The late Magic Sam was a brilliant guitarist and a soaring, urgent vocalist. Dead from heart failure at the untimely age of thirty-two in 1969, Samuel Maghett was a pivotal figure whose memorable ...

The Avant Garde was a hotbed of folk and blues music locally in the 1960s and thanks to a reel to reel tape machine - and some foresight - many of the performances at the Avant Garde survive today.

The "rules" for whether a musician qualifies for one of these Great Vintage Blues posts are just loose guidelines, to keep myself from getting so narrowly focused that I run out of material. Basically ...

A real player’s player, Paul Asbell has worked with Magic Sam, Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Sonny Sitt, the Sun Ra Arkestra and more. He was even Trey Anastasio’s guitar teacher once upon a time. “I ...

Chicago blues guitar legend Magic Sam left us too soon. Sam Maghett died at age 32 of a heart attack, just on the brink of stardom. He left behind only a few completely realized recordings, most ...

In August 1969, blues singer-guitarist Magic Sam performed at the first Ann Arbor Blues Festival on a bill that included B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and other legends. After the concert, his ...