The fact that this folk-blues trio existed at all is noteworthy. By the time KR&G hit the national scene, first at the 1963 Philadelphia Folk Festival and then Newport a year later, you could count the number of white blues performers on one hand (a very young John Hammond and, at times, Dave Van Ronk

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John Sebastian and David Grisman first ran into each other in the early ’60s, when Greenwich Village’s Washington Square Park was the epicenter of the national Folk Boom. They were both recruited by guitarist Stefan Grossman for a recording project to be dubbed The Even Dozen Jug Band – in hindsight, somewhat of a supergroup,

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Long Island’s Pat Conte is a rarity among record and instrument collectors in that he can really play. Actually, that’s an understatement. One of the foremost experts on “world music,” Conte compiled and annotated Yazoo Records’ Secret Museum Of Mankind volumes – all manner of music, from all over the world, remastered from 78s recorded

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Multi-instrumentalist Taylor has never been afraid to push the blues envelope, both stylistically (ranging from Appalachian to psychedelic to explorations with jazz pianist Hiromi Uehara) and lyrically (boldly addressing social and racial issues). Even though his latest effort reaches back in time, as its title indicates, it’s far from an exercise in nostalgia or academia.

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“I always knew I would record again someday,” Weiss writes in the liner notes. But who knew it would take 40 years? In the mid ’60s, Weiss was lead singer of the Shangri-Las – quite possibly the baddest bad girls of the “girl group” era (sort of the white Ronettes). With hits like “Remember (Walking

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The first successful African-American-owned record label, Vee-Jay, was formed in 1953, six years before Berry Gordy formed Motown. Its catalog eventually boasted a wider stylistic range than Chicago rival Chess Records, but initially concentrated on doo-wop and blues. Shout! Factory’s four-disc, 86-track anthology is the first serious retrospective of this integral chapter in rock, pop,

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Jerry Reed’s “Guitar Man” is the perfect opener for Steve Trovato’s sophomore release – not only thematically (the song made famous by Elvis is about a “swinging little guitar man”) but stylistically. His 2001 debut, About Time…, was an eclectic mix, running the gamut from Django to B.B. This time out, the L.A.-based guitarist concentrates

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Roth was 17 when she started recording this project, 19 when she finished, and it’s testament to her talent and maturity that you can’t tell where the performances fell chronologically. Her six originals also more than hold their own alongside three tunes written or co-written by Jon Gershen and producer/guitarist (and father) Arlen Roth –

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The story of Canned Heat has more twists and turns than Spinal Tap’s evolution from the Thamesmen to Spinal Tap, Mark II. Which is why some of the dramatic, lofty claims in the documentary contained in this double-DVD undermine the amazing tale of the band’s actual achievements and history. “In all history,” the narrator intones,

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The fascinating, and moving, concept behind Give Us Your Poor differs from previous fundraising, conscious-awareness efforts, in that established musicians are teamed with talented people who have been, or are currently, homeless. So Jon Bon Jovi backs blues singer Mighty Sam McClain (once indigent but thankfully no longer) on the brass-band gospel of “Show Me

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