"Long may the Blues wake up this morning and every morning"

© Copyright 2008 Alan White. All Rights Reserved.                       .Home of Mississippi John Hurt, Avalon, Mississippi 

 
Welcome to earlyblues.com, at over twelve years old one of the longest running continuously updated blues sites on the net, where you will find a vast range of blues material: the 'UK & European Blues Festival Guide', UK & US blues festival photographs and reviews, blues tours and gigs, artist and band interviews, the history of the blues in essays and articles, research projects, reference lists, recommended blues books, CDs, DVDs, and blues radio stations, travelogues, general blues news items, a blues shopping mall, blues recipes, blues resting places, links to other blues sites, discussion forums and guestbook views. There are over 1,000 web pages and over 10,000 images on the site, so be sure to visit often as the site is updated very frequently with a huge amount of material to add.

Looking for a specific blues artist or band, check this out first: Blues Artists & Bands Index - indexing artists & bands featured on the 'Earlyblues' website, or try Blues Festival Photos for a list of past blues festivals, or try The NewsStand - all sorts of snippets from the blues world. Otherwise browse the main Noticeboards listed below - each giving the latest updates by category or the 'Early Blues Treasure Trove' of miscellaneous links to all other sections of the website. I've also provided 'seasoned' visitors with the eight key links above. Happy browsing!

If your interest is in the history of the blues check out the Blues History section where you will find interesting essays and articles, the Blues Research section where you will find long term research projects (including reference to the new sister website 'Underground Railroad') and the Recommended Blues Books section where you will find seminal works available on various media.

If your interest is in the history of Gospel Music:
"The Half Ain't Never Been Told"
"The story of the blues is a story that has been told a number of times ... as far as black music as a whole is concerned it is a half-story. This emphasis has drawn attention away from other important vocal traditions, particularly the sacred vocal traditions, from the song-sermons of the Baptist and Sanctified preachers to the gospel songs of the church congregations and of the 'jack-leg' preachers and evangelists".
 - Paul Oliver, Songsters and Saints - Vocal Traditions on Race Records, Cambridge University Press, 1984.

Take a look at the sister website www.earlygospel.com  specialising in early gospel music and especially lesser known singers, from the spirituals and sacred songs in the 1870s through the evolution of gospel music to the end of WW II.

Alan White  Earlyblues.com and Earlygospel.com
 

These are the Noticeboards of the latest additions to each category of the website.
 Click on the green Noticeboard title to take you to the details pages

All sorts of news snippets from the blues world: latest CD releases, upcoming tours and much more ...

BLUES FESTIVALS NOTICEBOARD

2013 UK & European Blues Festivals Guide updated 21/05/13 :
  - Upton Blues Festival (19th-21st July) updated
  - The Great British Rhythm & Blues Festival, Colne (23rd-26th August) updated
  - Carlisle Blues & Rock Festival (8th - 10th November) updated
2012 UK & European Blues Festivals Guide - see who was where last year

The UK Festivals Photo Galleries - photos & reviews of Bangor on Dee Blues & Real Ale Festival,
Burnley International Rock & Blues Festival, Skegness Rock & Blues Festival, Carlisle Blues Rock Festival, Colne Great British Rhythm & Blues Festival, Maryport Blues Festival, Upton Blues Festival, Linton Festival, with more coming soon ...

Various Other UK, US & European Blues Festivals - photos & reviews of festivals over recent years
Check out: Theatre of Blues Festival 2013, Shrewsbury - review & photos by Rosy Greer

The Blues Festivals Archive - links to all festival photo galleries contained on the website

Alvin Youngblood Hart, King King, Simon McBride, Larry McCray, Michael Roach, Erja Lyytinen,
Paul Rodgers and Deborah Bonham Band, Chris Farlowe & The Norman Beaker Band, Ben Waters,
Mick Taylor, Ronnie Wood, Charlie Watts, Bill Wyman, Jools Holland, Mick Hucknell, and the US Section with reviews of Taj Mahal, BB King and Hubert Sumlin concerts, with more coming soon ...

"Keepin' Live Music Alive" - the latest information on selected blues clubs, forums, lectures and courses, with photos and interviews from visiting artists, including details of the next Lancaster Blues Forum ...

The most recent interviews are with Swampcandy, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Tommy Allen & Johnny Hewitt, Danny Handley, Chris Powers, Ian Siegal, Larry McCray, Sugar Ray Norcia, Tom Doughty, Matt Schofield, Giles Robson, Gregg Wright, Marcus Malone, Earl Thomas, Mud Morganfield, Paddy Milner & The Big Sounds, Marcus Bonfanti, Steve Cropper, Walter Trout, Lisa Mills, Ian Jennings, Aynsley Lister, Alan Nimmo, Dave Arcari, Ed Stephenson, BabaJack, Ben Prestage, Norman Beaker, Ben Waters, with more soon including Paul Jones, Gerry McAvoy, Mick Gallagher, ....

Latest essays:
Tracing The Origins Of Dying Crapshooters' Blues Back To English And Irish Folksong In The Eighteenth Century - by Max Haymes
"Mule, Get Up In The Alley" - by Max Haymes
'Blues Artists & Their Instruments' - updated blues guitar guide by Dai Thomas
"I Need-A Plenty Grease In My Frying Pan" (Roots & Influences of Vaudeville & Rural Blues: 1919-1940)
    - by Max Haymes
Alabama Blues - by Billy Hutchinson
The Mississippi Delta: Birthplace of the Blues - "This Is Where the Soul of Man Never Dies."
    - by Terry Messman
'Blues Poetry' - an updated collection of articles on Poetry and the Blues

Now if your interest is the history of Gospel Music check out the full list of Gospel Essays on the sister website www.earlygospel.com

New articles in our long term research project Slave To The Blues:
Check out: Slave To The Blues - Coffles and the Auction Block - by Max Haymes

Now introducing the new sister website www.undergroundrailroad.org.uk currently being developed to give an insight into the Underground Railroad movement during American slavery times.

Recommended blues related Books/CDs/DVDs/Movies/Radio Stations/etc...

Links to articles and essays on trips to the 'Land Where The Blues Began' ...

 Moorhead, Mississippi  
© Copyright 2008 Alan White. All Rights Reserved                                            .      "Where the Southern Crosses the Yellow Dog"

This is the original 'Early Blues' Website, first published in October 2000 by Alan White and regularly developed since then with a vast range of excellent material which I hope you enjoy. Many thanks for contributions from renowned blues historian, author, radio DJ, lecturer and 'blues brother' Max Haymes, acclaimed author Michael Gray, acoustic blues guitarist and blues guitar researcher Dai Thomas, acoustic delta blues guitarist and gravestones expert Courtland Bresner, photographer Paul Webster, blues portrait artist Loz Arkle, 'dental expert' Phil Richards, Midlands reviewer and 'blues brother' Steve Wosket, North East reviewer Tony Higgins, Welsh photographers Liz Aiken and Carl DeAbreu, photographer Ian Zirins, photographer Steve Smith, drummer/photographer/reviewer Rick Lacey, musician, poet, author, pub landlord and teller of tales Ray Smith, US reviewer Kirk Lang and a warm welcome to our latest photographer Jason Richardson. I really do appreciate all your help.

Our purpose is to broaden awareness and understanding of the origins of blues music and to encourage and support live blues music - 'keeping the blues alive'. To do this we:
¨  research, produce and publish blues articles and essays
¨  promote blues books, DVDs, films and Internet based blues radio
¨  promote and support UK blues festivals (with reviews and photographic portfolios)
¨  interview blues artists and bands
¨  encourage budding blues artists and bands
¨  support associated blues societies and blues magazines
¨  maintain this website (incorporating all of the above and the side panel)

All the work maintaining this site is completely voluntary (with no financial support whatsoever) coz' we're passionate about the blues and we want to keep the blues alive! 

                 or email me at: alan.white @ earlyblues.com           Thanks.   Alan White

^Member

This Website is dedicated to the loving memory of 
my Mother (Jean White) and my Father (Richard White)