Browsing: Mississippi Fred McDowell

Ted Estersohn reflects on a lifetime immersed in the blues—from studying with Jerry Ricks to playing alongside Fred McDowell and Son House—while forging a distinctive guitar voice that bridges blues, folk, and jazz.

The “Father of the Blues” W.C. Handy claims he was at a train station in 1903 when he first heard the long, low sound of a knife on steel strings. According to myth, Handy hearing that slide guitar was the official birth of the blues. Makes sense. There are more 78s and 45s dedicated to stations, railways and locomotives than can ever be counted…