February 21 captures the blues in motion—from revolution to the White House, from “race records” to the pop charts. In this episode of Blues Moments in Time, we trace how the 1965 assassination of Malcolm X pushed Black American music from polished optimism into a grittier, electrified, politically charged sound that helped fuel funk and blues‑rock, and how B.B. King’s 1970 hit “The Thrill Is Gone” broke through the pop Top 20, tearing down the wall between segregated “race records” and mainstream America.

We then jump to the 2012 “Red, White, and Blues” concert at the White House, where President Barack Obama joined Buddy Guy and B.B. King on “Sweet Home Chicago”—a surreal vindication for a music born in the Jim Crow South. Along the way, we honor the births of Nina Simone and Corey Harris, and the twin 2013 losses of Magic Slim and Cletha Staples, whose lives embodied the tavern and church branches of the blues.

Hosted by: Kelvin Huggins

Presented by: The Blues Hotel Collective - your home for EVERYTHING BLUES.

Website: https://www.theblueshotel.com.au/

Keep the blues alive.

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