Archives index
I discovered so many fascinating things about early blues and rock and roll while writing the books below, I want to share them. Thrown into the mix are my experiences in the music industry and rock journalism, dare I say it, half a century ago.
How Paul Merry’s archives work.
See anything of interest in the index below? Scroll down past the post descriptions, click the year and month it appeared, and go straight there.
2021. (03) Mar – Rocking Five Continents. (4) April – Blues is just a Bad Guy Feeling Good. (6) July – Blues In Britain mag reviews America’s Gift.
2020. (01) Jan – Three Blues Guitar Greats Born 12 miles apart. (02) Feb – Blues cruises for when the pandemic’s over. (4) April – My tribute to Jeff Beck. (8) Aug – AC/DC’s unsung Young brother plus vids of great Aussie bands who inspired Guns N’ Roses. (9) Sept – When Pink Floyd cost £250 a gig. Rock ‘n’ Roll Myths busted.
2019. (01) Jan – When Blues Stars Were Pop Stars. Help Dead Blues Artists Get Stoned. (04) April – Boogie Woogies Don’t Come Earlier (April 11th).
2018. (03) Mar – Battle for San Francisco. A film. The First Hard Rock Riffs. (04) April – Cut Clapton Some Slack. 1st Blues Families: The Thomas’s. 1st Blues Families: The Chatmons. (06) June – Did Boogie Guitar Start With A 14-year-old? (07) July – The Guitarist who taught Charlie Patton. (08) August – When Blues Guitarists Were So Rare, They Were counted On One hand. (09) Sept – Realising I’d Never Be A Top Guitarist. The Day I discovered The Blues. (10) Oct – Tom Morello: Tomorrow’s Hendrix? First Ever Mentions of the Blues. When Pirates Shipped In America’s First Slaves. (11) Nov – Rock ‘n’ Roll’s Forgotten Father. (12) Dec – 1938’s Heavyweight Blues Clash: W.C. Handy v Jelly Roll Morton.
2017. (01) Jan – Film: St. Louis Blues, the most influential blues of all time. (02) Feb – Blues, Booze, Drugs and Religion. Blues in Spoonfuls with Cream and Howlin’ Wolf. (03) Mar – When Pianos Thundered in Texas. The first rock ‘n’ roll. Muddy Waters on the Stones, Keith Richards on Muddy. (04) Apr – The Photographer Keeping Blues Alive. When Rock ‘n’ Roll got Hip Again. (05) May – The Earliest Electric Guitar Blues. (06) June – Iconic Rock Book, but author was no rock prophet. First Slide Guitar blues. (08) August – Carlos Wilde. – First Female Guitar Hero. (10) Oct – When English Convicts Ruled San Francisco (12) Dec – The ABC of Blues
2016. (01) Jan – Film: Rock & Roll Blues ♠ David Bowie ♠ Film: Kings of Blues Guitar ♠ Bob Marley ♠ Blues’ Untold Story. (02) Feb – Film: More Rock & Roll Blues ♠ Film: Rocking Blues1938 ♠ Film – Rocking Blues1948. (03) Mar – Mick Fleetwood ♠ Film: Original Chicago Blues 111 ♠ Film: Original Chicago Blues 11 ♠ Iggy Pop. Film ♠ Original Chicago Blues 1. (04) Apr -Sebastopol Tuning ♠ Bentonia Blues ♠ Film: Blues Turns Electric ♠ Blues: Musically Infantile? (05) May – Working for the Beatles’ Man ♠ Bluesbreaker Guitarists ♠Rock’s Golden Year ♠ Film – Rocking 100 Years Ago. (06) Jun -First Lady of Bass. (07) July – Clapton Fires Stones ♠ Heavenly Choirs ♠ Stones Exhibition ♠ Unknown Top Guitarist. (08) Aug – Film: Forgotten Chicago Blues ♠ Kinks ♠ History: World’s First Anti-Rock Review. Sep – Honky Tonk Woman. Oct – Untold History of Blues ♠ First Recorded Blues Vocal ♠ As Years Go By. Nov – Oldest Rock Venue ♠ 1938’s Blues Guitar Boy Wonder ♠ America’s Gift To The World. Dec – Rarely What You Think ♠ Steel Guitar Steal.
2015. (01) Jan – Earliest Known Blues ♠ Great Blues Cities: St. Louis. (02) Feb – Blues’ Forgotten Ancestor ♠ Taste ♠ (03) Mar – America’s UK Blues Icon ♠ Blues’ Origin ♠ The First Hippy? (04) Apr – David Beckham, Robert Johnson ♠ Live Fast, Die Young. (05) May – When Rock Stars Die ♠ Bill Wyman & Me ♠ Robert Johnson’s Guitar Teacher ♠ Robert Johnson’s Devil Myth Scotched. (06) June – Sex Pistols. (07) Jul – Eartha Kitt/Leonard Cohen ♠ AC/DC ♠ Le Bloody Nerve. (08) Aug – Band Rose From Ashes ♠ Life After Dark ♠ Jimmy Page Black Magic ♠ First Electric Blues Hit. (09) Sep – Rock Guitar Great passes ♠ Marc Maron/Iggy Pop. (10) Oct – GHI of Blues ♠ DEF of Blues ♠ Walking Dead. (11) Nov – Bet You Didn’t Know This ♠ VW of Blues ♠ STU of Blues. ♠ Keith Richards’ Favourites ♠ PQR of Blues. (12) Dec – Mike Bloomfield/Bob Dylan ♠ Move. ♠ YZ of Blues.
2014. (01) Jan – Blues City New Orleans ♠ Instruments of the Devil ♠ Magic of Muscle Shoals ♠ Heavy Metal Drumming ♠ Song Introduced Blues to World. (02) Feb – Roger Daltrey/Wilco Johnson ♠ Prince ♠ Blues City Chicago ♠ Blues in Scotland ♠ Blues Maverick. (03) Mar – Child Singing Opera ♠ Texas’ Down To Friend ♠ Casey Bill Weldon ♠ Inspiring Western Swing ♠ Blues City Louisville. (04) Apr -Influencing Elvis & Chuck ♠ RIP Motown Wizard ♠ 2nd Earliest Rock & Roll Record ♠ Hallelujah ♠ Daddy of Blues Singers. (05) May – Spotify, A Limp Puppet? ♠ Mick Green ♠ Johnny Kidd and the Pirates ♠ Great Blues Cities – Oklahoma City ♠ Malcolm Young. (06) Jun – Revenge of the Zombies ♠ Glastonbury: Too Posh ♠ New Face of Ska ♠ Lee Cooper: 1952 Guitarist, Not Jeans ♠ Great Blues Cities – London. (07) Jul – Led Zeppelin Remastered ♠ Explaining Guitar Solos ♠ My Old Radio Broadcasts ♠ Johnny Winter RIP ♠ Al’s English Lesson. (08) Aug – First Metal Riff ♠ Iggy’s Radio Show ♠ Did Sleepy John Estes influence Bolan? ♠ First Boogie Woogie Hit ♠ Hey Cats! (09) Sep – Johnny Otis ♠ Leiber-Stoller. (10) Oct – Cat Stevens ♠ First Blues mention ♠ Pre-Blues San Fransisco ♠ Malcolm Young. (11) Nov – Stones/James Brown ♠ Metal’s First Steps ♠ Iggy’s Lecture ♠ RIP Jack Bruce. (12) Dec – Rock & Roll 1815-style ♠ The New Wilde One ♠ McCartney/Nirvana.
2013. (04) Apr – Black Sabbath ♠ How Blues Evolved. (05) May – Original King of Blues Guitar ♠ 1940s Rock & Roll ♠ 1930s Rock & Roll ♠ When Blues Became Rock & Roll. (06) Jun – Man Who Sparked Blues ♠ Pinetop Smith ♠ Brilliant Blues Guitarist ♠ How Blues Evolved Now Available. (07) Jul – Hip Museum ♠ Alexis Korner ♠ Buddy Bolden ♠ Where Blues Started ♠ First Known Bluesman. (08) Aug – Black Keys/White Stripes ♠ WEAK13 ♠ Dirty Dirty Blues ♠ Early Rocking Blues Records ♠ First Blues Watershed. (09) Sep – Resonator Guitars ♠ Early Hooch Coochie ♠ Unrecognised Musical Talent. (10) Oct – Jools Holland/Dr. John ♠ Drug References In Old Songs ♠ Music Relieves Pain ♠ Your Musical Age? ♠ John Hammond. (11) Nov – Birth of Boogie Guitar ♠ AC/DC ♠ First Blues Vocal. (12) Dec – How Spotify Saved Xmas ♠ Bluesmen Boxers ♠ Classic 1950s Clips.