"My guitar is my torch, my soul carries the flame. Make no mistake, I'm a true bluesman."
                                  'Big Bill Morganfield'

William "Big Bill" Morganfield, born June 19, 1956, Chicago, Illinois, is an American blues singer and guitarist. Morganfield was raised by his grandmother, Verdell Clark, in Southern Florida. He came to music later in life, having first worked as a teacher after earning bachelors degrees in English from Tuskegee University and Communications from Auburn University.
    William Morganfield is the son of McKinley Morganfield (Muddy Waters) and has emerged in the past few years as one of the top young blues talents in America. Bill has played all over the world in the past 11 years, bringing pure joy to those who have had the pleasure of seeing his live performance.
   Many men try to fill their father's shoes when they join the family business. Few, however, must prove they are up to the task in front of an audience as large as the one that watched Big Bill Morganfield. Morganfield didn't take up the challenge until several years after his dad passed away in 1983. The blues world mourned the passing of Muddy. Muddy leaves not only a gaping hole on the blues scene but also a grief-stricken son who is contemplating how to handle the loss. Bill buys himself a guitar and retreats into a private world, intending to teach himself how to play and then pay homage to his famous father. Indeed, this was the beginning of Big Bill Morganfield as a Bluesman and the start of his blues journey.

That tribute was six long years in coming; years that Morganfield spent teaching himself how to play the instrument. He studies the blues styles of the past. Says Bill, "I learned the old traditional blues, songs written in the 1930's to the 1950's." An evening spent playing harp at Center Stage in Atlanta with Lonnie Mack followed. The audience, which numbered 1000, went wild over the performance and set the novice musician's spirit afire.
   The years of dedication and hard work paid off handsomely. Morganfield's debut album, Rising Son, was released in 1999 to popular and critical acclaim. The magazine, Guitar Player, expressed their belief that Morganfield's album would have brought a smile to his father's face. The following year, the W.C. handy Awards dubbed Waters' son the Best New Blues Artist.

“Samuel James is like a time machine – the same one that keeps Son House and Mississippi John Hurt traveling back to the public consciousness” – Portland Phoenix

Samuel James is a performer of stunningly singular talent. A master of fingerstyle, slide, banjo, harmonica, and piano, this phenom is not yet out of his twenties. With musical influences ranging from Skip James and Sonny Terry to Gus Cannon and Charley Patton, such understanding of pre-war blues is rarely embodied in the music of one person.

But Samuel James is not a revivalist. His songwriting is absolutely unparalleled in contemporary blues. His writing is descended from the long forgotten art of the songster. While musically one could compare him to Patton or Cannon, his writing goes in another direction entirely. His songs are often written as linear stories, novels in musical format: O. Henry meets Mose Allison.

James’ musical lineage stretches back to immediate post-slavery. His grandfather (b. 1890) played guitar in contemporary blues styles of the era. James’ father was a professional pianist, and trombone player. Samuel learned to tap dance at five, learned piano at eight and toured the Northeastern circuit professionally by 12. Samuel lost his mother the same year and spent his teens in foster homes. At 17 he reunited and rekindled a relationship with his father.

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Samuel James fully discovered his musicianship after a young woman broke his heart. He booked a flight to Ireland figuring the gray and rainy climate would match his mindset. Short of funds to make it home, he learned harmonica from local street musicians. Collecting enough change to make it back to Maine, he gave up a nascent painting career and dove head first into the guitar. Today, still in his 20s, James releases his second CD and debut for NorthernBlues Music entitled Songs Famed for Sorrow and Joy.

The CD was recorded by numbers: One artist, five days, nine mics, two guitars, one banjo, both feet for percussion and 100% acoustic. “It was the hardest week of my life, which is saying something considering I grew up black in Maine in white foster homes.”

The CD was produced by David Travers-Smith whose credits include Ani DiFranco, Harry Manx and Russell Crowe. The recording reflects Samuel’s live performances as much as one can, but more importantly it showcases why Samuel James doesn’t consider himself a bluesman per se, but a songster and storyteller within a style of music. James is a hardworking individual steeped in the traditions of his elders and has created his own voice that speaks with clarity and pathos to a contemporary audience.

Live, Samuel James includes some older material in his set, and when playing a song created by a previous blues master he truly makes it his own. His stamp of originality is evident in every song he picks. Clearly the historical torch is being passed to him from today’s elder masters and yesterday’s originators. Does that make him authentic? Let the listener decide if that is even the question. Samuel James is the most relevant young blues artist to come our way in quite some time.

Samuel explains “Pre-war blues is much more intimate for me . . . much like a conversation. I’m not really drawn to anything contemporary because it’s not nearly as engaging.” Based on consistent standing ovations, Samuel James clearly knows engaging.