Episode 194: When Houston Had The Blues with Alan Swyer

Across the Margin: The Podcast

This episode of Across The Margin : The Podcast presents an interview with Alan Swyer, an award-winning filmmaker whose recent documentaries have dealt with Eastern spirituality in the Western world, the criminal justice system, diabetes, boxing, singer Billy Vera, and beyond. In the realm of music, among his productions is an album of Ray Charles love songs. His novel The Beard was recently published by Harvard Square Editions. His latest documentary, When Houston Had The Blues — the focus of this episode — shines a bright light on a vibrant Black music scene that has never gotten its just due…until now. Houston’s early and indelible mark on American music and the blues — often overlooked despite its rich history — is celebrated in the soulful, feature-length documentary, When Houston Had the Blues. While Houston may not come to most people’s minds as a major “music city” like Memphis, Chicago or New Orleans, it has a legacy that few other cities can match. Years before Elvis hit the charts with “Hound Dog,” it was originally recorded by Houston’s Big Mama Thornton (arguably the defining version). And long before Motown, Houston was home to one of the most successful Black music empires in the country. When Houston Had the Blues features an extensive collection of photos from the ’40s and ‘50s and vintage/contemporary performances by Bobby “Blue” Bland, Chic “Juke Boy” Bonner, Charles Brown, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Jewel Brown, C.J. Chenier, Arnett Cobb, Albert Collins, Diunna Greenleaf, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Albert King, Freddie King, Trudy Lynn, David “Guitar Shorty” Kearney, Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton, Katie Webster aka The Swamp Boogie Queen, Don Wilkerson and more. With a unique timber and flavor unlike any other town in America, even other Texan cities, Houston’s blues scene — ranging from “gut bucket” to highly sophisticated — has long been a melting pot of music, influenced by salsa, tejano, cajun, zydeco (then known as la-la), jazz, country and, later, rock ‘n’ roll.

Stream Houston Had The Blues on iTunes / Apple TV.

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