Leap In The Dark

A BLUES GALLERY

Welcome to a very incomplete gallery of Blues singers and players. These are folks who have caught my fancy over the years for the amazing things I've heard them do. A lot of them are no longer with us in body but they can still be heard singing on scratchy old recordings (preferably) of digitally remastered and cleaned up CDs. I think I'd rather listen to Robert Johnson and Bessie Smith on an old scratchy 78 myself. I was going to segregate the guys from the gals at first, but than I decided what the hell for - they all belong together. So enjoy the pics, and I hope it inspires you to go out and at least listen if not buy some of their music. Without these folk the music we listen to today would have been a lot more boring

One of only two known photos of Robert Johnson in existance

A very early Silver backed metal plate photo of Bessie

A scholarly looking Elmore James in the studio

Dinah Washington let's it rip at an outdoor concert.

That's Mr. "Blues Boy" King to you! (Note the painting in behind him)

Wasn't That A Man! The Mannish Boy Himself, Muddy Waters

Maybe they couldn't stand each other, but boy could they play well together. Sonny and Brownie
The Iceman Cometh! Albert Collins

Etta James caught live on Czech television. Isn't she a woman

It was her "Hound Dog" that Elvis was singing about. Big Momma Thornton

Koko Taylor makes a point in San Francisco

Albert King and his flying "V" cruising at a high altitude.

Nina Simone makes sure you get the point and the message.

Bernard Allison following his dad into the wild blues yonder.

Luther Allison reaching for the heavens

Every once in a while you get lucky and stumble across something truly wonderful as you're trawling the web. When I was putting together this page of photos I came across the work of Bill Steber a photo journalist and researcher from Mississippi. Mr. Steber's pages contain some of the most amazing photos that I have ever seen, not just of musicians, but of the places that the blues were born in.
As Mr. Steber requested that permission be obtained prior to these photos being used, I would also request that you give him the same consideration that I did, and before using these for public display at your own site, please contact him via the web address above. In the meantime enjoy the pictures.

Every year B.B. King returns home to play the Club Ebony

Slide on home with Mr. David Johnson

Eugene Powell, the last of the Mississippi originals is now gone like so many before him.

Mose plays the B3 as a session man for Sun Records in Memphis

Robert Walker walking backwards down a country road: halfway between here and there.

Jack Owens on guitar and Bud Spires on Harp are hiden behind their guard cat.

Well that's it for now, and I'll be adding some more as I get permissions and as I find more. I know there are a lot of people I've missed. I'm sure some kind soul will let me know any and all the names that I"ve left out.