Influenced by author George Saunders’ philosophy—“If it’s not fun, don’t do it”—Scheffler embraced a new creative rhythm and rediscovered his voice after two decades away from music.

He had the early heat, the critical raves, the record deal with Clive Davis. The industry buzzed like he was the next big thing—then watched as he took his own road. Now 21 albums in, Willie Nile looks back on a career driven more by passion than spotlight, sharing stages with The Who and Ringo, and holding fast to his instincts.

With ‘Chip Off The Old Block,’ Big Chief Bo Dollis Jr. channels Memphis soul, Mardi Gras Indian tradition, and his father’s enduring legacy into a groove-heavy celebration you can’t sit still for. Recorded at Memphis’ legendary Royal Studios—home to Al Green, Tina Turner, Chuck Berry, and Buddy Guy—it’s music with deep roots and dancing shoes required.

At 81 years old, Charlie Musselwhite still calls himself “just a working stiff.” With ‘Look Out Highway’ (out now via Forty Below Records), he shows how a lifetime of quiet dedication can still thunder loud in the blues.

Blues lifer Larry McCray has walked through Heartbreak City and come out with songs that carry both scars and soul. Produced by Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith, his new album draws from a lifetime of hard knocks and the fire first lit by his sister Clara. With ‘Heartbreak City,’ out June 13 via KTBA Records, McCray proves once again that he’s singing the blues like he means it.

Queenie is part heartache, part heat, and all her own. From growing up under mixing desks to her charting debut and a ten-year breakup that fueled it, the Australian rocker opened up at Blues on Broadbeach about the journey so far—and what’s next.

“Great songs live in the ordinary.” – Eli “Paperboy” Reed, speaking from Blues on Broadbeach, reflecting on two decades of hard-earned soul and authenticity.

Sunpie Barnes and Dom Turner talk spirit-led collaboration, Phil Wiggins’ legacy, improvisation, and the unexpected paths that led from the NFL and Australia’s blues underground to a soul-deep musical bond on the Gold Coast stage.

In this week’s installment of The Language of the Blues, we dig into the word “Captain”—once a title for plantation overseers, later adopted by white employers and prison wardens in the Jim Crow South. Through blues lyrics from Big Bill Broonzy to Son House, Debra Devi traces how this word carried the weight of control, resistance, and survival.