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.

Blind Lemon Jefferson (1893-1929) Heroes of the Blues Trading Tees Card #9 Art by R. Crumb Text by Stephen Calt A native of Wortham, Texas, the legendary Blind Lemon Jefferson worked as a street singer and visited several state in the course of his travels. His successful recording debut in 1926 launched the vogue for country blues. Before his mysterious death in 1929, Jefferson recorded eighty-five sides and established himself as the most popular blues guitarist of his era. An off-beat guitarist known for his free phrasing patterns, he was one of the most inspired singers found in blues. Blind Lemon Jefferson was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in 1980. 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.

Blind Gary Davis (1896-1972) Heroes of the Blues Trading Tees Card #24 Art by R. Crumb Text by Stephen Calt A native of Laurens, South Carolina, Reverend Gary Davis, learned to play the guitar around 1903, at the age of seven. As a street singer, he specialized in gospel songs. When first recorded in 1935, he lived in Durham, North Carolina, and counted the popular Blind Boy Fuller as a protege. Davis magnificent guitar playing earned him an avid following among northern audiences after he moved to New York in the 1940's, and he toured and made numerous records before his 1972 death. Reverend Gary Davis was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in 2009. 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.

Blind Willie McTell (1901-1959) Heroes of the Blues Trading Tees Card #30 Art by R. Crumb Text by Stephen Calt Born in Thompson, Georgia, in 1901, Willie McTell learned guitar from his mother around 1914 and made his recording debut in 1927 after working as a street singer and medicine show minstrel. Over the next nine years he recorded forty-eight sides for four companies under four different names, sometimes teamed with his wife, Kate McTell. A deft guitarist with a sweet voice, McTell made Library of Congress blues field recordings and postwar records for the R&B market as well. He died in 1959. Blind Willie McTell was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in 1981. 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.

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.