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Join Kelvin Huggins as he dives deep into the tangled roots and resonant echoes of December 19th in blues history.

December 19th sits at a crossroads in blues and rock history — a single date where the music’s deepest contrasts collide. It’s a day of beginnings, marked by the births of two transformative forces: Professor Longhair, the New Orleans piano wizard whose rhythmic inventions shaped an entire city’s sound, and Alvin Lee, the British rock‑blues firebrand who pushed guitar speed and intensity into new territory.

But woven into that same date are some of the genre’s most poignant farewells. Blind Lemon Jefferson, one of the first national stars of the blues, died under mysterious circumstances on December 19th. Chicago blues cornerstone Jimmy Rogers and gospel‑blues patriarch Roebuck “Pops” Staples also passed on this day, leaving behind legacies that continue to anchor the music’s emotional and spiritual core.

And as if to underline the blues’ eternal cycle, December 19th has also hosted unforgettable live moments — from Fleetwood Mac’s breakthrough U.S. performance to explosive AC/DC shows in Australia, and a legendary on‑stage meeting between The Rolling Stones and John Lee Hooker, hailed as “the ultimate blues meeting.”

This episode explores a date where joy and loss, innovation and remembrance, all converge. December 19th reminds us that the blues is not just a genre — it’s a living rhythm of sorrow and celebration, forever turning.

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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