Blues Unlimited: Essential Interviews from the Original Blues Magazine (Music in American Life) - Softcover

"The Blues Unlimited crew provided a wonderful service to blues enthusiasts worldwide and did themselves proud--real trailblazers. A sure, can't miss winner."--Steve Cushing, host of Blues Before Sunrise and author of Pioneers of the Blues Revival "Without Blues Unlimited , our knowledge and understanding of the history of the blues would be neither as rich nor as detailed as it is. We owe every contributor a debt of gratitude that we can only repay by appreciating their efforts."--Paul Vernon, author of Last Swill and Testament: The Hilarious, Unexpurgated Memoirs of Paul 'Sailor' Vernon, Blues Fanatic, Rare Record Dealer, Ligger, Erstwhile Bon Viveur, and Friend to the Stars "Blues Unlimited set the standard for all of the other blues publications that followed in its wake. . . . Throughout the book, the editors and writers of Blues Unlimited show a deep knowledge of the history of the musicians under consideration."--Blues Blast Magazine "Blues Unlimited set the standard for all of the other blues publications that followed in its wake. . . . Throughout the book, the editors and writers of Blues Unlimited show a deep knowledge of the history of the musicians under consideration."--Blues Blast Magazine "Groundbreaking artist interviews and a covey of the most enlightening are collected here (along with a gang of photos) over the volume's generous 496 pages. A necessary purchase."--Gary von Tersch, Big City Rhythm & Blues Blues "Blues Unlimited was not only an amazing source of information but also an inspiration to the founders of Living Blues magazine. We wanted to do our part in America to join in and complement BU 's groundbreaking work. The late Mike Leadbitter, co-editor of BU , and his successors left a marvelous legacy of blues literature and generously shared their research with us."--Jim O'Neal, co-founder, Living Blues magazine "The musicians run the gamut from the well known (Albert Collins, Freddie King, Arthur Crudup) to the obscure... The University of Illinois Press is to be commended for making this material available once more, this time in permanent form."--Journal of Folklore Research

British blues fan Mike Leadbitter launched the magazine Blues Unlimited in 1963. The groundbreaking publication fueled the then-nascent, now-legendary blues revival that reclaimed seminal figures like Son House and Skip James from obscurity. Throughout its history, Blues Unlimited heightened the literacy of blues fans, documented the latest news and career histories of countless musicians, and set the standard for revealing long-form interviews. Conducted by Bill Greensmith, Mike Leadbitter, Mike Rowe, John Broven, and others, and covering a who's who of blues masters, these essential interviews from Blues Unlimited shed light on their subjects while gleaning colorful detail from the rough and tumble of blues history. Here is Freddie King playing a string of one-nighters so grueling it destroys his car; five-year-old Fontella Bass gigging at St. Louis funeral homes; and Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup rising from life in a packing crate to music stardom. Here, above all, is an eyewitness history of the blues written in neon lights and tears, an American epic of struggle and transcendence, of Saturday night triumphs and Sunday morning anonymity, of clean picking and dirty deals. Featuring interviews with: Fontella Bass, Ralph Bass, Fred Below, Juke Boy Bonner, Roy Brown, Albert Collins, James Cotton, Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup, Joe Dean, Henry Glover, L.C. Green, Dr. Hepcat, Red Holloway, Louise Johnson, Floyd Jones, Moody Jones, Freddie King, Big Maceo Merriweather, Walter Mitchell, Louis Myers, Johnny Otis, Snooky Pryor, Sparks Brothers, Jimmy Thomas, Jimmy Walker, and Baby Boy Warren.