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Episode 43

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Published on:

16th Dec 2025

Blues Moments in Time — December 16: Innovators & Torchbearers

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Join Kelvin Huggins as he dives deep into the tangled roots and resonant echoes of December 16th in blues history.

December 16th traces a striking duality in the blues story — a day where boundary‑breaking innovation meets the quiet, steadfast grind of regional tradition. This episode celebrates the births of two giants who pushed the genre into new territory: Sugar Blue, the harmonica firebrand often hailed as “the Jimi Hendrix of harmonica,” and Billy Gibbons, the Texas guitar architect whose work with ZZ Top carried blues grit onto the global rock stage.

But the date also carries a deeper, humbler resonance. We honor the lives and legacies of Tommy Bankhead, a St. Louis mainstay who spent fifty years keeping Delta blues alive in working‑class bars and neighborhood joints, and Pete Mayes, the Texas “T‑Bone Man” whose devotion to the music preserved a lineage stretching back to the greats.

Together, these four artists — two born, two departed — reveal the full arc of the blues: from explosive reinvention to the quiet, lifelong labor of keeping tradition alive. This is the blues as it truly lives: expansive, rooted, restless, and enduring.

Hosted by: Kelvin Huggins

Presented by: The Blues Hotel Collective

Listen Tomorrow for: Another Blues Moment in Time

Keep the blues alive.

© 2025 The Blues Hotel Collective.

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About the Podcast

Blues Moments in Time...
The History That Shaped it All.
Blues Moments in Time takes you back to the crossroads where history happened. We're talking about those electric nights in Chicago studios, those dusty Delta afternoons, those chance encounters that changed everything.

This is where you'll hear about the day Muddy Waters plugged in and shook the world, the session where Robert Johnson laid down his legacy, the moment B.B. King named his guitar Lucille. These aren't just dates and facts—they're the living, breathing stories of how the blues became the blues.

Each moment is a snapshot: the artists, the circumstances, the magic that happened when talent met opportunity. Sometimes it's triumph, sometimes it's tragedy, but it's always real. Because the blues has always been about truth, and these moments tell that truth better than anything else.

Whether it's a legendary recording session, a groundbreaking performance, or a personal turning point that shaped an artist's sound, Blues Moments in Time brings you there. You'll feel the room, hear the backstory, and understand why that particular moment still matters today.

This is blues history you can feel—one moment at a time.

Blues Moments in Time is a production of The Blues Hotel Collective
© 2026 The Blues Hotel Collective - All rights reserved.
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About your host

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Kelvin Huggins

The Blues Hotel Collective is an independent blues media platform dedicated to preserving, promoting, and celebrating blues culture. While we are based in Perth, Western Australia, our "hotel" is a metaphorical space—a welcoming hub where artists, fans, and historians can "check in" to connect, share stories, and immerse themselves in the rich tapestry of the blues. Our mission is simple: to give the blues a bigger voice – through authentic storytelling, in-depth interviews, and passionate music discovery.