John Broven

Archibald: 'Ballin' With Archie'

Profile by John Broven, Blues Unlimited, October 1970

DUE TO OUR tight schedule we had only one more day in New Orleans. It was all systems 'go' on Saturday from first light (almost) ...

Benny Spellman: New Orleans R&B stalwart Benny Spellman

Obituary by John Broven, Now Dig This, July 2011

BENNY SPELLMAN, the New Orleans R&B singer, died of respiratory failure on June 3, 2011, in Pensacola, Fla., at the age of 79. He was ...

Chuck Berry: Hammersmith Odeon, London, May 10th

Live Review by John Broven, Blues Unlimited, July 1964

THE LONG-AWAITED visit of Chuck Berry to these islands came reality when he opened his tour at the Finsbury Empire on May 9th; I caught ...

Bobby Charles, the Inventor of Swamp Pop and Songwriter Supreme

Obituary by John Broven, Now Dig This, February 2010

WITH ROCK 'N' roll exploding in austerity-ridden England in the mid-1950s, there was one hip phrase that stood out from the rest: "See you later ...

Bobby Charles: 'See You Later Alligator': Bobby Charles and the Birth of Rock 'n' Roll in South Louisiana, with Harry Simoneaux

Retrospective and Interview by John Broven, Now Dig This, July 2010

WHEN BOBBY Charles recorded 'Later Alligator' for Chess at Cosimo Matassa's J. & M. Studio in New Orleans in autumn 1955, he was not only ...

Fats Domino & His Orchestra: Saville Theatre, London

Live Review by John Broven, Blues Unlimited, May 1967

LEGENDS ARE built with comparative ease in the anonymity of a recording studio. And how easily such myths are destroyed in the harsh reality of ...

Fats Domino, Dave Bartholomew, Coasters, The: Behind The Sun: New Orleans

Report by John Broven, Blues Unlimited, June 1973

FLY ME, NATIONAL ...

Groundhogs, The, Jimmy Reed: Jimmy Reed: The Ricky Tick, Guildford

Live Review by John Broven, Blues Unlimited, January 1965

14th November 1964 ...

John Lee Hooker: The Ricky Tik, Guildford

Live Review by John Broven, Blues Unlimited, June 1965

Witnessed by John J. Broven, May 14th '65 ...

Howlin' Wolf: The Marquee, London, November 26, 1964

Live Review by John Broven, Blues Unlimited, January 1965

FOLLOWING HIS performances at Croydon and elsewhere, Wolf's first visit to an English club was eagerly awaited by local blues enthusiasts, He was accorded a ...

B.B. King: King Of The Road: On The Road With B.B. King In The Mid-1950s

Sleevenotes by John Broven, Ace Records, 2002

First published in the book accompanying the box set B.B. King: The Vintage Years (Ace Records), 2002. ...

J.B. Lenoir

Profile by John Broven, Blues Unlimited, September 1964

From Blues Unlimited compendium, Nothing but the Blues, ed. Mike Leadbitter (Hanover Books, London, 1971). Edited version of article, first published Blues Unlimited, 15, September ...

Little Walter Arrives For First British Tour

Profile and Interview by John Broven, Blues Unlimited, October 1964

From Blues Unlimited compendium, Nothing but the Blues, ed. Mike Leadbitter (Hanover Books, London, 1971). Edited version of article, first published Blues Unlimited 16, October ...

Junior Parker, Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown, Johnny Ace, Bobby 'Blue' Bland: Duke/Peacock Records: The Success Story

Overview by John Broven, Blues Unlimited, June 1964

WITH THE emergence of interest in blues recordings after the war, with its resultant popularity, it was only natural that there should be a multitude ...

Jimmy Reed: Gimme That Harp, Boy!

Essay by John Broven, History of Rock, The, 1982

THE MOST SUCCESSFUL DOWNHOME blues recording artist ever, Jimmy Reed chalked up 12 Billboard Hot 100 hits and 14 R&B chart entries during his career ...

Jimmy Rogers (blues): Walking by Myself: a Commentary on Jimmy Rogers

Profile by John Broven, Blues Unlimited, June 1965

MANY ERSTWHILE modern blues recordings are perhaps shrouded in a greater veil of mystery today than many of their earlier counterparts. That this is so ...

Jerry Wexler: Appreciating Jerry Wexler, the Supreme Atlantic Record Man

Memoir by John Broven, Now Dig This, October 2008

AS SOON AS Jerry Wexler's death was announced on August 15, 2008, daily newspapers and rock magazines had their already-written obituaries ready to go in ...

Marshall Sehorn: We Had Some Good Times

Interview by John Broven, Blues Unlimited, February 1974

Marshall Sehorn of Sansu talks to John Broven about his start in the business ...

Obituary: Consummate Nashville record man Shelby Singleton, of Mercury and Sun

Obituary by John Broven, Now Dig This, November 2009

SHELBY SINGLETON, the consummate record man who was the most capable latter-day custodian of Sun Records, died of brain cancer in a Nashville, Tennessee hospice ...