Eric Clapton is bringing back his Crossroads Guitar Festival in 2026! The greatest guitar talents in rock, blues, jazz, and bluegrass will gather in Austin, TX, on September 26 & 27. I will be traveling to Austin to attend the festival this year. This will be my second time at Crossroads after the 2023 festival in Los Angeles. This episode features some of the awesome artists I'm looking forward to seeing at Crossroads 2026.

1. The Heart that Never Waits - Joe Bonamassa - 8:32

2. Layla - Eric Clapton & Wynton Marsalis - 9:09

3. Maktub - Gary Clark Jr. - 4:13

4. Too Close to the Fire - Eric Gales - 7:08

5. Pickin' Up Chicks on Dowling Street - Billy Gibbons & The BFG's - 4:12

6. Travelin' - Buddy Guy - 1:10

7. Ramblin' Man - Marcus King - 5:02

8. Taylor's Rock - Sonny Landreth - 3:58

9. Tributary - Julian Lage - 5:47

10. Sweet Mama Janisse - Taj Mahal - 3:33

11. Dangerous Mood - Keb' Mo' - 4:59

12. Amped Up - Robert Randolph & The Family Band - 3:19

13. Devil Be Gone - Tedeschi Trucks Band - 4:35

14. Jimmie Vaughan - Two Wings - 4:25

Check out my Spotify playlist of the full Crossroads 2026 lineup! Search bluesdjben on Spotify.

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We’re halfway through 2026, and a lot of great music has been released so far this year. Join me to explore some of the highlights from the year so far in blues and blues-rock.

1. Poor Black Mattie – Samantha Fish – 7:11

2. Black Wind Howlin’ – Samantha Fish – 8:08

3. Don’t Answer the Door – Marcus King – 5:12

4. Better Not Look Down – Joe Bonamassa, Kirk Fletcher, & Friends – 8:50*

5. I Wonder Who – Joe Bonamassa – 6:00

6. Future Soul – Tedeschi Trucks Band – 3:19

7. Red Door – Marcus King – 6:19

8. Damaged Goods – Selwyn Birchwood – 6:30

9. Bluejay – Amani Burnham – 2:49

10. River Song – Ghalia Volt – 4:54

11. Fireman Ring the Bell – The Black Keys – 5:48

12. Jumper on the Line – Boogie Beasts with Duwayne Burnside – 3:55

* Artists with spoken parts on Better Not Look Down, in order:

Christone “Kingfish” Ingram

Bobby Rush

Buddy Guy

Joe Bonamassa

Warren Haynes

Kenny Wayne Shepherd

Shemekia Copeland

Keb’ Mo’

Eric Gales

Marc Broussard

Larry McCray

Marcus King

Chris Cain

John Nemeth

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The 2026 Blues Music Awards will be announced May 7 in Memphis, TN. Sponsored by the Blues Foundation, the awards recognize the best artists and albums from the previous year in blues music. I discuss the nominees, talk about who I voted for on my ballot, and play music from some of the artists who stood out to me from among this year's field of nominees.

All members of the Blues Foundation are eligible to vote for the BMAs. More info can be found at www.blues.org.

1. Tripping in a French Ambulance - Johnny Iguana - 3:34

2. Can't Catch a Break - Tommy Castro & The Painkillers - 3:53

3. Sisters - Southern Avenue - 2:48

4. I'll Take You Back - Kyle Rowland - 5:35

5. Soulard Serenade - Blood Brothers (Mike Zito & Albert Castiglia) - 6:12

6. Don't Say It - Samantha Fish - 5:17

7. Bad Like Me - Christone "Kingfish" Ingram - 3:33

8. So Damn Good - Jon Cleary - 4:13

9. The Letter - Tedeschi Trucks Band & Leon Russell - 4:16

10. Upside - Southern Avenue - 5:01

11. Look Out Highway - Charlie Musselwhite - 3:31

12. Train Coming - The Angelique Francis Band with Eric Gales - 4:04

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Sinners is one of the best movies of 2025 and one of the best movies about the blues. It follows a young blues musician and his twin cousins through a night of revelry and horror in the 1930s Mississippi Delta. In this episode, I discuss how my favorite music from the soundtrack and score ties into the blues, black history, the story of Sinners, and the themes explored within the film.

1. Filídh, Fire Keepers, and Griots - Ludwig Göransson - 2:32

2. Wang Dang Doodle - Cedric Burnside, Sharde Thomas-Mallory, & Tierinii Jackson - 2:24

3. Travelin' - Miles Caton - 1:35

4. Juke - Bobby Rush & Miles Caton - 1:11

5. Please Don't Go - Big Joe Williams & Sonny Boy Williamson I - 2:48

6. I Lied to You - Miles Caton - 5:15

7. Pick Poor Robin Clean - Jack O'Connell, Lola Kirke, & Peter Dreams - 1:45

8. Can't Win for Losin' - Tierinii Jackson & Cedric Burnside - 2:16

9. Pale, Pale Moon - Jayme Lawson - 4:45

10. Thy Kingdom Come - Ludwig Göransson - 7:55

11. Travelin' - Buddy Guy - 1:10

12. Last Time (I Seen the Sun) - Alice Smith & Miles Caton - 3:18

13. Pick Poor Robin Clean - Geeshie Wiley - 3:13

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Fall 2025 continues a great year for new music. Here are some of my favorites from the last few months.

1. Carolina Honey - Marcus King - 4:10

2. No Room for Blue - Marcus King - 2:47

3. Dirt (Nashville Version) - Marcus King with Billy Strings - 3:31

4. The Shadows - Marcus King with Noah Cyrus - 4:07

5. Bad Like Me - Christone "Kingfish" Ingram - 3:33

6. S.S.S. - Christone "Kingfish" Ingram - 3:57

7. Hard to Love - Christone "Kingfish" Ingram - 4:32

8. The Letter - Tedeschi Trucks Band & Leon Russell - 4:16

9. With A Little Help from My Friends - Tedeschi Trucks Band & Leon Russell with Chris Robinson - 9:04

10. Write Me a Few Lines - North Mississippi Allstars - 4:01

11. High Roller - The Zac Schulze Gang - 3:21

12. Talkin' 'Bout My Friends - Kim Wilson & The Fabulous Thunderbirds - 3:42

13. Lookin' Good - Eve Monsees, Lurrie Bell, & Billy Gibbons - 2:32

14. If God Is a Woman - Larkin Poe - 3:26

15. If God Is a Woman (Unplugged) - Larkin Poe - 3:38

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Spring and summer 2025 have been filled with great new releases from the blues genre and beyond.

1. Mama Said - Hannah Wicklund - 8:36

2. Sisters - Southern Avenue - 2:48

3. Can't Catch My Breath - Matt Schofield - 5:38

4. All the Things I Said - Joanne Shaw Taylor - 4:48

5. Black & Gold - Joanne Shaw Taylor - 4:06

6. Ain't It Nice - Madison McFerrin - 3:14

7. I Don't - Madison McFerrin - 2:53

8. Endless Summer - Ayla Tesler-Mabé - 3:07

9. Trigger Finger - Joe Bonamassa - 4:05

10. Train Coming - Angelique Francis with Eric Gales - 4:04

11. Condition Blue - Dennis Jones - 4:07

12. Stuck on Stupid - Ronnie Baker Brooks - 8:13

13. Don't Let Me Down Again - Andrew Bird & Madison Cunningham - 3:23

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Highlights from Bloom by Larkin Poe and Paper Doll by Samantha Fish, my two favorite albums from the first half of 2025.

1. Easy Love, Pt. 1 - Larkin Poe - 4:07

2. Pearls - Larkin Poe - 4:04

3. Bloom Again - Larkin Poe - 3:22

4. Sweet Southern Sounds - Samantha Fish - 5:02

5. Fortune Teller - Samantha Fish - 5:44

6. Don't Say It - Samantha Fish - 5:17

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The Blues Music Awards will be announced on May 8 in Memphis, TN. Join me as I go through the nominated artists and albums, share my picks for each category, and play some of my favorite songs from the artists I'm voting for.

1. What's Gonna Become of Me - Jerron Paxton - 3:51

2. Love You Music - Cedric Burnside - 3:10

3. Somewhere Else - Rick Estrin & The Nightcats - 3:57

4. Go Be Free - Sonny Gullage - 4:15

5. Till They Take It Away - Albert Castiglia with Ally Venable - 4:29

6. Bad Dream - Chris Cain - 5:39

7. Smokestack Lightning - Eric Gales - 8:03

8. Diamonds at Your Feet - Rick Estrin & The Nightcats - 4:01

9. Get Your Groove - The Bruce Katz Band - 9:03

10. Love on My Brain - Danielle Nicole - 4:33

11. Mama, I Love You - Albert Castiglia with Kevin Burt - 6:12

12. Swannanoa Tunnel/Steel-Driving Man - Silkroad Ensemble feat. Rhiannon Giddens - 4:20

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The box set of recordings from Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival 2023 was released on November 29, 2024. I share and discuss some of my favorite performances from this incredible weekend of music.

1. Give Your Love to Someone Else - Judith Hill with Eric Gales - 8:10

2. Smokestack Lightning - Eric Gales - 8:03

3. I Put a Spell on You - Samantha Fish - 6:42

4. Going Down - Eric Gales, Samantha Fish, & Christone "Kingfish" Ingram - 5:43

5. Breaking Up Somebody's Home - Joe Bonamassa, John McLaughlin, & Eric Gales - 9:08

6. Gimme All Your Lovin' - ZZ Top - 4:31

7. It's Too Late - Marcus King - 3:37

8. Honky Tonk Hell - Marcus King - 4:10

9. Jingo - Santana - 4:38

10. A Love Supreme/Marbles - Santana & John McLaughlin - 7:21

11. I Shot the Sheriff - Eric Clapton - 8:25

12. Crossroads - Eric Clapton with Stevie Wonder - 6:09

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The last few months have been full of great new albums and singles, from long-awaited returns to promising debuts to unexpected discoveries.

1. Bayou Man - Tab Benoit - 4:03

2. Crooked Road - Fantastic Negrito - 3:44

3. The Dollar Done Fell - Albert Castiglia with Josh Smith - 6:00

4. In Memory of Elizabeth Reed - The Bruce Katz Band - 9:24

5. Won No Teg/Get On Now - Grace Bowers & The Hodge Podge - 8:23

6. Messin' With the Kid/Oh Well - The Zac Schulze Gang - 7:27

7. Rock Bottom - Lisa & Kid Anderson - 3:19

8. Better Be Lonely (Alternate Version) - Samantha Fish - 3:42

9. Wishing Well - Joanne Shaw Taylor - 3:22

10. Runnin' Down a Dream - Larkin Poe - 4:04

11. Dollar Bill Bar - Sierra Ferrell - 3:29

12. Torn - Addi Gastelum - 3:18

13. Give Me a Sign? - Ayla Tesler-Mabé - 3:57

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