This week on Blues With A Feeling, we’re coming home.

Our classic album feature shines a warm spotlight on John Lee Hooker’s 1995 masterpiece Chill Out — a late‑career triumph from the patron saint of this program. For thirty years, BWAF opened with his incredible song The Healer, and Hooker’s voice, groove and spirit have been the heartbeat of Monday nights ever since. Chill Out captures him in full command: relaxed, unhurried, surrounded by friends, and still summoning that deep, hypnotic pulse that shaped generations.

We’ll explore the stories behind the album, the collaborations with Carlos Santana, Van Morrison, Charles Brown and Booker T. Jones, and the remarkable creative resurgence Hooker enjoyed in the final decade of his life — a run that earned him multiple Grammys and cemented his place as one of the most important musical figures of the 20th century.

Alongside the feature, we’ve got three sets of brand‑new releases from across the blues world, including fresh tracks from Eric Bibb, GA‑20 with Charlie Musselwhite, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Laura Chavez, Selwyn Birchwood, Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials, Robert Randolph & The Family Band, Parlour Greens, Studebaker John & The Maxwell Street Kings, and a beautiful new one from Taj Mahal & The Phantom Blues Band.

Settle in for two hours of deep grooves, new discoveries, and a heartfelt return to the well. This is Blues With A Feeling.

This week on Blues With A Feeling, we&rsquo;re coming home.
Our classic album feature shines a warm spotlight on John Lee Hooker&rsquo;s 1995 masterpiece Chill Out &mdash; a late‑career triumph from the patron saint of this program. For thirty years, BWAF opened with his incredible song The Healer, and Hooker&rsquo;s voice, groove and spirit have been the heartbeat of Monday nights ever since. Chill Out captures him in full command: relaxed, unhurried, surrounded by friends, and still summoning that deep, hypnotic pulse that shaped generations.
We&rsquo;ll explore the stories behind the album, the collaborations with Carlos Santana, Van Morrison, Charles Brown and Booker T. Jones, and the remarkable creative resurgence Hooker enjoyed in the final decade of his life &mdash; a run that earned him multiple Grammys and cemented his place as one of the most important musical figures of the 20th century.
Alongside the feature, we&rsquo;ve got three sets of brand‑new releases from across the blues world, including fresh tracks from Eric Bibb, GA‑20 with Charlie Musselwhite, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Laura Chavez, Selwyn Birchwood, Lil&rsquo; Ed &amp; The Blues Imperials, Robert Randolph &amp; The Family Band, Parlour Greens, Studebaker John &amp; The Maxwell Street Kings, and a beautiful new one from Taj Mahal &amp; The Phantom Blues Band.
Settle in for two hours of deep grooves, new discoveries, and a heartfelt return to the well. This is Blues With A Feeling.

Shaun Bindley’s Blues with a Feeling has been playing the latest and greatest blues releases, album features and interviews from Australia and across the world for almost 30 years.

With a dedicated following both locally and internationally as a radio show of 27 years, Shaun is now working on producing Blues with a Feeling as a Podcast.

Shaun Bindley&rsquo;s Blues with a Feeling has been playing the latest and greatest blues releases, album features and interviews from Australia and across the world for almost 30 years.
With a dedicated following both locally and internationally as a radio show of 27 years, Shaun is now working on producing Blues with a Feeling as a Podcast.

Blues with a Feeling - The Official Podcast

Shaun Bindley’s Blues with a Feeling has been playing the latest and greatest blues releases, album features and interviews from across the world for almost 30 years.

Shaun Bindley&rsquo;s Blues with a Feeling has been playing the latest and greatest blues releases, album features and interviews from across the world for almost 30 years.

Shaun Bindley's Blues With A Feeling

John Lee Hooker - Classic Album Feature – Chill Out”

This week on Blues With A Feeling, we’re heading straight to Memphis for a full‑blown celebration of the 2026 Blues Music Awards — the biggest night in the blues world. The BMAs are where legends, lifers, innovators, and rising voices all gather under one roof, and this year’s ceremony delivered one of the strongest line‑ups in recent memory.

Across the show, we’ll walk through the artists who shaped the year: • Ronnie Baker Brooks, crowned B.B. King Entertainer of the Year • D.K. Harrell, whose album Talkin’ Heavy took home Album of the Year • Tedeschi Trucks Band, winners of Band of the Year • Tommy Castro, whose track “Can’t Catch a Break” claimed Song of the Year • And a powerful mix of emerging artists, acoustic storytellers, blues‑rock firebrands, and soul‑blues masters

But that’s only half the story.

The second half of the show is dedicated to a man whose journey feels carved from the heartwood of the American South — Robert Finley. Born a sharecropper’s son in Louisiana, Finley lived a full life before the world ever heard his voice: Army service, carpentry, raising a family, and then losing his sight. With the help of the Music Maker Foundation, he stepped into a second life as an artist, releasing some of the most soulful, lived‑in blues of the last decade.

We’ll explore his breakthrough album Sharecropper’s Son, dive into the emotional depth of his songwriting, and celebrate his current visit to Australia with two full sets of Finley’s finest work.

It’s a night of winners, storytellers, survivors, and soul. Join me for a special edition of Blues With A Feeling — where Memphis meets Louisiana, and the blues tells its truth.

This week on Blues With A Feeling, we&rsquo;re heading straight to Memphis for a full‑blown celebration of the 2026 Blues Music Awards &mdash; the biggest night in the blues world. The BMAs are where legends, lifers, innovators, and rising voices all gather under one roof, and this year&rsquo;s ceremony delivered one of the strongest line‑ups in recent memory.
Across the show, we&rsquo;ll walk through the artists who shaped the year: &bull; Ronnie Baker Brooks, crowned B.B. King Entertainer of the Year &bull; D.K. Harrell, whose album Talkin&rsquo; Heavy took home Album of the Year &bull; Tedeschi Trucks Band, winners of Band of the Year &bull; Tommy Castro, whose track &ldquo;Can&rsquo;t Catch a Break&rdquo; claimed Song of the Year &bull; And a powerful mix of emerging artists, acoustic storytellers, blues‑rock firebrands, and soul‑blues masters
But that&rsquo;s only half the story.
The second half of the show is dedicated to a man whose journey feels carved from the heartwood of the American South &mdash; Robert Finley. Born a sharecropper&rsquo;s son in Louisiana, Finley lived a full life before the world ever heard his voice: Army service, carpentry, raising a family, and then losing his sight. With the help of the Music Maker Foundation, he stepped into a second life as an artist, releasing some of the most soulful, lived‑in blues of the last decade.
We&rsquo;ll explore his breakthrough album Sharecropper&rsquo;s Son, dive into the emotional depth of his songwriting, and celebrate his current visit to Australia with two full sets of Finley&rsquo;s finest work.
It&rsquo;s a night of winners, storytellers, survivors, and soul. Join me for a special edition of Blues With A Feeling &mdash; where Memphis meets Louisiana, and the blues tells its truth.

SE 6 ep 17  -  2026 Blue Music Awards Winners and Album Feature – Robert Finley – Sharecroppers Son

This week on Blues With A Feeling, we open the doors wide with two sets of brand‑new blues — a snapshot of where the music is right now, and a reminder that the blues is still evolving, still restless, still capable of surprise. GA‑20 team up with Charlie Musselwhite for a gritty, old‑meets‑new opener; Alvin Youngblood Hart brings that unmistakable road‑worn fire; Mike Finnigan gives us soul and swing in equal measure; and Amani Burnham steps forward with the confidence of a player who knows exactly where he’s heading.

From there, we stay in the present for one more set — Selwyn Birchwood’s swamp‑funk swagger, Laura Chavez carving out her own space at centre stage, Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials lighting the fuse with that unmistakable Alligator Records energy, and Eric Bibb reminding us that the blues can still carry grace, urgency and hope in the same breath.

All of that sets the stage for tonight’s feature: the 1971 debut album from Hound Dog Taylor & the Houserockers — the record that launched Alligator Records and changed the shape of modern blues. At the same time, we trace the story of a young Bruce Iglauer arriving in Chicago with nothing but passion, curiosity and a stubborn belief in the music. Bruce takes us inside his earliest days in the Windy City and Delmark Records, into the clubs of the South Side, and finally into the moment he decided to record Hound Dog Taylor himself — using his own inheritance to capture two wild nights that would become Alligator’s first release.

It’s a story of instinct, risk, joy, and the kind of musical chaos that only happens when the tape is rolling and the band is on fire.

And to bring the show home, we land with new music from Taj Mahal & the Phantom Blues Band and finish with Greg Nagy’s Love Letter, written by and featuring the late Bobby Murray — the Detroit‑born guitarist who spent twenty‑three years on the road with Etta James, helping shape her unmistakable late‑career sound.

A big show, a big story, and a reminder of how the blues keeps moving forward while honouring the roots that made it.

 

This week on Blues With A Feeling, we open the doors wide with two sets of brand‑new blues &mdash; a snapshot of where the music is right now, and a reminder that the blues is still evolving, still restless, still capable of surprise. GA‑20 team up with Charlie Musselwhite for a gritty, old‑meets‑new opener; Alvin Youngblood Hart brings that unmistakable road‑worn fire; Mike Finnigan gives us soul and swing in equal measure; and Amani Burnham steps forward with the confidence of a player who knows exactly where he&rsquo;s heading.
From there, we stay in the present for one more set &mdash; Selwyn Birchwood&rsquo;s swamp‑funk swagger, Laura Chavez carving out her own space at centre stage, Lil&rsquo; Ed &amp; the Blues Imperials lighting the fuse with that unmistakable Alligator Records energy, and Eric Bibb reminding us that the blues can still carry grace, urgency and hope in the same breath.
All of that sets the stage for tonight&rsquo;s feature: the 1971 debut album from Hound Dog Taylor &amp; the Houserockers &mdash; the record that launched Alligator Records and changed the shape of modern blues. At the same time, we trace the story of a young Bruce Iglauer arriving in Chicago with nothing but passion, curiosity and a stubborn belief in the music. Bruce takes us inside his earliest days in the Windy City and Delmark Records, into the clubs of the South Side, and finally into the moment he decided to record Hound Dog Taylor himself &mdash; using his own inheritance to capture two wild nights that would become Alligator&rsquo;s first release.
It&rsquo;s a story of instinct, risk, joy, and the kind of musical chaos that only happens when the tape is rolling and the band is on fire.
And to bring the show home, we land with new music from Taj Mahal &amp; the Phantom Blues Band and finish with Greg Nagy&rsquo;s Love Letter, written by and featuring the late Bobby Murray &mdash; the Detroit‑born guitarist who spent twenty‑three years on the road with Etta James, helping shape her unmistakable late‑career sound.
A big show, a big story, and a reminder of how the blues keeps moving forward while honouring the roots that made it.
&nbsp;

SE 6 Ep 15  Classic Album Feature – Hound Dog Taylor & the Houserockers

This week on Blues With A Feeling, we’re travelling right to the heart of the Delta — not in a nostalgic way, but in a living, breathing, spine‑tingling way. Two feature albums anchor the show, and together they tell one of the great stories in American music: the rediscovery of Son House and the return‑to‑roots of Muddy Waters, both unfolding in the same remarkable year.

We begin with Forever On My Mind, the newly released 1964 recording that captures Son House at the exact moment he stepped back into the world after more than two decades of silence. These tapes — rescued, restored, and finally released — show House before the folk‑festival patter, before the revival‑circuit polish. It’s just the man, the guitar, the open‑G tuning, and the raw emotional force that shaped the entire Delta tradition. You can hear him reaching back into memory, pulling old songs into the present, rediscovering his own voice in real time. It’s electrifying in the quietest possible way.

From there, we move to Muddy Waters’ Folk Singer, presented in its expanded 1999 reissue. Recorded only months before and after Son House’s rediscovery, it shows Muddy stepping away from the Chicago electricity he helped invent and returning to the acoustic vocabulary of his youth. The intimacy of these sessions — Muddy, Buddy Guy, Willie Dixon — reveals just how deeply the Delta lived inside him. And as the bonus tracks roll in, you hear the Chicago band creeping back, the sound filling out, the future taking shape.

Together, these two albums form a perfect conversation: Son House, the rediscovered source.Muddy Waters, the modern inheritor returning to the well.Two men, one lineage, captured at the same moment in time.

We round out the show with new releases and modern voices carrying the tradition forward — from Mike Finnigan’s soulful fire to Laura Chavez’s razor‑sharp guitar work — and close with Eric Bibb’s “Muddy Waters,” a song that understands the river better than most.

It’s a night of roots, memory, rediscovery, and renewal. A night where the Delta isn’t history — it’s alive, present, and speaking.

Settle in. This one runs deep.

This week on Blues With A Feeling, we&rsquo;re travelling right to the heart of the Delta &mdash; not in a nostalgic way, but in a living, breathing, spine‑tingling way. Two feature albums anchor the show, and together they tell one of the great stories in American music: the rediscovery of Son House and the return‑to‑roots of Muddy Waters, both unfolding in the same remarkable year.
We begin with Forever On My Mind, the newly released 1964 recording that captures Son House at the exact moment he stepped back into the world after more than two decades of silence. These tapes &mdash; rescued, restored, and finally released &mdash; show House before the folk‑festival patter, before the revival‑circuit polish. It&rsquo;s just the man, the guitar, the open‑G tuning, and the raw emotional force that shaped the entire Delta tradition. You can hear him reaching back into memory, pulling old songs into the present, rediscovering his own voice in real time. It&rsquo;s electrifying in the quietest possible way.
From there, we move to Muddy Waters&rsquo; Folk Singer, presented in its expanded 1999 reissue. Recorded only months before and after Son House&rsquo;s rediscovery, it shows Muddy stepping away from the Chicago electricity he helped invent and returning to the acoustic vocabulary of his youth. The intimacy of these sessions &mdash; Muddy, Buddy Guy, Willie Dixon &mdash; reveals just how deeply the Delta lived inside him. And as the bonus tracks roll in, you hear the Chicago band creeping back, the sound filling out, the future taking shape.
Together, these two albums form a perfect conversation: Son House, the rediscovered source. Muddy Waters, the modern inheritor returning to the well. Two men, one lineage, captured at the same moment in time.
We round out the show with new releases and modern voices carrying the tradition forward &mdash; from Mike Finnigan&rsquo;s soulful fire to Laura Chavez&rsquo;s razor‑sharp guitar work &mdash; and close with Eric Bibb&rsquo;s &ldquo;Muddy Waters,&rdquo; a song that understands the river better than most.
It&rsquo;s a night of roots, memory, rediscovery, and renewal. A night where the Delta isn&rsquo;t history &mdash; it&rsquo;s alive, present, and speaking.
Settle in. This one runs deep.

John Lee Hooker - Classic Album Feature – Chill Out”

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