Blues Moments in Time...

On this edition of Blues Moments in Time, we explore how October 9 connects some of the most powerful stories in African American history, politics and music.

From abolitionist publisher Mary Ann Shadd Cary using the printed word to fight for freedom, to the tragic lynching of Jesse James Payne, we examine the realities that shaped the world from which the blues emerged. We also reflect on milestones in Black political leadership, including W. Wilson Goode's election as Philadelphia's first Black mayor and Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize.

Musically, October 9 marks major moments for Ray Charles, whose Hit the Road Jack topped the charts in 1961, and Eddie Cochran, whose Come On Everybody helped carry blues-based rhythm and blues into rock and roll. Along the way, we celebrate the legacies of Elmer Snowden, Johnny Bassett, O.V. Wright, and Cliff Gallup.

If you're loving these daily blues history drops, leave us a review via your favourite podcast platform - it helps other blues lovers find the show.

Hosted by: Kelvin Huggins

Presented by: The Blues Hotel Collective - your home for EVERYTHING BLUES.

Website: https://www.theblueshotel.com.au/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theblueshotel

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theblueshotel

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theblueshotel.com.au

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBluesHotel

©2026 The Blues Hotel Collective.

In this episode of Blues Moments in Time, host Kelvin Huggins unpacks the profound historical and musical crossroads of October 8. Discover how the devastating 1871 Great Chicago Fire inadvertently laid the geographical foundation for the city's legendary Southside blues scene, and how the 1993 lifting of UN sanctions against South Africa mirrored the genre's lifelong fight against systemic oppression. We drop the needle on B.B. King’s transformative 1969 recording of "The Thrill Is Gone," and celebrate the legacies of Delta preservationist Lonnie Pitchford, jump blues centenarian Hal "Cornbread" Singer, and R&B groove-maker L. Duncan. Tune in to explore how every groove holds a memory, and how the blues remains a living archive of resilience, adaptation, and hope.

If you're loving these daily blues history drops, leave us a review via your favourite podcast platform - it helps other blues lovers find the show.

Hosted by: Kelvin Huggins

Presented by: The Blues Hotel Collective - your home for EVERYTHING BLUES.

Website: https://www.theblueshotel.com.au/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theblueshotel

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theblueshotel

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theblueshotel.com.au

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBluesHotel

©2026 The Blues Hotel Collective.

In this episode of Blues Moments in Time, we unpack the dual narrative of October 7—a date where the struggle for civil rights and the global evolution of the blues intersect. We explore how grassroots organizing in rural Mississippi and the endurance of voters on Freedom Day in Selma mirror the resilience baked into blues music. Through the generational sounds of Big Joe Williams's raw Delta strings, B.B. King's masterful international performances, and Kenny Wayne Shepherd's modern electric revival, discover how the blues continually adapts while remaining a vital tool for human endurance.

If you're loving these daily blues history drops, leave us a review via your favourite podcast platform - it helps other blues lovers find the show.

Hosted by: Kelvin Huggins

Presented by: The Blues Hotel Collective - your home for EVERYTHING BLUES.

Website: https://www.theblueshotel.com.au/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theblueshotel

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theblueshotel

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theblueshotel.com.au

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBluesHotel

©2026 The Blues Hotel Collective.

On October 6, the story of the blues reaches far beyond the music itself.

From the fight for Black political power at the 1847 National Black Convention, to Fannie Lou Hamer’s lifelong struggle for voting rights, October 6 reveals the deep connection between African American resistance, community and the blues.

We travel from the spirituals of the Fisk Jubilee Singers to J.B. Lenoir’s electric Chicago blues, Brownie McGhee’s intimate Piedmont sound, and the Rolling Stones’ continuing love affair with American blues.

Along the way, we meet blues and jazz pianist Sammy Price and harmonica master Little Sonny, discovering how migration, gospel, jazz and blues continually crossed paths.

This is a story about music that travelled, adapted and survived — and about a tradition that has always found a way to tell the truth about life, hardship, dignity and hope.If you're loving these daily blues history drops, leave us a review via your favourite podcast platform - it helps other blues lovers find the show.

Hosted by: Kelvin Huggins

Presented by: The Blues Hotel Collective - your home for EVERYTHING BLUES.

Website: https://www.theblueshotel.com.au/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theblueshotel

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theblueshotel

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theblueshotel.com.au

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBluesHotel

©2026 The Blues Hotel Collective.

On this day in blues history, we trace a remarkable journey from the street blues of Texas guitarist George "Little Hat" Jones to the global stages of the American Folk Blues Festival. Along the way, we explore the shared truths between blues storytelling and the civil rights movement through the life of James Foreman, revisit the jazz-blues crossroads of King Oliver and Louis Armstrong, and examine the controversy surrounding Muddy Waters' groundbreaking Electric Mud. A story of migration, adaptation and endurance, October 5 reminds us that the blues has never stood still.

If you're loving these daily blues history drops, leave us a review via your favourite podcast platform - it helps other blues lovers find the show.

Hosted by: Kelvin Huggins

Presented by: The Blues Hotel Collective - your home for EVERYTHING BLUES.

Website: https://www.theblueshotel.com.au/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theblueshotel

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theblueshotel

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theblueshotel.com.au

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBluesHotel

©2026 The Blues Hotel Collective.