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.