“Good blog today, Paul. I got the 1st book (How Blues Evolved Ebook Volume 1) this morning. Thanks for all the good info!” nora j mckiddie (@mckiddie_j) Michigan, USA, October 29, 2013. BLUESMUSE 41.   Like many people, you probably thought mentioning drugs in songs started in the sixties, but – no, no, no – drug references…

“Impressive blog you have (loved Free). Bev Wills (@CoreCritical), England/Miami, November 8, 2013.  This is definitely not turning into a blog on musical market research findings (after the last post), but since a new survey shows the beneficial effects of music upon people suffering chronic pain, it’s certainly worth mentioning here. I know from experience…

“I’m in the, ‘I can’t get my fingers to do that f——-  F major chord’ phase.”  DJ Bob (@zczbob) October 24, 2013. One of many Heineken posters. When I worked in advertising agencies, we used to refer to market research groups as ‘the ideas abattoir’, our reasoning being that good off-the-wall creative ideas nearly always…

“I so hope it’s true (that blues is coming back into fashion), Paul. I can’t imagine growing up without the Blues.”  nora j mckiddie (@mckiddie_j) October 20, 2013. BLUESMUSE40. Is blues coming back into fashion? Call me an optimist, but I think it definitely is, especially in America. There, a host of great blues guitarists like Dan Auerbach,…

BLUESMUSE39. It’s hard to believe that America’s Father of Black Gospel Music, Thomas A. Dorsey, was once a piano player in a raunchy blues outfit;  but, then, isn’t that the unpredictability of pursuing a career in music? Not to be confused with the white World War Two band leader, Tommy Dorsey, Thomas A. Dorsey was…