Our newest partner artist, Mary Lane, is no stranger to struggle. Born in 1936, in Clarendon, Arkansas, she grew up picking cotton until moving to Chicago where she became a staple on the Westside Blues scene, playing alongside greats such as Howlin’ Wolf, Elmore James, and Junior Wells. At 83, and with very few gigs, […]

Sadly, Beverly “Guitar” Watkins passed away the morning of October 1st, 2019 due to complications from a stroke.  Though she has captured the rapt attention of audiences across the U.S. since the 1950s, the story of Beverly “Guitar” Watkins, the 80-year-old guitar-slinging grandma, actually begins in the early 1920s when a nationwide “blues craze” swept […]

Sam Frazier, Jr. is a powerful vocalist, with a lilting drawl that whines, growls and whistles through a smile neatly tucked under his pristine ten gallon hat. He’s a careful study that can blow a delicate melody with his harmonica and a sensitive songwriter that evokes country music’s cherished conventions; that timeless recipe of profound […]

Eddie Tigner is a longtime Music Maker artist, a national treasure, and a living legend. Born in 1926, Eddie is approaching his 93rd birthday. With each passing year, this original Ink Spot and Atlanta mainstay keeps performing and only gets better. As long as Eddie performs, he is sustained by the music. After noticing he […]

Not many people have had careers as long and as varied as Sandra Hall, “The Empress of the Blues.” Her career in the music industry began when she was just 12 years old, and it has never stopped: much like her father, the preeminent pianist Eddie Tigner. Sandra began performing gospel at the age of […]