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.

Tommy Johnson (1896-1956) Heroes of the Blues Trading Tees Card #34 Art by R. Crumb Text by Stephen Calt An outstanding vocalist whose trademark falsetto was widely copied, Tommy Johnson was born around 1896 near Terry, Mississippi. He took up music around 1914 and was influenced by Delta performer Charley Patton, although his guitar playing was far more ragged than his mentor's. Johnson's travels made him a familiar figure throughout the Mississippi Delta. Between 1928 and 1930, he recorded eleven sides, including the popular "Big Road Blues." He died in 1956. Tommy Johnson was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in 1986. 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.

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.