"You play them blues real good. I want you to carry them on for me."

Toby with the late Eugene Powell, Mississippi blues musician - 1991. Read about Toby's visit with this incredible man.

So far Toby's carried them to the United States, Canada, England, Scotland, Wales, Germany, France, Belgium, Cyprus and Holland.

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_Traveling through Mississippi, North Carolina and Virginia over a period of 4 years brought me a wealth of knowledge and experience that I never would have received from records or books alone. I sat literally on the porches and in the homes of some of the most incredible blues musicians and learned everything I could from them.

Etta Baker, Eugene Powell and James 'Son' Thomas were some of the blues musicians who were generous enough to teach me their music and share their stories. I hope you enjoy these adventures as much as I have.

WITH ETTA BAKER, MORGANTON, NC

WITH EUGENE POWELL, GREENVILLE, MD

WITH SON THOMAS, LELAND MS

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Click on the pictures below for the full story.

_Jack Owens of Bentonia MS claims he was the one who taught his one time neighbor - Skip James - how to play the guitar. He also finagled me into giving him a little scotch, claiming "It's the only thing that will take away the cramps in my fingers. If I don't have some, I won't be able to play the guitar for you all."

_James 'Son' Thomas of Leland MS was a man who dug graves during the day and played blues guitar in the jooks at night.

_Bud Spires, of Flora, MS the harmonica player who accompanies Jack Owens. Hear about how the 'devil' got into his horse one day.

_Eugene Powell was one of the original recording bluesmen from the 30's. Read how this man still played one of the meanest fingerpicking blues guitar around, well into his 80's

_At age 16 RL Burnside was learning licks from his neighbor, the famous Mississippi Fred McDowell. I picked up a few pointers myself from this bluesman.

_Etta Baker of Morgantown NC has a real smooth way of fingerpicking the guitar. Known as the Piedmont style, she inspired a whole generation of blues and folk musicians. Find out why.

_When he isn't playing concerts and festivals, you can find Turner Foddrell tending to his customers at his Virginia general store; that is when he's not too busy playing his guitar for them from behind the counter.

_Where else can you get a shave, haircut and listen to your barber play the blues? Or play him a game of pool in his back room? At Wade Walton's Barber Shop, that's where.

_Want to see a bluesman play a hot electric guitar in a Mississippi Juke Joint? Check out Booba Barnes in the Playboy Club

_Dundee MS, home to the great blues drummer Sam Carr.

_You haven't lived until you heard Othar Turner play his cane fife at one of his famous country picnics. Heck, he even will tell you how you can make a cane fife for yourself, if you happen to live next to a riverbank.

_Meet Hubert Sumlin, Howlin' Wolf's guitarist for over 20 years.

_Bob Margolin - He ONLY played in Muddy Water's band for several years!!
I recorded 3 songs with Bob Margolin at his home in North Carolina. Together with his engineer Mark Williams we wound up with some pretty hot tunes.

_Sitting in with JJ Cale, the writer of 'After Midnight' was an experience I'll never forget.

__Parchman Farm, otherwise known as Mississippi State Penitentary is the place where many a bluesman did some time. Here's how we did our time there.