Blues Moments in Time...

On February 28, the blues doesn’t just mark a date on the calendar—it marks a crossroads. From a Broadway stage where Black voices first shook the walls of segregation, to a three–chord guitar riff launched into outer space, to indictments that finally cracked the armor of Jim Crow justice, this single day traces the blues’ journey from Southern streets to the stars. In this episode, we follow February 28 across decades: the opera that smuggled the blues into the mainstream, the red-hot chart symbol that changed who got heard, the birth of guitar mystics and British blues missionaries, and the passing of a man who carried Robert Johnson’s ghost into the modern age. February 28 is more than a date—it’s a living timeline of how the blues remembers, resists, and keeps moving forward.

IN THIS EPISODE:

[00:00] - Introduction

[00:52] - The Cultural Landscape

[02:37] - The Political Climate

[03:44] - Exploring the Music

[04:54] - Births

[07:12] - Passings

[08:23] - Conclusion

KEY FIGURES MENTIONED:

Anne Brown (1912-2009)

Todd Duncan (1903-1998)

Chuck Berry (1926-2017)

John Fahey (1939-2001)

Brian Jones (The Rolling Stones) (1942-1969)

John Hammond (John Hammond Jr.) (1942-2026)

DIG DEEPER:

Todd Duncan / Anne Brown - I Loves You Porgy

Chuck Berry - Johnny B. Goode

John Fahey - Sunflower River Blues

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: Rufus Tate

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

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

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

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

©2026 The Blues Hotel Collective.

February 27 is where the blues bares its teeth — from lunch-counter beatings and legal double standards to record-breaking rock ’n’ roll and road-worn survivors, this is a day when Black talent keeps breaking through walls that were never meant to let it in. It’s resistance, release, and raw genius, all stamped on the same square of the calendar.

IN THIS EPISODE:

[00:00] - Introduction

[00:45] - The Cultural Landscape

[02:30] - The Political Climate

[04:00] - Exploring the Music

[06:15] - Births

[06:15] - Passings

[06:15] - Conclusion

KEY FIGURES MENTIONED:

Little Richard (1932-2020)

James Brown (1933-2006)

Mildred Bailey (1907-1951)

Roosevelt Holtz (1905-1994)

Eddie Kirkland (1923-2011)

DIG DEEPER:

Little Richard - Long Tall Sally

James Brown - Say It Loud - I'm Black And I'm Proud (Pt. 1)

Mildred Bailey - Rockin' Chair

Roosevelt Holts - Roosevelt Holts: Presenting The Country Blues

Eddie Kirkland - Have Mercy On Me

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.

February 26 is where American music gets dragged through the mud — the day stolen sounds made millions, promised rights were stripped bare, and the blues rose up from the wreckage to tell the truth nobody wanted to hear.

IN THIS EPISODE:

[00:00] - Introduction

[00:49] - The Cultural Landscape

[02:30] - The Political Climate

[03:43] - Exploring the Music

[04:33] - Births

[06:19] - Passings

[07:39] - Conclusion

KEY FIGURES MENTIONED:

Fats Domino (1928 - 2017)

Bob “The Bear” Hite (1943 - 1981)

Bukka White (1909–1977)

DIG DEEPER:

Fats Domino - The Fat Man

Canned Heat - Going Up the Country

Bukka White - Parchman Farm Blues

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 February 25, history didn’t whisper — it shouted. From a Senate seat reclaimed from the Confederacy to a young Muhammad Ali refusing to bow, this date shows how defiance, survival, and raw truth shaped the blues.

IN THIS EPISODE:

[00:00] - Introduction

[00:46] - The Cultural Landscape

[01:51] - The Political Climate

[02:54] - Exploring the Music

[04:07] - Births

[05:25] - Passings

[06:43] - Conclusion

KEY FIGURES MENTIONED:

Hiram Rhodes Revels

First African American U.S. Senator, seated in 1870 — a moment of Reconstruction audacity that foreshadows the political roots of the blues.

Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay)

His 1964 upset over Sonny Liston embodied the same refusal to “lose quietly” that fuels blues storytelling.

James P. Johnson

“Father of Stride Piano,” whose 1927 recordings fused ragtime precision with blues emotion.

Buddy Guy

Finally recognized by the industry in 1992 with a Grammy — decades after peers called him the greatest living blues guitarist.

Ida Cox

The “Uncrowned Queen of the Blues,” whose feminist anthem Wild Women Don’t Have the Blues broke barriers before the word “feminism” was mainstream.

Andrew Brown

Chicago guitarist of fluid brilliance, under‑recorded but revered by those who heard him live.

Louisiana Red (Iverson Minter)

Survivor of unthinkable trauma who turned sorrow into slide‑driven testimony; passed on Feb 25, 2012.

DIG DEEPER:

Ida Cox - Wild Women Don't Have the Blues - https://youtu.be/Sa2GuMZ1t6A

James P. Johnson - Snowy Morning Blues - https://youtu.be/55k5BJe6Im8

Buddy Guy - Damn Right, I've Got the Blues - https://youtu.be/QUKC-RHuJhQ

Louisiana Red - Sweetblood Call - https://youtu.be/TeL6z1Qp_2Q

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.

From Kentucky’s defiance of emancipation to B.B. King’s Grammy honor and Memphis Slim’s Paris exile, this episode traces how February 24th captures the blues’ journey from oppression and field hollers to British blues explosions, arena stages, and worldwide recognition.

Hosted by: Kelvin Huggins

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

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

Keep the blues alive.

© 2026 The Blues Hotel Collective.