Cornerstone Recordings

Remembering Louisiana Red on his birthday, a fiercely expressive bluesman whose raw voice and driving guitar carried the tradition of Delta and electric blues across continents.

Louisiana Red (born Iverson Minter, March 23, 1932 - February 25, 2012) was a powerful singer, guitarist, and songwriter whose life story was as intense as the music he played. Born in Vicksburg, Mississippi and raised in difficult circumstances after the early loss of both parents, he poured that hardship into a deeply emotional style that blended Delta blues feeling with urban electric grit.

After moving north during the postwar years, Red began recording in the early 1960s producing stark, memorable records such as Red's Dream, Ride On Red, Ride On, and Sweet Blood Call, songs marked by haunting vocals, sharp slide guitar, and unflinching storytelling.

Over the decades Louisiana Red became an important link between traditional blues and later revival movements, touring extensively in Europe and eventually settling in Germany, where he found devoted audiences.

His long career earned him multiple Blues Music Awards and recognition as one of the last great representatives of the older blues tradition still performing well into the 21st century. Though he passed in 2012, his recordings remain powerful reminders of the raw emotional core at the heart of the blues.

#LouisianaRed #BluesHistory #DeltaBlues #ElectricBlues #AmericanRootsMusic #SlideGuitar

14 hours ago | [YT] | 7

Cornerstone Recordings

A happy heavenly birthday to Sister Rosetta Tharpe, a true pioneer whose music reshaped the sound of modern popular music.

To celebrate, we are excited to launch a special rare video performance of her gospel blues classic song Didn't It Rain, Children https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgbf8...

Sister Rosetta Tharpe (March 20, 1915 - October 9, 1973) was a groundbreaking gospel singer, songwriter, and electric guitarist whose fiery voice and innovative playing bridged sacred music and early rock and roll.

Born in Cotton Plant, Arkansas, she began performing as a child in church with her mother before rising to national fame in the late 1930s with recordings such as Rock Me, This Train, Up Above My Head, and Strange Things Happening Every Day - the latter often cited as one of the first gospel recordings to cross into the rhythm and blues charts and an early precursor to rock and roll.

Her electrifying guitar style and dynamic stage presence influenced generations of musicians, including Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Johnny Cash, helping to shape the sound of rock music itself.

Despite her immense influence, Tharpe's role in music history was often underrecognized during her lifetime. Today she is widely celebrated as one of the architects of rock and roll, honored with induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018. Her powerful voice, joyous spirit, and groundbreaking guitar work continue to inspire musicians and listeners alike.

#SisterRosettaTharpe #RockAndRoll #GospelMusic #RosettaTharpe

3 days ago (edited) | [YT] | 26

Cornerstone Recordings

Wishing a happy birthday to Doc Watson (March 3, 1923 - May 29, 2012), one of the most revered figures in American folk and bluegrass music, a master flatpicker whose clarity, speed and deep musicality transformed the role of the acoustic guitar in traditional music.

Born Arthel Lane Watson in Deep Gap, North Carolina, Watson lost his sight in infancy, yet developed an extraordinary ear and technique, absorbing old-time ballads, fiddle tunes, gospel hymns and country blues that he would later carry to national audiences during the folk revival of the 1960s.

Doc's breakthrough came through recordings and festival appearances that introduced wider audiences to traditional Appalachian repertoire, including songs such as Tom Dooley, Deep River Blues, Shady Grove, and Tennessee Stud, performed with a precision and warmth that became his signature.

Watson was not only a preservationist of tradition but an innovator, but his fluid flatpicking style influenced generations of guitarists across folk, bluegrass and country music. Over his long career he won multiple Grammy Awards, including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and was honored with the National Medal of Arts, recognizing both his musicianship and his role in sustaining American roots music.

Through collaborations with his son Merle Watson and countless festival performances (particularly at the annual MerleFest, founded in his son's memory) Doc Watson became a living bridge between the front-porch traditions of the Appalachian South and the global folk community.

When he passed in 2012 at age 89, the world lost not only a virtuoso guitarist, but a humble storyteller whose gentle voice and steady picking carried the sound of American tradition with honesty, grace and enduring soul.

#DocWatson #FolkMusic #Bluegrass

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2 weeks ago | [YT] | 25

Cornerstone Recordings

Wishing Ida Cox a happy heavenly birthday (February 25, 1888 - November 10, 1967).

One of the great architects of classic blues, a commanding vocalist and businesswoman whose artistry helped define the vaudeville blues tradition of the 1920s, she was born in Toccoa, Georgia, and began performing in traveling minstrel and medicine shows before emerging as a major recording artist in 1923.

Ida Cox cut dozens of singles that showcased her rich, forceful voice and sharp interpretive skill, including Wild Women Don't Have the Blues, The Soul of a Woman, Death Letter Blues, and I've Been Treated Wrong.

More than a recording star, Cox led her own touring troupe - Ida Cox and Her Raisin' Cain Company - demonstrating rare independence and leadership for a Black woman in the early twentieth-century entertainment world.

After stepping away from performing in the 1930s, she made a celebrated return in 1961 with the album Blues for Rampart Street, affirming the enduring power of her voice. Inducted posthumously into the Blues Hall of Fame, Ida Cox remains a towering figure of early blues: bold, self-possessed, and foundational to the music's history.

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 18

Cornerstone Recordings

Wishing a happy heavenly birthday to Johnny Winter (February 23, 1944 - July 16, 2014), one of the most electrifying blues guitarists of his generation and a fiercely original player whose slide work, speed and raw tone reignited mainstream interest in the blues during the late 1960.

Born in Beaumont, Texas, Winter was performing professionally as a teenager and rose to national prominence after a breakthrough performance at the 1968 Miami Pop Festival which led to a landmark major-label contract.

Albums such as Johnny Winter (1969) and Second Winter (1969) showcased his blistering interpretations of songs like Be Careful with a Fool and Highway 61 Revisited, while later classics including Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo cemented his crossover appeal.

In the 1970s he also played a pivotal role in revitalizing the career of Muddy Waters, producing and performing on Grammy-winning albums such as Hard Again (1977), helping return Waters to critical acclaim.

Over a career spanning more than four decades, Winter earned multiple Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, remaining a tireless touring musician until his passing in Zurich at age 70.

Johnny Winter's searing guitar tone and uncompromising devotion to the blues continue to influence players around the world.

4 weeks ago | [YT] | 17

Cornerstone Recordings

Remembering Henry Gray, who passed on this day in 2020. A towering figure in American blues, Henry Gray was a masterful pianist and singer whose life and work helped define the heartbeat of Chicago blues piano and the deep roots of swamp blues alike.

Born in Kenner, Louisiana and raised in a rural community near Baton Rouge, Gray began playing piano as a boy and, after serving in World War II, moved to Chicago where his playing became indispensable to a generation of blues greats; from his recordings and performances with Howlin' Wolf (becoming Wolf's primary pianist for more than a decade) to session work backing Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Jimmy Rogers and others, his touch was foundational to the sound that emerged from Chess Records and the city's vibrant blues scene.

Honored with a 2006 National Heritage Fellowship and later induction into the Blues Hall of Fame, Gray also recorded extensively under his own name and continued performing into his nineties, delighting audiences from local clubs in Louisiana to festivals around the world. Though he passed at 95, his tasteful, powerful piano and the countless notes he shared live and on record ensure that his influence will resonate in the blues forever.

R.I.P. Henry Gray (January 19, 1925 - February 17, 2020)

4 weeks ago | [YT] | 27

Cornerstone Recordings

Remembering Nat King Cole who passed away this day in 1965.

Nat King Cole was one of the most elegant and influential voices in 20th century music, a masterful jazz pianist and smooth-voiced vocalist whose artistry bridged jazz, pop, and American songbook tradition.

Born in Montgomery, Alabama and raised in Chicago, he first gained renown as the leader of the King Cole Trio before becoming a solo star with a warm baritone that brought timeless classics such as Mona Lisa, Unforgettable, The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire), Nature Boy, Straighten Up and Fly Right and L-O-V-E to audiences around the world.

Beyond his musical gifts, Cole broke significant barriers, becoming the first African American to host a national television variety show and navigating the racial challenges of his era while earning widespread adoration. Though he died far too young at 45 from lung cancer, his legacy endures in the melodies and performances that continue to resonate across generations.

R.I.P. Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 - February 15, 1965)

4 weeks ago | [YT] | 32

Cornerstone Recordings

Wishing a happy birthday to Slim Harpo (born on this day as James Isaac Moore, February 11, 1924 - January 31, 1970) who was an important voice in American blues, with a laid back swamp blues style and harmonica rich grooves that left a lasting imprint on both blues and rock music.

Originally rising from Lobdell and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Slim Harpo cut his first hit I'm a King Bee in 1957 and followed with enduring classics like Rainin' in My Heart and the sultry, chart topping Baby Scratch My Back, songs that blended deep blues feeling with a rhythmic groove that crossed over beyond traditional blues audiences.

Slim Harpo's influence reached far beyond the American South: British Invasion bands such as The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, and The Kinks each recorded his songs and helped spread his sound worldwide, while his hypnotic harmonica and vocals continue to inspire musicians decades after his untimely death of a heart attack at age 46.

4 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 15

Cornerstone Recordings

Happy Birthday Don Williams (May 27th, 1939 - September 8th, 2017) R.I.P.

3 years ago | [YT] | 318

Cornerstone Recordings

Wishing a happy birthday to the on and only Bob Dylan! Born May 24, 1941, the singer/songwriter is 81 years old. What's your favorite song of his?

3 years ago | [YT] | 285