Blind, Black and Blue

Available for over a year

There were many real blind, black bluesman, scraping a living in the Deep South a hundred years ago. From Blind Willie Johnson and Blind Lemon Jefferson on opposite street corners in Dallas to Blind Blake and Blind Boy Fuller in Georgia and the Carolinas, the early 20th century saw blind bluesmen playing everything from the lewd, raw blues of the juke joint to the God-fearing spirituals beloved of the new wave of Southern churches and with a musical legacy that's lasted through the decades. How did this group of blind musicians, faced with all the disadvantages of race, segregation, disability and poverty, manage to achieve celebrity in their own day and leave such a lasting mark on the history of American music? Gary O'Donoghue, who is blind himself, explores the elements of race and culture that made this phenomenon possible. Presenter, Gary O'Donoghue Producer, Lee Kumutat Sound Engineer, Peter Bosher Every member of the production team who made this programme is blind. Editor, Andrew Smith Blind Willie's Shades written by Doug Ashdown played by Tommy Emanuel Blind Willie McTell - Come Round to My House Mamma Blind Willie McTell - Statesboro Blues Jontavious Willis plays Willie McTell's Broke Down Engine Blues Willie MmTell - Atlanta Strut Blind Willie McTell - Baby It Must Be Love Blind Willie Johnson - His Blood Can Make Me Whole Blind Gary Davis - Samson and Delilah Blind Boy Fuller - I'm a Rattlesnakin' Daddy Blind Gary Davis - I Heard The Angels Singing Blind Gary Davis - 12 Gates to the City Blind Gary Davis - Lord I Wish I Could See Bill Ellis playing Blind Gary Davis' If I Had My Way Blind Mississippi Morris playing live.