Page 46 - Blues Festival Guide Magazine 2025 Digital Edition

First Time

I Met the Blues

By Reverend Billy C. Wirtz Bob Driver (musician): “An 8-track tape of Specialty artists
Discovering music is one of the true blessings of life. Some and a Kent Record label collection called Underground Blues
experiences like piercings, shaving one’s head and getting with B.B. King, Howlin’ Wolf and Elmore James. I was 13 at
the time.”
tattoos tend to be more age-specific, but the joy of new music
Leon Blue (92-year-old piano legend): “I learned Meade
never grows old. Lux Lewis ‘Honky Tonk Train’ in 1946.”
I recently interviewed a well-known guitarist, and when
Jimmy Carpenter (musician, promoter): “Otis Redding’s
asked about his influences, he mentioned a Texas group called Dictionary of Soul.”
The Nitecaps. I was both surprised and curious, having heard Mark Wenner (harmonica, leader of The Nighthawks): “The
of them, but never putting them into the “game changers” album that made me want to play blues was Folk Song ’65.
category. They were a Texas band that made one album in When I heard Paul Butterfield, it felt like something I could do.”
1959, long before the other blues revival artists of the ‘60s Eden Brent (piano, vocals): “‘Down Home Blues’ by
and ‘70s. I subsequently bought the CD and have played it Z.Z. Hill.”
weekly on my “Rhythm Revival” radio show ever since. Steve Arvey (cigar box guitar): “I bought the Howlin’ Wolf
I realized that although our journeys may have ended up The Real Folk Blues album on the Crown budget label for $.99
on the same square, the paths to blues enlightenment are both in a Kmart!”
varied and numerous. This led me to ask fellow writers and Marty Gunther (musician, writer,
musicians this question: archivist): “Two Steps from The Blues,
Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland, 1962.”
What is the album or record that turned on William Wirths (musician, writer,
your blues love light? former pro wrestling manager): “Mike
The responses were immediate and heartfelt. I almost felt Summerville lived across the street from
like I was asking about something far more intimate. me in Rockville, MD. He took me to see

44 Blues Festival Guide 2025