2021 Spring
$0.00
Archived
A Tour of the Blues
Instructor: Frank Johnson
Thursdays • 8 classes – 3/18-5/6 • 1:00 PM
Class size 5-24 students
5 seats remaining
Location: Zoom
We will take a tour of the blues from early recordings in the 1920s to 1990. We will listen to the artists who defined the distinct musical styles coming from the Mississippi Delta, the Piedmont region, Louisiana, Memphis, Texas, Chicago, and the West Coast. Along the way, we’ll discover musicians who paved the way for jazz, rhythm & blues, and rock ‘n roll.Classes
WEEKLY COURSE OUTLINE:
WILD WOMEN DON’T HAVE THE BLUES:
Mamie Smith, Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Victoria Spivey, Alberta Hunter,
Lucille Bogan, Lil Johnson, Merline Johnson, Memphis Minnie, Lil Green, Ida Cox,
Sippie Wallace, Big Mama Thornton, Koko Taylor, Esther Phillips
DELTA BLUES
Tommy Johnson, Willie Brown, Bo Carter, Charley Patton, Kokomo Arnold,
Johnny Temple, Casey Bill Weldon, Robert Johnson, Bukka White, Son House,
Robert Petway, Muddy Waters, Big Joe Williams, Mississippi Fred McDowell,
Skip James, Johnny Shines, David Honeyboy Edwards
PIEDMONT AND LOUISIANA
Blind Blake, Barbecue Bob, Curley Weaver, Bumble Bee Slim,
Buddy Moss, Blind Boy Fuller, Blind Willie McTell, Brownie McGhee,
Buddy Woods, Guitar Slim, Clarence Garlow, Lonesome Sundown, Slim Harpo,
Lightnin’ Slim, Lazy Lester, Robert Pete Williams, Snooks Eaglin, Tabby Thomas
MEMPHIS
Robert Wilkins, Furry Lewis, Willie Nix, Jimmy DeBerry,
Sammy Lewis and Willie Johnson, Joe Hill Louis, Earl Forest, Howlin’ Wolf,
Little Milton, Junior Parker, Albert King, Bobby Bland, B.B. King
TEXAS
Blind Lemon Jefferson, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Smokey Hogg, Frankie Lee Sims,
T-Bone Walker, Goree Carter, Gatemouth Brown, Lonnie Lyons,
Clarence Samuels, Widemouth Brown, Lester Williams, Zuzu Bollin,
Cal Green, Larry Davis, Louis Howard, Travis Phillips, Texas Pete Mayes,
Hop Wilson, Freddy King, Albert Collins, Johnny Copeland, Joe Hughes, Z.Z. Hill
GOIN’ TO CHICAGO 1
Tampa Red, Big Bill Broonzy, Big Maceo Merriweather,
John Lee Sonny Boy Williamson I, Big Boy Crudup, Floyd Jones, Howlin’ Wolf,
Big Boy Spires, Robert Nighthawk, Honeyboy Edwards, Johnny Jones,
Junior Wells, Memphis Slim, Jimmy Rogers, Little Walter, J.B. Lenoir,
Jimmy Reed, Otis Rush, Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson II
GOIN’ TO CHICAGO 2
Elmore James, Earl Hooker, Buddy Guy, Otis Spann,
James Cotton, Homesick James, Howlin’ Wolf, Eddie Taylor,
Muddy Waters, J.B. Hutto, Johnny Shines, Luther Allison,
Carey Bell, Otis Rush, Robert Jr. Lockwood, Fenton Robinson,
Magic Sam, Hound Dog Taylor, Son Seals, Johnny “Big Moose” Walker
LAST CLASS
More recent Chicago, West Coast, piano players and Lonnie Johnson
Sunnyland Slim, Jimmy Johnson, Johnny Littlejohn, Byther Smith,
Pee Wee Crayton, T-Bone Walker, Saunders King, Roy Hawkins,
L.C. Robinson, Percy Mayfield, Peetie Wheatstraw, Leroy Carr,
Walter Roland, Curtis Jones, Charlie Spand, Champion Jack Dupree,
Roosevelt Sykes, Lonnie Johnson
Frank Johnson has a lifelong passion and interest in African-American music: jazz, blues, rhythm & blues, soul, and Afro-Latin. He has a collection of over 4,000 albums covering these genres. In addition, he has a personal library of over 250 books on African-American musical styles, musicians and cultural influences.