Alan Balfour

A London born lover who discovered the blues in 1962 via the Alan Lomax documentary record, Blues In The Mississippi Night time (Pye-Nixa, 1957), Paul Oliver’s Blues Fell TODAY (1960) as well as the writings of Derrick Stewart-Baxter (Jazz Journal) and Albert McCarthy (Jazz Month to month). His primary specialization is the existence and music of Sam Lightnin’ Hopkins and started authoring blues and related issues in 1966 for a number of specialist and nonspecialist UK magazines. Previously a co-editor of Blues-Link (1973-75), information editor of Dark Music (1976) and specialist to Speaking Blues (1976-78), he offers advised companies such as for example Polydor on the blues catalogues aswell as compiling and development produces for others like EMI, Pye and DJM. His understanding and tastes period the whole selection of dark folk music and folklore: worksong, jugbands, gospel, rural blues, metropolitan blues and R&B. An intermittent contributor to Blues & Tempo and Juke Blues publications, today he’s better known for his participation with major study and discographical tasks like Blues Information 1943-1970.