IN LIVING BLUES #165
September 2002

Dear Friends, This is the hottest summer I can remember and we’re preparing two September releases calculated to keep the heat turned up. As you know, Dr. J...

IN LIVING BLUES #155
January 2001

Dear Friends, I’m writing this as I fly home from Memphis; we just finished the mixes for Michael Burks’ debut album (not yet entitled) at Ardent Studios. ...

IN LIVING BLUES #119
JANUARY 1995

Dear Friends, I always seem to write these on the fly...in this case, having just flown back from Brazil after a four-show Koko Taylor tour and before flying...

IN LIVING BLUES #116
JULY 1994

Dear Friends, I’m squeezing this "ad" out at the last minute because I'm back to living in recording studios again. As a result, for the remainder of 1994 yo...

“Illuminating views and straightforward recounting”

What do Luther Allison, Koko Taylor, Son Seals, Albert Collins, Buddy Guy, Magic Slim, Lonnie Mack, Clarence ‘Gatemouth’ Brown, Little Charlie & the Nightca...

The work ethic that motivated the Queen of the Blues

Koko Taylor - By Steve Kagan When I first met Koko Taylor in 1971, she wasn’t the internationally hailed “Queen Of The Blues.” She didn’t even have her...

Chicago Tribune: “Bruce Iglauer finally tells the story” behind Alligator Records

Alligator Records founder Bruce Iglauer poses in his office recently in the Rogers Park neighborhood. (Chris Walker/Chicago Tribune) "The book docu...

In Living Blues #251
October 2017

Dear friends, We’re getting great response to Rick Estrin & The Nightcats’ new release, Groovin’ In Greaseland. Many people are declaring it the best alb...

In Living Blues #249
June 2017

Dear Friends, It’s been a difficult couple of months since I last wrote to you. Three great musicians and longtime friends of mine passed away. James “Mr. Su...

In Living Blues #248
April 2017

Dear Friends, James Cotton - By Christopher Durst Word just reached us of the death of my longtime friend, blues master James Cotton. I had known James s...