Blues with a Feeling - The Official Podcast

This week on BWAF, we celebrate one of the true giants of the blues as Buddy Guy turns 90 — and what better way to mark the occasion than with a deep dive into his Grammy‑winning 1994 masterpiece Slippin’ In. It was only two weeks ago that we featured his stunning Sweet Tea record, but when you’re talking about Buddy Guy, one show is never enough.
Slippin’ In captures Buddy at a moment of renewed fire and ferocity. Half the album was recorded in Chicago with his own band, steeped in the grit, groove and history of the city he helped define. The other half was cut in Austin with Double Trouble — Stevie Ray Vaughan’s legendary rhythm section — adding emotional weight, explosive energy and a powerful sense of musical lineage. With Eddie Kramer behind the desk and Johnnie Johnson on piano, Buddy delivers some of the most electrifying playing of his career.
Alongside the feature, we’ve got a stack of brand‑new releases lighting up the playlist this week, including Keb Mo, Janiva Magness, Jason Ricci, Ray Beadle, GA‑20 with Charlie Musselwhite, Danielle Nichole, Taj Mahal & the Phantom Blues Band, and plenty more.
Tune in, turn it up, and let the good times roll. This is BWAF.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Blues With a Feeling, we continue a very special journey through the music of one of the most influential bands in the history of this program: The Paladins. Their sound, their energy, and their uncompromising commitment to American roots music played a huge role in shaping the identity of this show from its earliest days. And today, we revisit the band’s third release, Let’s Buzz — a record that captured The Paladins at full strength, firing on all cylinders, and stepping boldly into their prime.
Joining me once again is bassist, singer‑songwriter, founding member, and long‑time friend of the show, Thomas Yearsley. This marks Thomas’s third visit to Blues With a Feeling, following our deep dives into the band’s second album Years Since Yesterday and their fourth release Ticket Home. Across those conversations, Thomas has shared stories, insights, and reflections that only someone who lived the journey can offer. His presence has become part of the ongoing story of this program, and his music continues to inspire the way we celebrate roots and blues every week.
Released in 1990 and produced by Stever Berlin of Los lobos, Let’s Buzz is a record that still crackles with life. It’s the sound of a trio completely locked in — Dave Gonzalez’s fiery guitar work, Scott Campbell and Brian Fahey’s precision drumming, and Thomas’s unmistakable upright bass driving the whole engine. The album blends blues, rockabilly, R&B, and West Coast swing into a seamless, high‑energy statement that helped define the band’s legacy.
For me personally, Let’s Buzz was one of the albums that shaped the direction of Blues With a Feeling. It showed me that roots music could be modern, raw, joyful, and deeply authentic all at once. Revisiting it with Thomas feels like reconnecting with one of the foundations of the show.
Join us as we explore the stories behind the songs, the sessions, the tours, and the spirit of a band whose influence continues to ripple through the blues community — and through this program.
Plus new releases from Janiva Magness, Bywater Call, Jon Cleary, Ray Beadle, Ruthie Foster, Jason Ricci & Bad Kind and GA20 with Charlie Mussselwhite.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on BWAF, we celebrate the 90th birthday of one of the true giants of modern blues — Buddy Guy — with a deep dive into one of the most daring and electrifying albums of his career: Sweet Tea (2001).
Recorded in Oxford, Mississippi, Sweet Tea captures Buddy plugging straight into the Hill Country sound: raw, hypnotic, swamp‑thick grooves inspired by Junior Kimbrough, CeDell Davis, and the juke‑joint traditions that shaped the region. It’s Buddy stripped back, turned up, and letting the history do the talking.
Across the show we’ll explore the full album — from the haunting “Done Got Old” to the explosive “Look What All You Got”, the feral “She Got the Devil in Her”, and the 12‑minute trance epic “I Gotta Try You Girl.” It’s a record that reminds us why Buddy Guy remains one of the most fearless musicians alive.
We’ll also spotlight new releases from Taj Mahal & The Phantom Blues Band, John Primer, Ray Beadle, Aaron West, Keb’ Mo’, Bywater Call, Jovin Webb, and Jason Ricci & Bad Kind.
And with Buddy Guy on the road for his 2026 ‘Buddy Guy 90’ Tour, there’s never been a better time to revisit this landmark album.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on BWAF, I'm bringing you a blues feast built around one of the great modern collaborations — B.B. King and Eric Clapton’s Grammy‑winning album Riding With the King. Across 12 tracks and 61 glorious minutes, two masters trade warmth, wisdom, and guitar lines that feel like conversations between old friends.
I’ll take you through the album across four feature segments, from the jubilant opener “Riding With the King” to the deep blues of “Three O’Clock Blues”, right through to the soul‑stirring closer “Come Rain or Come Shine”. It’s a celebration of legacy, friendship, and the timeless power of the blues.
Alongside the feature album, I've lined up a killer selection of new releases — Keb’ Mo’, Aaron Webb, Billy Price, GA‑20 with Charlie Musselwhite, Bywater Call, Chris O’Leary, Jason Ricci, Jovin Webb, Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra, John Primer, Ray Beadle, and Taj Mahal and the Phantom Blues Band.
Settle in for two hours of blues storytelling, new discoveries, and one of the most joyful albums ever recorded.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on BWAF I’m shining a light on one of the most electrifying live blues recordings ever made — Otis Rush’s So Many Roads: Live in Japan. Recorded across two unforgettable Tokyo concerts in July 1975, this album captures Otis in full flight: inspired, fearless, and feeding off a crowd that welcomed him like a returning hero.
With Jimmy Johnson’s guitar lines weaving around him and a rhythm section locked tight beneath him, Otis delivers some of the most emotionally charged performances of his career. From the fire of “All Your Love (I Miss Loving)” to the aching beauty of the title track, So Many Roads shows exactly what happens when the blues travels halfway around the world and finds an audience ready to embrace it.
I’ll be diving into the story behind these concerts, the musicians who shaped the sound, and the magic Otis brought to those hot Tokyo nights. It’s a classic album that still hits with full force nearly fifty years later.
Blues With A Feeling — real people, real blues, real stories, real soul.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.