Terry Gross

Chicago-based blues guitarist Buddy Guy. Eric Clapton has called his "by far and without a doubt the best guitar player alive." Guy was born in Louisiana, son of a sharecropper. He moved to Chicago in the late fifties and played with all the greats...including Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and Junior Wells. Rebroadcast from 8/10/93.

Rhythm and Blues singer Ruth Brown. She got her start in the 1940s, and influenced a whole generation of singers including Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Little Richard and Bonnie Raitt. Her hits include "Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean" and "Teardrops From My Eyes." Later she appeared in John Water's film "Hairspray" and in the Broadway hit "Black and Blue." Her autobiography "Miss Rhythm" was published in 1996. Rebroadcast from 12/22/97.

Veteran rhythm and blues singer LaVern Baker. She had a series of hits in the 50s, among them "Bumblebee," and "Jim Dandy to the Rescue." Her latest recordings are "The Blue Side of Rock and Roll," and "Woke Up This Morning. Rebroadcast from 3/26/91.

Blues and R&B singer Etta James. She was a teenager when she was discovered by band leader/talent scout Johnny Otis, who helped her record her first single, "Dance with Me Henry." Her career took off in the sixties, until she battled a drug addiction at the end of that decade. Although James mostly sang R&B, in 1994 she released "Mystery Lady," on which she covers songs by her favorite jazz singer, Billie Holiday. Rebroadcast from 8/24/94.

INT. 1: Blues singer and guitarist Corey Harris. He's helped revive the traditional acoustic sound of Mississippi Delta Blues. His latest album is "Greens from the Garden" (Alligator Records). (Rebroadcast from 6/30/97)

Singer/songwriter Bonnie Raitt talks about the musicians and performers that inspired her: B.B. King, Mississippi Fred McDowell, and Sippie Wallace. Raitt's newest album is "Fundamental" (Emd/Capitol). She's currently on tour. (REBROADCAST from 3/3/89)

Rock guitarist Eric Clapton. His friends call him "Slowhand," his fans call him "God." Whatever name he goes by, Eric Clapton is at or near the top of any list of the greatest guitar players in rock history. Clapton started out playing blues with the Yardbirds (For Your Love) in the early 60s, then played with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers before forming Cream, one of the 60s most influential bands (Crossroads, White Room). His latest album is "Blues" (Polydor).

He's known as the King of the Blues. B.B. King was born on a cotton plantation in Mississippi before moving to Memphis where he began his career. Since then, among numerous other awards, he's received seven Grammies, an MTV award, and a Presidential Medal of the Arts. He is also a member of the Rock-and-Roll Hall of Fame. In his biography, entitled "Blues All Around Me"(Avon Books) he recounts his life from his early days in Mississippi, to breaking into the music business in Memphis, to his career today. Terry Gross talked to him just after his book was published.

Music writer Peter Guralnick. is author of "Searching For Robert Johnson" which examines the brief life of perhaps the greatest blues musician of all time. In the 20s and 30s, Johnson was "King of the Delta Blues Singers," and a sensation throughout the South. Johnson died at age 27, shot to death by a jealous husband, but his music continued to be studied and copied by artists such as Eric Clapton and the Rolling Stones. (REBROADCAST from 10/20/89.)

Crime novelist George P Pelecanps is the author of "Sweet Forever" (Little, Brown) He has been called "one of 1990's rising stars in crime fiction." His other works include "King Suckerman," "The Big Blowdown," "Down By the River Where Dead Men Go," "Shoedog," "Nick's Trip," and "A Firing Offense." (Originally aired 8/25/98).