The Blues Dispatch

Explore the music, and go deeper with the Blues Dispatch, our editorial blog covering everything blues.

Cherry red Gibson ES-335 semi-hollow body electric guitar leaning against a vintage tube amplifier
By Paul Johnson June 15, 2026
The Gibson ES-335 has defined blues guitar tone for over six decades. Here is why this semi-hollow body became the favorite of B.B. King and so many others.
Weathered acoustic guitar resting against a wooden porch on a rural Mississippi farmhouse at sunset.
By Paul Johnson June 3, 2026
Explore the origins of Delta blues, the Mississippi-born sound that shaped American music and inspired generations of artists from Robert Johnson onward.
SRV Guitar for Blog Post
By Paul Johnson May 29, 2026
Battered, blue, and beautiful. Explore the detailed history, modifications, and unique relic details of SRV's ultimate "First Wife" guitar. Read our deep dive now!
Vintage image of the Blues Club in Chicago
By Paul Johnson May 19, 2026
Discover what Chicago blues is, how it transformed American music, and the legendary artists who built the electric sound that changed the blues forever.
Otis Stone Blues Cover for Brown Sugar Moon
By Paul Johnson May 11, 2026
Read about the new blues song release, Brown Sugar Moon by Otis Stone. A late-night soul blues love song. Get romantic, get in the mood with this song.
Texas Roadhouse for Blues musician Otis Stone
By Paul Johnson May 3, 2026
Behind "Dust on the Devil's Road" — a slow-burning roadhouse blues about regret, redemption, and the highways that hold both. Listen and read the story.
New Orleans Jazz Blues Cover Art
By Paul Johnson April 21, 2026
Otis Stone's New Orleans Jazz Blues is a cinematic journey through the haunting nocturnal soul of the French Quarter — muted trumpet, brushed drums, pure noir.
By Paul Johnson April 15, 2026
New Blues track by Otis Stone Blues. “Hallelujah Blues” is more than a song; it is a narrative of struggle, redemption, and resilience. Read and listen here.
2026 Blues Music Awards
By Paul Johnson April 13, 2026
The 2026 Blues Music Awards hit Memphis on May 7. Here's your guide to Album of the Year contenders and the Marcia Ball Hall of Fame induction.
Broke Down and Busted cover art for Otis Stone blues
By Paul Johnson April 7, 2026
Otis Stone's new original track "Broke Down and Busted" is a raw, slow-burning hard-times blues anthem about hitting rock bottom. Stream it now on all platforms.
A vintage sunburst Fender Telecaster electric guitar on a Chicago blues club stage
By Paul Johnson April 1, 2026
Muddy Waters left the Mississippi Delta for Chicago and changed music forever. The story of the man who electrified the blues and inspired generations of artists.
A 1940s Chicago South Side blues club at night with neon signs glowing and crowds gathered outside o
By Paul Johnson March 25, 2026
The Great Migration carried millions of Black Americans from the South to Chicago and brought the blues with them. The story of how Delta music became electric.
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