Alexis Korner: the Godfather of British Blues

Alexis Korner: the Godfather of British Blues

UPDATED 27 July 2017. “Great piece on Alexis Korner. I personally didn’t know he was born in France. You learn something every day!” Paul Corry @thebluesfreak, London, England. 5 February 2014. BLUESMUSE 30 As a young lad, probably too young to drink, if the truth be known, I used to luxuriate in the bath listening to the chocolate-brown tones of Alexis…

King Bolden and the earliest known African-American guitarists

King Bolden and the earliest known African-American guitarists

UPDATED September 7, 2021. BLUESMUSE29. Until the 1890s, when mail order catalogues made them more affordable and improved roads and rail links made musical instruments more accessible, guitars were mainly a preserve of the American middle classes. Most were much smaller than the guitars we know today, probably because they were mostly played by women. Perhaps that’s why they…