Joy is the first thing that walks into the room this week — bright, unhurried, and absolutely contagious. It’s in the new music, it’s in the stories, and it’s especially in the voice of Ruthie Foster, whose insights peppered throughout the show feel like little bursts of sunlight. Fresh from her 2025 Grammy win, she speaks with that unmistakable mix of humility, humour, and hard‑earned wisdom, and every time she does, the whole show lifts a little higher.

That joy threads right through the opening run of new releases — Eric Bibb easing us in with One Mississippi, Mike Finnigan reminding us why his spirit still resonates, Studebaker John shaking the dust off the week, Billy Branch firing up the room. Then Selwyn Birchwood, Robert Randolph, Parlour Greens, and Lil’ Ed keep the energy rolling, each track adding its own colour to the palette.

But the heart of the show — the part that glows — is Mileage. Ten tracks, each one paired with a moment from Ruthie. She talks about that elusive Grammy, about what’s changed and what hasn’t, about heartbreak, healing, Tyler Bryant producing, stepping away from the biz, coming back inspired, and that final emotional release that left both of us sitting in the quiet for a moment. Even the tough stories feel lighter in her hands, because she carries them with gratitude, not weight.

By the time we hit the final stretch — Kingfish, Kim Wilson, Laura Chavez, and Eddie 9V closing us out — the whole show feels like a celebration of endurance, connection, and the simple joy of making it through another week with music as your companion.

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This week on Blues With A Feeling, we’re diving deep into the world of one of the great modern torchbearers of Texas blues guitar — Sue Foley. With Sue celebrating her birthday last week, and with her brand‑new book Guitar Woman: Conversations and Life Lessons with the Heroines of Guitar on the way in June, it felt like the perfect moment to revisit her remarkable story and her 2021 album Pinky’s Blues.

Sue’s been out on the road recently with her One Guitar Woman tour — intimate, powerful shows honouring the women who shaped the culture of the instrument. Now that she’s finally off the road after a huge couple of months, we’re revisiting my 2021 interview with her, recorded just after Pinky’s Blues was released. Across the show you’ll hear cuts from that conversation, tracks from Pinky’s Blues, and a bonus set from her acclaimed 2018 album The Ice Queen.

But that’s not all. The blues world is absolutely humming right now, and I’ve lined up a set of stunning new releases that have been bending my heartstrings all week. You’ll hear:

Mike Finnigan – from his newly released posthumous debut, Eric Bibb – with a powerful track from One Mississippi ahead of his 18‑date Australian tour, Lil Ed & The Blues Imperials – tearing it up on their new Alligator Records release Slideways and Billy Branch & The Sons of Blues – delivering modern blues for modern times on Blues Is My Biography.

It’s a big, beautiful show this week — full of history, heart, and the very best of what the blues is doing right now.

Settle in and turn it up!

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There are albums that entertain, albums that impress, and then there are albums that feel like they open a door into a whole other world. Marcia Ball’s Let Me Play With Your Poodle is one of those rare records — a joyous, rolling, deeply human celebration of Gulf Coast blues delivered by an artist at the height of her powers. Released in 1997, at a time when the blues landscape was dominated by guitar‑slinging men, this album was a revelation. It reminded listeners everywhere that the piano has always been one of the genre’s beating hearts, and that Marcia Ball was one of its most electrifying storytellers.

From the moment her left hand starts that unmistakable rolling groove, you’re transported straight into the humid, neon‑lit world she grew up in — a place where Texas roadhouse grit meets Louisiana soul, where New Orleans R&B shakes hands with swamp pop, and where every song feels like it was born at 2am in a crowded bar with the windows open to the street.

The title track sets the tone: playful, confident, full of swagger. But the album’s magic lies in its range. Marcia moves effortlessly from strutting boogie‑woogie to tender balladry, from sly humour to emotional depth. Her band — a who’s‑who of Texas and Louisiana players — matches her stride for stride, creating a sound that’s rich, warm, and unmistakably alive.

And then there’s the closer, “Louisiana 1927,” a song that resonates deeply with anyone who’s lived through rising waters and the quiet heartbreak that follows. In Marcia’s hands, it becomes a hymn of resilience.

Let Me Play With Your Poodle isn’t just a great blues record — it’s a reminder of the joy, grit, and humanity that make this music timeless.

I’m so excited about bringing you this spectacular record this week. And for some extra special sauce, I’ve added new releases from Eric Bibb, Lil Ed & the Blues Imperials, Kim Wilson, Tinsley Ellis, Robert Randolph & The Family Band, Laura Chavez, Studebaker John & The Maxwell Street Kings, Mike Finnigan, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Selwyn Birchwood and Bernard Allison.

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“Black Magic is a marvellously atmospheric and easy record to listen to - with Sam's resonant and flexible vocals a perfect match for his clean virtuoso guitar playing. Moving on from the scorching Chicago blues captured so unforgettably on West Side Soul - here the accent is on a smooth sound with a potential wider appeal. Hit songs like I Just Want a Little Bit, You Belong to Me and Easy Baby stand at the borderline between blues and soul.

Like legends ranging from Eric Dolphy and Booker Little to Otis Redding and Minnie Ripperton, Magic Sam died too young. The Chicago blues singer/guitarist's final studio recording, Black Magic was recorded only a year before he died at the age of 32. Sam had acquired a small but loyal following, and Black Magic's excellence indicates that had he lived, he'd have become as celebrated as Buddy Guy. The passionate testifyin' of What Have I Done Wrong, It's All Your Fault and Stop! You're Hurting Me demonstrates that Sam not only sang and felt blues; he lived them. --Alex Henderson, L.A. Jazz Scene

I’m thrilled to share this groundbreaking album for you this week.

Plus new releases from Robert Randolph & The Family Band, Christone Kingfish Ingram, Eric Bibb, Lil Ed & The Blues Imperials, Billy Branch & The Sons of Blues, Selwyn Birchwood, Kim Wilson, Studebaker John & the Maxwell Street Kings, Tinsley Ellis, Mike Finnigan, Laura Chavez and Parlour Greens.

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On his fourth album in four years, Earl proves that he's robust enough to muscle through a set of swinging jazz (Jimmy Smith's "Blues for J"), sizzling gospel ("Walking on the Sea" with the Silver Leaf Gospel Singers), and explosive blues (everything else) with strapping aplomb. As opposed to his previous almost entirely instrumental disc, vocals are featured on about half of these tracks. Kim Wilson sings and plays electrifying harp on four songs, of which a blistering 10-minute version of Otis Rush's "Double Trouble" is a career highlight for both musicians. Earl's burning leads show both an emotional drive and a restraint that make these live-in-the-studio tracks so riveting.

It was Ronnie Earls birthday recently and I’m thrilled to feature for you this week, his wonderful release with The Broadcasters “Now My Soul”.

Plus new releases from Eric Bibb, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Tinsley Ellis, Lil Ed & The Blues Imperials, Laura Chavez, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Studebaker John And The Maxwell Street Kings and Selwyn Birchwood.

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This week on Blues With A Feeling, following the sad passing of John Hammond in February, I’m rolling the tape all the way back to 1962 — back to a moment when a young New Yorker with an old soul stepped into a studio and cut a debut album that felt less like a beginning and more like a declaration.

The record was simply called John Hammond, but don’t let the plain title fool you. This was a mission statement. A line in the sand. A 20‑year‑old kid saying, “I know exactly who I am, and I know exactly where I’m going.”

Plus new releases from Lil Ed & The Blues Imperials, Selwyn Birchwood, Laura Chavez, Eric Bibb, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Christone Kingfish Ingram, Kim Wilson, Sue Foley, Billy Branch & The Sons of Blues, Studebaker John & The Maxwell Street Kings and Bernard Allison.

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Not many living blues musicians can say they have performed with and recorded for legends like Big Mama Thornton, Sonny Rhodes, Luther Tucker, Jimmy McCracklin, Pee Wee Crayton, Carla Thomas, Booker T. Jones, Percy Mayfield, Etta James, B.B. King, and Jimmy Reed.

Ron Thompson can, and that's just the beginning!

Ron Thompson was a legendary rhythm and blues guitarist and master keyboardist whose career began in the rough and tumble world of East San Francisco Bay nightclubs and bars in the early '70s. During many years of touring coast to coast with John Lee Hooker, Hooker was quoted as saying, 'Ron Thompson, he's my main man!'

After serving as John Lee Hooker's bandleader for seven years, Thompson went on to form his own group, Ron Thompson and His Resisters, and toured extensively in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Central America.

I’m super excited to feature for you Ron Thompsons classic 1998 release Magic Touch for you this week. And for extra context, I’ve added some excerpts from my 2020 interview with his long time bandmate and friend Jim Pugh.

Plus new releases from Christone Kingfish Ingram, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Laura Chavez, Eric Bibb, Lil Ed & The Blues Imperials, Tinsley Ellis and Darren Watson.

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Grammy Winners Showcase

For more than three decades, Blues With A Feeling has been your weekly home for stories, songs, and the artists who keep the blues alive. And this week, we’re taking a deep dive into the very best of the last six years — a special feature celebrating the winners of the Blues categories at the Grammy Awards from 2021 right through to 2026.

It’s a journey through a remarkable period in modern blues: the elders still swinging for the fences, the young guns stepping up with fire in their bellies, and a couple of live records that remind you why nothing beats the real thing. Across these six years, we’ve seen legends like Bobby Rush, Buddy Guy, Taj Mahal and Edgar Winter continue to redefine what longevity looks like, while artists like Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Cedric Burnside, Fantastic Negrito and Larkin Poe have pushed the music forward with fresh energy and fearless creativity.

You’ll hear the stories behind the albums, the moments that shaped them, and the artists who made them. You’ll hear how an 88‑year‑old Bobby Rush stripped it all back to guitar and harmonica and still took home the gold. How Cedric Burnside carried the Hill Country heartbeat into a new generation. How Buddy Guy, in his mid‑80s, delivered one of the fiercest records of his career. And how Robert Randolph & The Family Band finally claimed their long‑deserved first Grammy after years of nominations.

It’s a celebration of resilience, reinvention, and the deep river of blues that keeps flowing through every decade. Join me for this special edition of Blues With A Feeling — and as always, hug ’em close and have a great week.

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