Arena - Blues Night

Arena - Blues Night: 1. Sonny Boy Williamson Sings

First transmitted in 1985, Blues Night presents rare footage of the harmonica blues player Sonny Boy Williamson, who gave B.B. King his big break in 1948. ‘He was on the radio doing live performances when I first came to Memphis. He put me on his show to do this one song – a lady saloon-keeper hired me that day and I’ve worked ever since,’ King explained to the Radio Times.

First Broadcast: 27 July 1985
Duration: 21 minutes


Arena - Blues Night: 2. B.B. King Speaks
First transmitted in 1985, John Walters talks to B.B. King - aided by his guitar Lucille - about his extraordinary life, from a childhood picking cotton in Mississippi to worldwide stardom.

First Broadcast: 27 July 1985
Duration: 38 minutes


Arena - Blues Night: 3. Chicago Blues
First transmitted in 1985, Harley Cokliss’ classic blues documentary includes performances by Muddy Waters, Junior Wells and Buddy Guy, and shows how the tough urban music of Chicago developed out of the original rural blues.

First Broadcast: 27 July 1985
Duration: 52 minutes


Arena - Blues Night: 4. Blind John Davis
First transmitted in 1985, the great Chicago broadcaster and journalist Studs Terkel and pianist Blind John Davis meet in a downtown bar to discuss and play the blues. This interview was shot for "Omnibus: Studs Terkel's Chicago" but not shown in the final programme.

First Broadcast: 28 July 1985
Duration: 20 minutes


Arena - Blues Night: 5. Blues Medley
First transmitted in 1985, this medley of the blues features Fred McDowell, Thomas 'Georgia Tom' Dorsey, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee. Huddie Ledbetter - better known as 'Lead Belly' - performs 'Pick a Bale of Cotton', and Billie Holiday accompanied by Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster and Roy Eldridge, performs her own composition 'Fine and Mellow'.

First Broadcast: 28 July 1985
Duration: 26 minutes


Arena - Blues Night: 6. Big Bill Blues
First transmitted in 1985, hard blues meets film noir as Big Bill Broonzy sings and plays in a Belgian nightclub back in the 1950s.

First Broadcast: 28 July 1985
Duration: 23 minutes