ARTIST SONG ALBUM
T-Bone Walker I'm In Love AFBF 1962-1965
Sippie Wallace Woman Get Wise AFBF '66
Lonnie Johnson It's Too Late To Cry AFBF 1962-1965
Memphis Slim Wish Me Well AFBF 1962-1965
Roosevelt Sykes Running The Boogie AFBF '66
Big Joe Turner Oh Well, Oh Well AFBF DVD Vol. 4
J.B. Lenoir Slow Down Woman AFBF 1962-1965
John Lee Hooker King of the World AFBF 1962-1965
Doctor Ross Farewell Baby AFBF 1962-1965
Junior Wells Hoodoo Man Blues AFBF '66
Buddy Guy First Time I Met The Blues AFBF 1962-1965
Matt Guitar Murphy Matt's Guitar Boogie AFBF 1962-1965
Little Walter & Hound Dog You Be So Fine AFBF '67
Big Joe Williams Baby Please Don't Go AFBF 1962-1965
Mississippi Fred McDowell Write Me A Few Lines AFBF 1962-1965
Sleepy John Estes Your Best Friend's Gone AFBF 1962-1965
Muddy Waters You Can't Lose What... AFBF DVD Vol. 4
Sonny Boy Williamson I Got To Cut Out AFBF1962-1965
Howlin' Wolf I'll Be Back Someday AFBF DVD Vol. 4
Howlin' Wolf Don’t Laugh At Me AFBF DVD Vol. 4
Sunnyland Slim C.C. Rider Private Recording
Hubert Sumlin No Title Boogie AFBF 1962-1965
Skip James All Night Long AFBF DVD Vol. 3
Bukka White Aberdeen Blues AFBF DVD Vol. 3
Son House Got A Letter this Morning AFBF DVD Vol. 3
Magic Sam Easy Baby AFBF 69'

Show Notes:

The American Folk Blues Festival was an annual event that featured the cream of American blues musicians barnstorming their way across Europe beginning in 1962. German jazz publicist Joachim-Ernst Berendt first had the idea of bringing original blues performers to Europe and thought that European audiences would flock to concert halls to see them in person. Promoters Horst Lippmann and Fritz Rau would bring this idea to reality with the help of Willie Dixon. Dixon acted as talent scout, agent and recruited Chicago artists for the tour. The first festival was held in 1962, and they continued almost annually until 1972, after an eight-year hiatus reviving the festival in 1980 until its final performance in 1985. The impact of these annual tours had a profound impact on those that were in attendance. Future stars such as Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Jimmy Page any many others were in the audience and were directly influenced by what they saw. The rise of blues based bands like the The Rolling Stones, Yardbirds and Animals can be directly attributed to the AFBF.

The AFBF concerts have been well served on CD. The early years are collected on Evidence’s 5-CD box American Folk Blues Festival 1962-1965 which also has a well written booklet by Bill Dahl. For the less committed there’s the single CD American Folk Blues Festival 1962-1965: Highlights. The Bellaphon label has issued the following sets: American Folk Blues Festival 1965/1966/1967/1969 (4-CD), American Folk Blues Festival 1970/1972/1980/1981 (4-CD) and American Folk Blues Festival 1982/1983/1985 (3-CD). There’s also many single CD collections. For a complete discography visit the AFBF discography. There’s also four DVD’s of footage available through Hip-O Records which are highly recommended.

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