From Zap Comix No. 1, November 1967, Mr. Natural "Visits the City" and discusses Flakey Foont's continued "Quest Into The Unknown". A Keep On Truckin' Apparel exclusive design Image copyright of R. Crumb

From Zap Comix No. 1, November 1967, Mr. Natural "Visits the City" and discusses Flakey Foont's continued "Quest Into The Unknown". A Keep On Truckin' Apparel exclusive design Image copyright of R. Crumb

From Robert Crumb's sketchbook this unpublished idea for a Despair Comic book cover. A Keep On Truckin' Apparel exclusive design Image copyright of R. Crumb

Rube Lacey(1901-1972) Heroes of the Blues Trading Tee Card #13 Art by R. Crumb, Text by Stephen Calt Rubin (Rube) Lacey was born in 1901 at Pelahatchie, Mississippi, and learned guitar in his teens from an older performer, George Hendrix, Working out of the Jackson area in the Mississippi Delta, he became one of the state's most popular blues singers. His bottleneck style inspired that of the better-known performer Son house. In 1928, Lacey recorded two dance tunes for Paramount; four years later he became a minister. He died in 1972. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this Keep on Truckin' Apparel exclusive t-shirt will be donated to Music Maker Relief Foundation. Image copyright of Shanachie Entertainment Corp.

William Moore(c.1894-1955) Heroes of the Blues Trading Tee Card #1 Art by R. Crumb, Text by Stephen Calt A barber by trade, William Moore was born in Georgia around 1894 and spent most of his life in Tappahannac, Virginia. His eight extant sides, recorded at a single Paramount session in 1928, stamp him as one of the few instrumentally oriented performers of the era. Moore's upbest music may echo the happy-go-lucky ragtime dances popular before the heyday of the blues; "Ragtime Millionaire" is probably his best known song. He died in 1955. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this Keep on Truckin' Apparel exclusive t-shirt will be donated to Music Maker Relief Foundation. Image copyright of Shanachie Entertainment Corp.

The Mississippi Sheiks(Walter Vinson, Lonnie Chatmon, Bo Carter) Heroes of the Blues Trading Tee Card #12 Art by R. Crumb, Text by Stephen Calt Singer-guitarist Walter Vinson and fiddler Lonnie Chatmon worked together for over a decade before recording as The Mississippi Sheiks in 1930 and producing the hit "Sittin' on Top of the World." Natives of Bolton, Mississippi, they played for local white square dances, often with Lonnie's brothers who included Bo Carter (Armenter Chatmon), seen at left (see card No. 36). Both read music and their 78 titles offer a mixture of blues and pop styles. They disbanded soon after their final session in 1935. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this Keep on Truckin' Apparel exclusive t-shirt will be donated to Music Maker Relief Foundation. Image copyright of Shanachie Entertainment Corp.

Whistler and His Jug Band Heroes of the Blues Trading Tee Card #11 Art by R. Crumb, Text by Stephen Calt The first jug band to record, in 1924, was Whistler and His Jug band, a group hailing from the Louisville, Kentucky, area where, beginning at the turn of the century, jug bands playing string band arrangements entertained during the Kentucky Derby. From 1924 to 1931, Whistler's aggregation recorded twenty-one titles for three different companies. A movie clip of the essentially unknown players exists, a still from which provided the source for this card illustration. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this Keep on Truckin' Apparel exclusive t-shirt will be donated to Music Maker Relief Foundation. Image copyright of Shanachie Entertainment Corp.

Furry Lewis(c. 1900-1981) Heroes of the Blues Trading Tee Card #16 Art by R. Crumb, Text by Stephen Calt Walter (Furry) Lewis was born about 1900 and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, where he learned guitar in the early 1900s by listening to a middle-aged street singer named Blind Joe. Never a full-time musician, Lewis played mainly on local streets where his most popular piece was "John Henry." From 1927 to 1928, he recorded twenty-three sides. In the 1960s the personable Lewis began a second career as a concert performer, even appearing in a Burt Reynolds movie. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this Keep on Truckin' Apparel exclusive t-shirt will be donated to Music Maker Relief Foundation. Image copyright of Shanachie Entertainment Corp.

Bo-Weavil Jackson Heroes of the Blues Trading Tee Card #15 Art by R. Crumb, Text by Stephen Calt One of the earlist country blues performers to be recorded, James (Bo-Weavil) Jackson was discovered while singing on a Birmingham, Alabama, street in 1926. He produced twelve sides for two labels, one of which billed him as Sam Butler. His frantic tempos, impromptu guitar figures, and use of varied melodic lines within single songs mark Jackson as one of the blues most distinctive and least predictable performers. His "You Can't Keep No Brown" is a frenetic bottleneck masterpiece. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this Keep on Truckin' Apparel exclusive t-shirt will be donated to Music Maker Relief Foundation. Image copyright of Shanachie Entertainment Corp.

Memphis Jug Band(Will Shade, Ben Ramey, Charles Polk, Will Weldon) Heroes of the Blues Trading Tee Card #21 Art by R. Crumb, Text by Stephen Calt The Memphis Jug Band was organized by singer-guitarist Will Shade, also known as Son Brimmer, who was born in 1898 and spent most of his life in Memphis. Other members of the band included musicians Ben Ramey, Charles Polk and Will Weldon. Between 1927 and 1934 the group recorded nearly seventy-five sides, many of them infectiously up-tempo pieces. Their "Bottle It Up and Go" of 1932 became a blues standard of that decade. Shade died in 1966. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this Keep on Truckin' Apparel exclusive t-shirt will be donated to Music Maker Relief Foundation. Image copyright of Shanachie Entertainment Corp.

Curley Weaver & Fred McMullen Heroes of the Blues Trading Tee, Card #10 Art by R. Crumb, Text by Stephen Calt Curley Weaver was born in 1906 and raised near Porterdale, Georgia. He learned guitar around 1922 and moved to Atlanta, Georgia, a few years later. Most of his records were duets with other local blues recording artist, such as Atlanta based Blind Willie McTell and Fred McMullen of Macon, Georgia. McMullen began recording in 1933. He teamed up with Curley Weaver and Buddy Moss that same year in a recording trio known as The Georgia Browns. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this Keep on Truckin' Apparel exclusive t-shirt will be donated to Music Maker Relief Foundation. Image copyright of Shanachie Entertainment Corp.

Sam Collins (1887-1949) Heroes of the Blues Trading Tee, Card #17 Art by R. Crumb, Text By Stephen Calt Born in 1887 in Louisiana, Sam Collins was raised in southern Mississippi. His nineteen extant recordings, made between 1927 and 1932, reflect a background in street singing and tent show musicianship similar to that of Georgian-born Blind Willie McTell. His free-form bottleneck guitar approach and his unusually high-pitched singing gave him a distinctive musical sound. Collins eventually settled in Chicago, where he died in 1949. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this Keep on Truckin' Apparel exclusive t-shirt will be donated to Music Maker Relief Foundation. Image copyright of Shanachie Entertainment Corp.

Papa Charlie Jackson Heroes of the Blues Trading Card Tee, Card #25 Art by R. Crumb, Text by Stephen Calt New Orleans musician Papa Charlie Jackson was one of the first self-accompanied blues performers to record. Discovered on the streets of Chicago, he produced over seventy sides between 1924 and 1935, most of them on six-string banjo. Jackson combined sophisticated technique with a driving beat. His dance hit "Shake That Thing" was one of the most influential tunes of the era, and his comedic approach inspired the hokum style of Georgia Tom and Tampa Red. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this Keep on Truckin' Apparel exclusive t-shirt will be donated to Music Maker Relief Foundation. Image copyright of Shanachie Entertainment Corp.

Jaybird Coleman (1896-1950) Heroes of the Blues Trading Tee Card #6 Art by R. Crumb, Text by Stephen Calt Burl (Jaybird) Coleman was born in Gainseville, Alabama, in 1896 and began playing harmonica around 1908, settling in Bessemer in the early 1920's. Between 1927 and 1930, he made eleven sides, appearing in the rather unusual role of harmonica player accompanying his own vocals. Of all recorded blues harmonica players, Coleman developed probably the richest and most varied tone. He was largely inactive after 1930, and died in 1950. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this Keep on Truckin' Apparel exclusive t-shirt will be donated to Music Maker Relief Foundation. Image copyright of Shanachie Entertainment Corp.

Peg Leg Howell (1888-1966) Heroes of the Blues Trading Tee Card #2 Art by R. Crumb, Text by Stephen Calt A native of Eatonton, Georgia, Joshus Barnes (Peg Leg) Howell taught himself guitar around 1909, at the age of twenty-one, and subsequently worked in Atlanta as a street singer. Howell was one of the earliest country blues preformers to be recorded. He made twenty-eight sides, many with string band accompaniment, between 1926 and 1929. Like most street singers of the period, Howell had a diverse repertoire that included both blues and up-tempo ragtime songs. He died in 1966. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this Keep on Truckin' Apparel exclusive t-shirt will be donated to Music Maker Relief Foundation. Image copyright of Shanachie Entertainment Corp.

Leroy Carr (1905-1935) Scrapper Blackwell (1903-1962) Heroes of the Blues Trading Tee Card #8 Art by R. Crumb, Text by Stephen Calt Leroy Carr, one of the first blues singers to use understated vocal delivery, was born in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1905. Francis (Scrapper) Blackwell was born in 1903 and learned guitar in childhood, eventually developing a delicate vibrato blended with string-snapping. The Indianapolis-based team of Carr and Blackwell popularized the piano-guitar blues duet. They made more than one hundred sides between 1928 and Carr's death in 1935, including the famous "How Long Blues." A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this Keep on Truckin' Apparel exclusive t-shirt will be donated to Music Maker Relief Foundation. Image copyright of Shanachie Entertainment Corp.

Clifford Gibson (1902-1963) Heroes of the Blues Trading Tee Card #3 Art by R. Crumb, Text by Stephens Calt Born in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1901, Clifford Gibson cut his musical teeth in St. Louis, Missouri. He recorded twenty-four sides for two different labels between 1929 and 1931. One of the first purely urban performers whose playing had no pronounced rural influences, Gibson's single-string, vibrato-laden approach resembled that of the highly sophisticated jazz blues guitarist Lonnie Johnson, but placed more emphasis on improvisation. Gibson died in 1963. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this Keep on Truckin' Apparel exclusive t-shirt will be donated to Music Maker Relief Foundation. Image copyright of Shanachie Entertainment Corp.

Frank Stokes (1888-1955) Heroes of the Blues Trading Tee Card #5 Art by R. Crumb, Text by Stephen Calt Born in 1888 in Whitehaven, Tennessee, Frank Stokes began playing around 1900, and pursued his career in Memphis, where he became one of the city's most popular entertainers. Between 1927 and 1929, he recorded thirty-six side for two labels, usually in tandem with his accompanist Dan Sane. His best-known tune was "Crump Don't 'low it," which referred to the mayor of Memphis and was nationally associated with composer W.C. Handy. Stokes died in 1955. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this Keep on Truckin' Apparel exclusive t-shirt will be donated to Music Maker Relief Foundation. Image copyright of Shanachie Entertainment Corp.

Buddy Boy Hawkins Heroes of the Blues Trading Tee Card #27 Art by R. Crumb, Text by Stephen Calt Walter (Buddy Boy) Hawkins, a reputed resident of Blytheville, Arkansas, recorded twelve sides for Paramount in 1927 and 1929. Details of his life are scanty. Hawkins played exclusively in open A tuning and utilized a sophisticated guitar style. His repertoire included both fast raggy songs and slow blues. His timing and touch were impeccable, his harmonies considerably more developed than those of his peers; yet his records sold poorly and he faded into obscurity. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this Keep on Truckin' Apparel exclusive t-shirt will be donated to Music Maker Relief Foundation. Image copyright of Shanachie Entertainment Corp.

Bo Carter (1893-1964) Heroes of the Blues Trading Tee Card #36 Art by R. Crumb, Text by Stephen Calt Armenter Chatmon, better known as Bo Carter, was raised in Bolton, Mississippi. He learned guitar in the early 1900's, played bass viol in a family string band led by his brother, Lonnie Chatmon, in the 1910's, and later joined the Mississippi Sheiks. Carter's career as a street singer was largely imposed by the blindness that afflicted him in the late 1920's. Between 1930 and 1940, he recorded 105 titles, many notable for their musical sophistication and for the clever sexual innuendo of their lyrics. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this Keep on Truckin' Apparel exclusive t-shirt will be donated to the Music Maker Relief Foundation. Image copyright of Shanachie Entertainment Corp.

Blind Willie Johnson (c.1900-c.1947) Heroes of the Blues Trading Tee Card #7 Art by R. Crumb, Text by Stephen Calt A native of Martin, Texas, Blind Willie Johnson worked as a gospel singer. Between 1927-1930 he recorded thirty sides, including several vocal duets with his wife. Although religious in orientation, Johnson's music was as percussive as any dance blues, and he attained the most rhythmically fluid and tonally vibrant sound of any bottleneck guitarist of his time. His best-known piece is probably "Dark Was the Night", (Columbia, 1927),which was recognized by the Blues Foundation, Classics of Blues Recordings, 1999. He died in 1947 in Beaumont, Texas. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this Keep on Truckin' exclusive t-shirt will be donated to the Music Maker Relief Foundation. Image copyright of Shanachie Entertainment Corp.

Barbecue Bob (1901-1931) Heroes of the Blues Trading Tee Card #28 Art by R. Crumb, Text by Stephen Calt Robert Hicks was born in 1902 at Walnut Grove, Georgia, and learned guitar from his brother, who recorded under the name Charlie Lincoln. Around 1920 Hicks moved to Atlanta; his employment at a local restaurant gave rise to his recording name, Barbecue Bob. Between 1927 and 1930, Hicks recorded fifty-five sides. His twelve-string guitar style was among the most percussive found in blues, setting him apart from some like-sounding Georgians. He died in 1931. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this Keep on Truckin' Apparel exclusive t-shirt will be donated to Music Maker Relief Foundation. Image copyright of Shanachie Entertainment Corp.

Power to the People, Right on! This image by Robert Crumb first appeared on a poster he drew in 1969 to promote a benefit event for the Chicago Eight. A Keep on Truckin' exclusive design Image copyright of R. Crumb

The Happy Camper A Keep On Truckin' Apparel exclusive design Image copyright of R. Crumb