Living Blues Magazine

Living Blues #302 (May/June 2026) in a special expanded 96-page issue. It features New Orleans’ own Washboard Chaz Leary on the cover. Called the “Max Roach of the Washboard,” Washboard Chaz does things with an antiquated laundry tool that shock and amaze listeners. A member of several of New Orleans’ most important roots music bands, Washboard Chaz is one of a kind. Chicago vocal powerhouse Mzz Reese is breaking onto the scene with a sound rooted in gospel, blues, and soul. After surviving cancer and being widowed, she is ready to be heard. At 74, Earl “Guitar” Williams is one of the last real-deal bluesmen in Alabama. Based in Bessemer, he has been playing in clubs and jukes for nearly 60 years. California-based vocalist and guitar player Marcel Smith has worked in gospel his entire life. But he also performs as a secular artist. We explore how he walks the line between the two. This issue’s Let It Roll! features Billie Holiday. Holiday had one of the most magical voices in all of music. And with it, she sang the blues. Her July 10, 1936, session for Vocalion features some of the best blues she ever recorded.
All of this plus LB Talks To with Harrell “Young Rell” Davenport, the latest in Blues News, and reviews including new releases from Eric Bibb, Van Morrison, and Little Freddie King, plus classic reissues from Little Walter, T-Bone Walker, and Johnny Otis.