We owe an enormous debt to the great blues musicians who came before us. To learn more about their music and our work to honor them, read on and follow the links.

The band with John Jackson at the Herndon Blues Fest

We honor this great tradition with our show Old Dominion Songsters on Virginia blues that we are currently presenting across the state.

The Virginia Folklife Program features John Jackson, John Cephas, and other artists, as well as information on the Virginia Piedmont Guitarists Tour.

The Archie Edwards Blues Foundation celebrates this Franklin County native's legacy based from his D.C. barbershop.

John Cephas and Phil Wiggins record for Alligator Records.

Gregg also worked with the JRBS on the brochure, "Old Dominion Songsters: Traditional Blues in Virginia, which is now available from the Society and an exhibition on Virginia blues cosponsored by his employer, the Library of Virginia

You might also want to check out the River City Blues Society. They periodically bring traditional acts to our hometown of Richmond and we are involved in their "Blues in the Schools" program.

T-Bone's Piedmont Blues Page has some nice biographies and other information.

Bruce Bastin's book Red River Blues is an excellent introduction to the East Coast blues tradition. Barry Lee Pearson's Virginia Piedmont Blues: The Lives and Art of Two Virginia Bluesmen is a fine oral history, focusing on John Cephas and Archie Edwards.

Lookin for the Blues also has links to artist's biographies (and much more), including east coast bluesmen like Reverend Gary Davis, Blind Boy Fuller, and Archie Edwards.

Naturally, we pay tribute to the great women performers by covering the songs of Memphis Minnie, Ida Cox and many others. Lea Gilmore's It's A Girl Thang! has profiles of many past and current blues women, from Bessie Smith to Ann Rabson.

For a listing of more blues-related links than you can shake a stick at, go to Bluesworld.