Much like the songs on his latest album Pathways, the sounds swirling around Canadian singer-songwriter Julian Taylor on our recent phone call for BGS were also filled with curiosity, emotion, and the subtle, intrinsic tones of a modern world unfolding. Walking the streets of his native Toronto, the introspective depths of Taylorâs voice and pure…
No one on earth plays the guitar like Yasmin Williams. When the BGS team was first introduced to her music â back a few years now, in 2017 or 2018, during our annual programming for our Shout & Shine diversity showcase â it was an objectively jaw-dropping discovery. We've covered many singular musicians, instrumentalists, and…
Though she downplays notions of fame and exposure, vocalist, songwriter, and bandleader Shemekia Copeland qualifies as a genuine star. Among 21st century blues artists, she's right there with Christone "Kingfish" Ingram, Gary Clark Jr., Robert Cray, and Eric Gales as performers whose audience outreach and cache extend far beyond the restrictive circle of specialty radio…
This year, a new event will debut at the IBMA World of Bluegrass in Raleigh, North Carolina. Presented by IBMA and The Banjo Gathering, Roots Revival: Black Stringband Symposium will explore Black contributions to bluegrass and traditional music over two days of the week-long event with six especially programmed sessions. On Thursday, September 26, conference-goers,…
Growing up in rural Georgia, Jontavious Willis discovered blues through a YouTube video of Muddy Waters and immediately immersed himself in the genre. At 14, he began playing acoustic guitar, he started gigging as a college student, and released his first album, Blues Metamorphosis, in 2016. Two years later, he opened on the TajMo tour…
