February 15 is a crossroads date in blues history—a day of vindication, breakthrough, and heavy loss. In this episode of Blues Moments in Time, we trace the journey from Blanch Kelso Bruce presiding over the U.S. Senate in 1879 to Mississippi declaring “B.B. King Day” in 2005, and Henry Lewis breaking the color line as the first Black conductor of a major American orchestra.
We follow the “blues echo” of the British Invasion as the Beatles hit number one in 1964, then step into Muddy Waters’ blistering 1978 Bottom Line set that reminded young rockers who wrote the book. Along the way, we spotlight “Stormy Weather” composer Harold Allen and modern torchbearer Gary Clark Jr., before reflecting on the shared February 15 losses of Nat King Cole, Little Walter, and Mike Bloomfield—a solemn reminder of the cost of carrying the blues into the future.
Hosted by: Kelvin Huggins
Presented by: The Blues Hotel Collective – your home for EVERYTHING BLUES.
Website: https://www.theblueshotel.com.au/
Keep the blues alive.
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