Chicago in 1956. There he hooked up with his cousin, Little Smokey Smothers, who hired him as a regular vocalist with his band in 1961.
 

He got the nickname "Shot" from his mother at a young age, owing to his fondness for wearing suits and dressing up as a "big shot."

Follow this link for more information about Williams, including details about his services.

Buddy Guy dominates Blues Music Awards

Buddy Guy was the big winner at the recent Blues Music Awards, held in Memphis, Tenn. by the Blues Foundation.

Guy, the 2010 Lifetime Achievement honoree, was the B.B. King Entertainer of the Year. In addition, he took home top honors for Album, Contemporary Blues Album, Contemporary Blues Artist and Song of the Year, which he shared with Tom Hambridge.

Guy released the critically-acclaimed recording, "Living Proof," in 2010.

Complete list of 2011 Blues Music Award winners

The Blues Foundation

Little Smokey Smothers passes away at age 71

Chicago blues guitarist and vocalist Albert Abraham "Little Smokey" Smothers, 71, died on November 20, 2010, according to Alligator Records.

Smothers, who served as a mentor to musicians including Paul Butterfield and Elvin Bishop, died of natural causes at Little Company of Mary Hospital in Chicago.

According to an Alligator news release, Smothers was born into a musical family in Tchula, Mississippi on January 2, 1939 and moved to Chicago as a teenager. His older brother, guitarist Otis "Big Smokey" Smothers became a well-known Chicago blues artist. Little Smokey took up guitar and before long was recording and performing with artists like Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, his soul singer cousin Lee "Shot" Williams and others.

Concentrating primarily on his instrumental skills, he toured and led bands playing locally in Chicago's South Side blues clubs beginning in the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s. He partially retired to raise a family, but returned to blues in 1978. He spent most of the 1980s playing small Chicago clubs and touring occasionally as a sideman, including as lead guitarist with the Legendary Blues Band.

For more information, including funeral arrangements, visit the Alligator Records Web site.