Blues Unlimited

Series produced by Steve c/o Ernest Franz

Series image

Join us as we explore the wonderful world of the Blues, and its history, heritage, and rich cultural traditions.

Blues Unlimited is an NPR-style two-hour weekly show that has been called the "best blues radio show in the United States," and has an established and loyal audience of listeners from around the globe. Hosted by "Sleepy Boy Hawkins" (the alter-ego of scholar, author, fanatic, and historian Steve Franz), each installment is a self-contained evergreen show, delving into a different genre, topic, or aspect of the blues. For more details on the program, see our full profile, or email us at bluesunlimited@gmail.com


219 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
Caption: Listening to the Blues Unlimited Halloween Special is what all the really cool kids are doing!
We're having the Blues for Halloween! Join us for two spooky hours of fun, with tales about black cat bones, haunted houses, voodoo spells, and lon...

Bought by KMXT and 90.5 WSNC


  • Added: Oct 14, 2013
  • Length: 01:58:59
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: One of the top #1 hits from one of the top labels of the early 1950s.
Join us as we count down the number one smash hits of the early 1950s! Using our top secret formula, we've made a list of the biggest R&B records t...

Bought by KRPS


  • Added: Oct 21, 2013
  • Length: 01:58:59
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Chuck Berry’s game-changing piece of wax from 1955, “Maybellene.”
Join us for more smash hits of the early 1950s, this time from the years 1953 through 1955. Using our top secret formula, we've come up with a list...

  • Added: Oct 28, 2013
  • Length: 01:58:59
Caption: George Barnes, in his early days.
One of the first people to use an electric guitar on a blues record was a 16 year-old kid from the suburbs of Chicago. The incredible true story of...

Bought by KRPS


  • Added: Nov 02, 2013
  • Length: 01:58:59
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: From Top Left: Pete Johnson; Willard McDaniel; Hadda Brooks.
Join us for two hours of our favorite Boogie Woogie piano. From the "Big Three" — Pete Johnson, Albert Ammons, and Meade Lux Lewis — to some of the...

Bought by KRPS


  • Added: Nov 09, 2013
  • Length: 01:58:59
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: The perfect complement to any meal, Good Biscuits — just ask Memphis Minnie!
Join us for a star-studded tribute to the wonderful world of food! We’ve got all the major food groups lined up this time, from songs about barbecu...

Bought by WHCP-LP Cambridge


  • Added: Nov 17, 2013
  • Length: 01:58:59
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: One of the distinctive covers from the Blues Classics series. Cover photo of Richmond, Texas by Chris Strachwitz.
Join us as we aim the spotlight on a legendary series of albums from the Blues Classics label. Founded by Chris Strachwitz as a companion to Arhool...

Bought by KRPS


  • Added: Nov 23, 2013
  • Length: 01:58:59
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Photo of a Juke Joint in Central Texas by Chris Strachwitz.
Join us for part two of our tribute to the Blues Classics label. Founded by Chris Strachwitz as the 'unofficial' reissue arm of Arhoolie Records, w...

Bought by KRPS


  • Added: Nov 30, 2013
  • Length: 01:58:59
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Pictured: Some all-time favorites featured on the program. Right: popular gospel preacher, the Rev. J.M. Gates.
Join us as we take a look at some of the great gospel preachers. From vintage favorites by the Reverends J.M. Gates and A.W. Nix, to postwar classi...

Bought by KRPS


  • Added: Dec 07, 2013
  • Length: 01:58:59
  • Purchases: 1
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It’s time for our annual Christmas Extravaganza Spectacular! With holiday favorites from Jimmy Smith, Booker T. & the MGs, Ray Charles, Jimmy McGri...

Bought by WJAB, WDCB, WHCP-LP Cambridge, KHNS, KMXT and more


  • Added: Dec 14, 2013
  • Length: 01:58:59
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: Pictured: One of the top sellers on Vocalion at the time, Blind Boy Fuller.
In July 1939, the engineers from Vocalion Records set up shop for two weeks in Memphis, cutting almost 170 sides by more than a dozen artists. The ...

Bought by KRPS


  • Added: Jan 06, 2014
  • Length: 01:58:59
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Pictured: A personal favorite of Clifford Antone, Chicago blues guitar legend, Eddie Taylor.
Join us as we head back down to Antone’s legendary nightclub in Austin, Texas, to hear music from Pinetop Perkins, James Cotton, Jimmy Rogers, Memp...

Bought by KRPS


  • Added: Jan 11, 2014
  • Length: 01:58:59
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Harmonica ace Snooky Pryor. Image courtesy of Blues Unlimited magazine.
Join us as we pay tribute to one of the pioneers of postwar Chicago blues harmonica, Snooky Pryor. Making his recording debut in 1948, he cut some ...

Bought by KRPS and 90.5 WSNC


  • Added: Jan 18, 2014
  • Length: 01:58:59
  • Purchases: 2
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Join us for a look at Saint Louis, where the country blues meet the city. Over the years, some critics have claimed it was the place where prewar b...

Bought by KRPS and 90.5 WSNC


  • Added: Jan 25, 2014
  • Length: 01:58:59
  • Purchases: 2
Piece image
Join us for part two of our look at the blues in Saint Louis from the 1920s and '30s, this time focusing on the piano players. We’ll hear from popu...

Bought by KRPS and 90.5 WSNC


  • Added: Feb 01, 2014
  • Length: 01:58:59
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: From top left: Legendary axe-man Hubert Sumlin; one of Arthur Crudup’s later acoustic recordings; the great Freddie King.
Join us as we take another look at some of our favorite artists — some of them synonymous with the very concept of "Postwar Electric Blues" — and f...

Bought by KRPS and 90.5 WSNC


  • Added: Feb 09, 2014
  • Length: 01:58:59
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: Stick McGhee, whose "Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee" was a big smash hit for Atlantic Records in 1949.
Join us as we celebrate the good times, with songs about drinking and having fun. With music on tap from Ike Turner, J.B. Lenoir, John Lee Hooker, ...

Bought by KRPS and 90.5 WSNC


  • Added: Feb 15, 2014
  • Length: 01:58:59
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: Photo of Johnny Woods courtesy of Center for Southern Folklore Archives. Photographer unknown.
We've taken a whole great gob of our favorite down home country blues harmonica blowers, and lined them up for one incredible episode we're calling...

Bought by WJSU, KRPS, and 90.5 WSNC


  • Added: Feb 22, 2014
  • Length: 01:58:59
  • Purchases: 3
Caption: Independent producer Bobby Robinson, pictured with just one of his many productions.
Join us as we aim the spotlight on independent record producer, Bobby Robinson. Not only could he lay claim to a legendary series of labels — such ...

Bought by KRPS, WJSU, and 90.5 WSNC


  • Added: Mar 01, 2014
  • Length: 01:58:59
  • Purchases: 3
Piece image
Join us as we aim the spotlight on Bill Quinn’s legendary Gold Star record label. Founded in Houston in the late 1940s, he recorded some of the cre...

Bought by KRPS, WJSU, and 90.5 WSNC


  • Added: Mar 08, 2014
  • Length: 01:58:59
  • Purchases: 3