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.

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.

Memphis Minnie (1897-1973) Heroes of the Blues Trading Tees Card #32 Art by R. Crumb Text by Stephen Calt Lizzie Douglas, born in Algiers, Louisiana, was raised in Memphis, and learned guitar at the age of eleven. As Kid Douglas, she toured the South from 1916 onward, returning to Memphis in the late 1920's under the name Memphis Minnie. An accomplished guitarist and gifted song-writer, she recorded over 150 sides between 1929-1941. Most were solo blues, but she also teamed for duets with her second husband, guitarist Kansas Joe McCoy, and her third husband, guitarist Little Son Joe Lawlar. Memphis Minnie 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.

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.