Introduction
Where it all began
This section concentrates on the history of British Blues and provides the reader with an educational resource in terms of articles, essays, directories, biographies, photographs, interviews with legendary British blues artists, festival & gig reviews, memories and memorabilia from readers lucky enough to have witnessed the early British blues scene, recommended British blues history books and references to other websites containing the history of British blues. I hope this is interesting and useful.
As mentioned on the Home page this website is the appointed custodian of the UKBlues Federation’s British Blues Archive material which is incorporated in this section. Full details are given on the Acknowledgments page.
For those readers visiting directly from the UKBlues Federation website link, a very warm welcome to you.
To put this website and the British Blues section in context it may be helpful for you to take a look at the About page first.
This EarlyBlues.org website was created and is managed by Alan White, blues historian and archivist.
Please feel free to email alan@earlyblues.com with any comments / additional material / etc.
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Firstly here are some images of those who played a vital role in bringing blues music to Britain (how may can you name?) …
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Articles and EssaysClick here for a series of articles and essays on the birth of British Blues, sources and influences, evolution of British blues and where we are today. |
BiographiesClick here for a series of biographies of early British blues artists and bands mainly from the British Blues Archive. |
British Blues Artists and Bands DirectoriesThese directories has been compiled to acknowledge the involvement and contribution of the early British blues artists/bands in creating the British Blues Scene. Click here for a directory of early British blues artists, their backgrounds, home towns and musical associations. Click here for a directory of early British blues bands, their formation, composition and years active. |
British Blues DiscographiesClick here for details and link to the ‘British Blues Discography 1950s to 1970’ – a selective discography compiled by Leslie Fancourt Click here for reviews of classic British blues albums. |
Early British Blues Clubs and VenuesClick here for details of clubs and venues in the early British blues scene including artists and bands that performed there and some details on ‘whatever happened to …’, plus memorabilia and readers memories of attending the clubs. |
Early British Blues FestivalsClick here for the EarlyBlues ‘UK & European Blues Festivals Guides‘ for the current year right back to 2009. Check out who performed where in recent years and bring back those memories of those you attended. Click here for ‘UK Blues Festival Photo Galleries‘ and associated Reviews for the current year right back to 2002. Check out extensive photo galleries and reviews of past UK blues festivals, including international artists visiting the UK. Click here for ‘Festival Memories and Memorabilia’ of the early British Blues scene. Check out vintage blues festival posters, including some details on ‘whatever happened to …’, plus readers memories of attending the festivals. Click here for the full ‘Archives of Festival Reviews and Photos’ of the British blues scene (now being updated as the comprehensive archive of all British festival reviews & photo galleries published on the Earlyblues.com and Earlyblues.org websites over the past 20 years). |
UKBlues Federation EventsClick here for the ‘UKBlues Awards Archive’ – proceedings and memorabilia of the Awards created by the UKBlues Federation to give the blues community in the UK the opportunity to recognise and applaud those actively involved with the scene in the UK. Click here for the ‘UKBlues Challenge Archive’ – proceedings and memorabilia of the Challenge organised by the UKBlues Federation to choose a band or artist to represent the UK at the annual International Blues Challenge organised by the Blues Foundation and at the annual European Blues Challenge organised by the European Blues Union. Click here for the ‘UKBlues Fuse Archive’ – an initiative to raise the profile of emerging & established, but ‘under the radar’ bands/artists and provide them with opportunities to perform in out of area clubs, venues and festivals. Click here for the: ‘Celebration of UK Blues’ – reviews and photos of the event held at the Triumph Standard Club in Coventry. Click here for full details of the UKBlues Federation – supporting, encouraging, promoting and developing blues music in all its glorious forms right across the UK. |
Early British Blues Tours, Concerts & GigsClick here for archives of miscellaneous British blues tours, concerts and gigs, both large and small, including international artists visiting the UK. |
Early British Blues OrganisationsClick here for details of early organisations dedicated to the promotion of British blues. |
British Record Shop ArchiveClick here to go to the British Record Shop Archive website, dedicated to documenting a history of all record shops across Britain. Please note this link is to a separate website, curated by the BRSA. |
In MemoriamObituaries of early British blues Artists – here you will find a series of obituaries, dedications and biographies in memory of early British blues artists and those involved in the early British blues scene who have sadly passed on. |
InterviewsClick here for a series of interviews with legendary British blues artists with reminiscences of the early British Blues scene. |
MemoriesClick here for readers own memories of the early British Blues scene. Click here for memorabilia of the early British Blues scene. |
Vintage British Blues MagazinesClick here for a synopsis of British blues magazines, plus those published in several European countries. Click here for reproductions of complete volumes of early vintage British blues magazines. |
Further Reading and ReferenceRecommended British Blues History Books Here you will find a bibliography of blues books concerning the history of British Blues. Recommended Websites with British Blues History content Here you will find a list of websites which help document the history of British Blues. Links to Videos about the History of the Blues Here you will find references to videos about the history of the blues, from its roots in the southern states of America to its influences in British Blues. Further Research into British Blues Here you will find a list of research organisations and recommended research articles on British Blues for those requiring further in-depth research. |
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Notes
1. Some details in these sections are taken from Wikipedia articles reproduced here strictly for educational use only. Several are augmented with photographs, additional information and links by Alan White (and/or other contributors as indicated within each section).
2. Source: www.wikipedia.org – used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike license (CC-BY-SA);
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