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.