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OXFORD, Miss. \u2013\u00a0America\u2019s first blues publication, Living Blues, not only celebrates its Ruby Anniversary when its 208th issue hits newsstands Sunday (Aug. 1) but also marks 40 years of setting the international standard for blues journalism.
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\u201cIt\u2019s a big deal for a small magazine like this to make it 40 years in such a narrow genre,\u201d\u00a0said editor Brett Bonner, who has worked with the magazine for nearly 25 years. \u201cWe are fortunate to have a loyal core of people who love what we do, and they have kept us afloat. It\u2019s cool for us to get this far.\u201d<\/p>\n
Founded in Chicago by Jim O’Neal and Amy Van Singel in 1970, Living Blues has been the authoritative voice for blues legends such as Howlin\u2019 Wolf, Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Koko Taylor and John Lee Hooker, just to name a few. Acquired by the University of Mississippi in 1983, Living Blues is published by the Center for the Study of Southern Culture.<\/p>\n
\u201cLiving Blues delivers an addictive content that satisfies the needs, wants and desires of a blues audience that is hungry for more,\u201d said UM journalism professor Samir Husni, the world\u2019s premiere authority on magazine publishing and Living Blues consultant.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s remarkable for any magazine, let alone a specialty bimonthly like Living Blues, to survive four decades,” said Husni (a.k.a. \u201cMr. Magazine\u201d).<\/p>\n
The cover of Sunday\u2019s issue features a collage of scores of the magazine\u2019s past covers, encompassing the theme of the celebratory issue. Bonner said a prison letter, claiming the whereabouts of Billy \u201cThe Kid\u201d Emerson, sparked the idea of revisiting musicians from issues past to discuss their place in blues history. Best known for his 1955 song \u201cRed Hot,\u201d Emerson vanished from the music scene in the early 1980s.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found Billy \u2018The Kid\u2019 Emerson,\u201d Bonner said. \u201cHe\u2019s 80 years old now, and a preacher.”<\/p>\n
Included in the milestone publication is the final installment of the “Best of the Decades” lists assembled by one of the nation\u2019s most respected blues journalists, Jim DeKoster.<\/p>\n
\u201cJim has compiled a best-of-the-decade list for each issue this year starting with the 70s,\u201d Bonner explained. \u201cHe has also done a \u201830 you might have missed\u2019 list with obscure gems from each decade. The scope and breadth of his knowledge of blues is amazing. He’s been invaluable to Living Blues, and our readers love him.\u201d<\/p>\n
A Living Blues writer since the second issue, DeKoster, a Waterloo, Iowa attorney, said his sense of responsibility to the music and its fans coupled with a desire to keep current led him to write more than 2,000 reviews during the magazine\u2019s history.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe emotional connection with the listener is what I love most about the blues,\u201d said DeKoster.\u00a0 \u201cIt’s rewarding to know that Living Blues is still going strong and better than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n
To learn more, visit <\/span><\/span><\/a>http:\/\/livingblues.com<\/a><\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" OXFORD, Miss. \u2013\u00a0America\u2019s first blues publication, Living Blues, not only celebrates its Ruby Anniversary when its 208th issue hits newsstands Sunday (Aug. 1) but also marks 40 years of setting the international standard for blues journalism.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[222],"tags":[350],"yoast_head":"\n