LISTEN to Free Blues Music

LISTEN to Free Blues Music

You don’t need to spend money — or even leave the comfort of your home — in order to access more blues music  than you could listen to in a lifetime. Check out these resources:

 MUSIC YOU CAN TOUCH Recordings on CDs, vinyl LPs, and cassettes are available at the Madison Public Library.
The last time we checked, we found that your library card will give you access to 3,475 recordings —
many of which were donated by the Madison Blues Society!

ONLINE MUSIC STATIONS and OTHER RESOURCES

        • internet-radio.com.   This site has an enormous list of blues stations.
        • Live365 has dozens of online stations.
        • AccuRadio has links to several stations, including several with a specific focus, e.g., female singers, pre-war, acoustic, etc.
        • WORT archive has shows from the previous two weeks, available on-demand. Look for “Two for the Blues” and “Blues Cruise”.
        • Wednesday Blues Drive is broadcast on WMSE 91.7 (Milwaukee) from 3:00-6:00 PM. It is NOT an online stream, but shows going back as far as 2014 are archived as mp3 files (with playlists!) and available for streaming.
        • WXPR,  a Rhinelander-based station, has two blues-oriented shows.
        • LiveOne.com lists both music stations and playlists
          • They have four stations (Blues, Traditional Blues, BB King, and Modern Blues).
          • However, each station has a published (and evidently static) playlist, so you are able to play individual songs if you prefer.
        • YouTube has videos, of course, but it also has great audio recordings that deserve your attention.
          Try this one: The best, slow blues music of all times

PODCASTS: Podcasts are an alternative to radio stations.  You can listen to them live, but recordings of podcasts are usually available soon after broadcast, accessible at your convenience. The format is typically more like traditional programming, with a host, perhaps a theme, etc.