Blues Journey
Blown Away On the Bayou Blues & Harmonica Summit
The Whirlybird Compound
“The Blues is like a planet. It’s an enormous topic. You can’t ignore the impact that it has had and continues to have on the whole musical culture.”
— Wynton Marsalis
Hey y’all…
Welcome.
The questions you’ll find in these pages are the same questions I’ve been asking myself for years.
As Blown Away On the Bayou grew, I noticed something interesting. More and more people started asking me those same questions.
Who were the masters?
Where did The Blues come from?
How did it influence so much of American music?
What makes one style different from another?
Who should I listen to?
I realized I was on a journey myself.
So I decided to keep a journal.
Not because I have the answers.
Because I’m curious.
This isn’t a textbook.
It isn’t a history lesson.
It isn’t a how-to manual.
It’s simply my field notebook—a place where I follow questions, chase interesting stories, listen to remarkable musicians, and pay attention to the people and traditions that have shaped The Blues.
Every article begins with a question, follows a little curiosity, and usually ends up somewhere I never expected.
You have to listen.
You have to hear the timing, the phrasing, the breath, the stories behind the songs, and, whenever possible, spend time with the people who carry the tradition forward.
That’s why you’ll find recordings and videos all through this journal.
The words can point.
The music has to do the rest.
Besides… I couldn’t tell it in words anyway.
Along the way, I hope you’ll discover a few artists you’ve never heard before, revisit a few old friends, and maybe even find yourself asking a few new questions of your own.
If something here sparks a memory, introduces you to a musician, or sends you down a road you hadn’t planned to travel, then this journal has done exactly what I hoped it would do.
So pull up a chair.
Bring your curiosity.
Let’s see where The Blues takes us.
See you somewhere down the road.
— Jim Phillips
Your fellow traveler