About This Site
Old-time blues, acoustic blues, deep blues, traditional blues, pre-war blues, folk blues, primitive blues or Country blues, it has many names, but in its essence it is the pure, original music of rural African Americans that originated in the Southern USA during the 1920s and 1930s. Today, people of all ethnicity and origins play it worldwide. The blues has traveled the globe and found kindred musical souls, celebrating the commonality of the human spirit.
Our Message
This website has one simple message: The acoustic blues is alive and well– nothing more, nothing less. We believe that the musicians included here are “among the best” of today’s acoustic, folk and country blues scene, musicians who are keeping the traditions alive while helping the old-time blues progress and stay vibrant. The musicians included are predominately “traditional” and “acoustic” performers. That definition is applied with an open and liberal outlook. Selection is inclusive without regards to race, nationality or stylistic preference.
Our Mission
We are just trying to turn people on to great music. That’s all. We are unabashedly preservationist and love the pure, traditional blues; but we also include musicians that are playing a new acoustic blues. That’s the only narrative we are trying to promote. It’s about the music.
Selection Criteria
There were no “hard lines” drawn as to the selection criteria, but a few prerequisites were established:
Acoustic
The first criteria was that a selected musician should primarily perform and record acoustically meaning with a hollow body acoustic guitar, banjo or mandolin rather than an electric instrument with wired pick-ups. The classification “acoustic blues” in itself is problematic. Some musicians stay true to the genre consistently, while others swing in both electric and acoustic. Therefore, in order to qualify, a musician must be actively performing acoustic blues as a consistent element of his/her shows.
Diverse Styles
The musicians represented in this website incorporates a light-hearted, liberal approach to many styles, musical heritages and directions without imposing severe restrictions based on what constitutes “real blues” or “traditional blues” based on some narrow concept. Nor is there a litmus test on blues-purity.
Living/Active and Contemporary
The focus is on today’s acoustic blues scene and musicians who are presently active in recording and performing. The “old-vanguard” is held in high esteem and reverence, but the emphasis here is not on historical record. There are many blues anthologies who pay tribute and due respect to the last living originals. The effort is to highlight the next generation.
About the Artwork
The world has lost a great artist. Thecountryblues.com reports with great sadness that Gert Mathiesen has suddenly and unexpectedly died while visiting his home country Denmark. Gert was a free spirit, a true artist, a man driven by passion and a creative genius totally engulfed in his muse. He was a friend of the blues, and his fabulous artwork is a wonderful representation of this website and all it stands for. We will miss him greatly. Gert is survived by his wife Pam Smilow and his daughter Morgan, his son Jonathan plus his whole family in Europe who we do not know by name. His work will live on forever, and will always remain an integral part of this website in memory of Gert, who generously allowed us use of the powerful print. God bless him.
To purchase work go to: Gert Mathiesen and Pam Smilow’s website
To learn more about Gert Mathiesen, read Matheis on Mathiesen, an essay by Frank Matheis.
Dedication
John Jackson – a fine gentleman and musician.
This site is dedicated in his honor. FM
