2021 was a year that, at best, received mixed reviews.

I, for one, enjoyed 2021 and very much preferred it over 2020. If nothing else we have a President again. That means a lot to me. President Biden has shown us to be a capable man with good intentions. While he wasn’t my first choice for President, he has exceeded my expectations and of course the low bar set by his predecessor.

The year got off to a shaky start with the domestic terrorist attack on the U.S. Capitol. I feel very bad for the people who were killed and their families. The 150 plus law enforcement officials that were injured were the most since the terrorist attacks in this country on September 11^th 2001. The ongoing phycological trauma endured by the folks in the Capitol that day just going about their business and just doing their jobs is staggering. These include everybody from custodial staff to the lawmakers who were there to certify the 2020 Presidential election.

I saw a bright light on that admittedly frightening and quite frankly ugly day. The rioters/terrorists/insurrectionists (whatever you want to call them) were the perfect metaphor for the Trump administration. They temporarily gained access to one of the three branches of government and when they got there, they didn’t have a plan and they didn’t know what to do. So, they just ransacked the joint and shit all over the place. They made a lot of noise and left the building a mess for others to clean up.

When these small-minded, violent thugs left the building the Senate reconvened without missing a beat. They continued the formality of certifying the most closely observed, analyzed and scrutinized free election in the history of our Republic. That was very moving and encouraging.

The other bright light was that this was Trump’s final, last ditch effort to cling to power. As scary and violent as it was, it was like Trump himself, ugly, sloppy, impotent, pathetic and ultimately ineffectual.

If this weren’t enough good news, on January 6^th 2021, the Democrats effectively gained control of the Senate, as they won two run-off elections that day. Yeah…I’m an optimist.

The other big news story of 2021 was that with a fully functioning government again my country was able to get the vaccines and then boosters out to the public quickly. Tracy and I got our first one on April 15^th. It was a very impressive sight to watch a huge throng of automobiles move so effortlessly and efficiently to get their shots. We got our first vax in the parking lot of the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa. It was the second largest vaccination site in California behind Dodger Stadium. I felt like I was taking part in history. It reminded me of reading about how America came together and rallied its resources to defeat the Nazis and Fascists in Europe during World War Two. I allowed myself a little patriotic- thought on this otherwise cloudy afternoon. Again, this was cause for optimism.

Then came the various variants and the boosters. This battle is far from over. Stay safe, stay away from anti-vaxxers, who also tend to be anti-maskers…these aren’t people who you want to socialize with anyway.

Because of a mostly vaccinated and boosted population live music became somewhat viable…for a time. I mostly eschewed this listening option. I guess freedom cuts both ways.

What I did do was absorb as much recorded blues music as I could get my ears around. Much of the output in 2021, like any other year reflected what was going on in the studio the previous year.  In this past year, that meant of course 2020. So, predictably new CD output was a little low. You just have to know where to look, which is pretty much always the case in the blues field anyway. Remember, bad blues music will find YOU all day long. For the good stuff you have to search for it. Believe me, it is worth the effort.

What was produced last year often reflected the hard times we endured in 2020. Some of the material addresses not only our current pandemic riddled world and all the economic hardships that came with that, but addressed social issues that continue to haunt life here in America.

For example, Dave Specter released a spectacular career retrospective on Delmark this past year. It is entitled, Six String Soul: Thirty Years on Delmark. This two-disc 28 song package closes with the only previously unissued recording entitled, The Ballad of George Floyd. “Can you feel his pain, he didn’t die in vain, we can’t let this happen again, it’s time to bring about a change,” sings Billie Branch on the very moving closing track of this highly recommended 2021 release.

On the other end of the political spectrum lies Jimmie Vaughan. 2021 marked the 40^th anniversary of being a die-hard fan of the music of Jimmie Vaughan. That fandom, as you might suspect coincided with my move from Southern California to Dallas in 1981. The Jimmie Vaughan Story was released in 2021. It collects sides from almost fifty years of Vaughan’s recorded legacy. Here, for the first time on CD, one can hear Vaughan’s tune Shackles on Me. This is where the uber gifted musician becomes a social commentator and compares our relationship to big government to that of a slave whose average life expectancy was between 25-35 years of age. This wonderful Texas sized box set coincided with the 70^th birthday of the one and only Jimmie Vaughan.

Getting back to the real world, the album that captured the essence of our travails with the urgency and clarity these subjects deserve is an album by Big Creek Slim aka Mark Rune. It is entitled Twenty-Twenty Blues. His solo acoustic country blues sounds like music from the early part of the 20^th Century. Twenty-Twenty Blues is the BLUES JUNCTION Productions Album of the Year. Congratulations Mark!

Chris Corcoran’s 2021 release also reflected the times in which we live. This time out Corcoran uses a smaller combo and delivers some very contemplative material. His album Inferno also won a BLUES JUNCTION Productions award for Best Instrumental Album of 2021.

As the new year kicks off one of my favorite assignments, and a popular tradition, is our feature entitled, Dave’s Top Ten List of Top Ten Lists. This year I have gathered 10 individuals from six U.S. States and four different countries on four continents and asked the simple question, “What are your ten favorite blues albums of 2021?” This is our second year of doing this without one of our founding participants, Tom Hyslop. I dedicate this feature to his memory. I continue to do what I do because of Tom. 

In case you are wondering which are the Ten BEST Albums of 2021…don’t worry, I’ll tell you.

Obviously, 2021 saw its share of death as the expiration date on us baby boomers is starting to become a factor, as it relates to our shelf life.

Austin, Texas, was hit particularly hard with the passing of Paul Oscher (Covid-19), Gene Taylor (froze to death in his Austin home during the unexpected snow/ice storms that hit Texas) and Denny Freeman (abdominal cancer).

Denny Freeman was a figure, who as the Austin American Statesmen noted upon his passing on April 25^th, 2021, “..made everybody he played with sound better.” This multi-instrumentalist will likely be best remembered for his prowess on the guitar where his virtuosity was only matched by his versatility.

Another absolute giant of the blues left us last year. James Harman exited the building on May 25^th, 2021. He left behind a massive legacy.

Way back on January 29^th of 2021, saxophone legend Grady Gaines died. The longtime Houstonian was 86 years old. On August 11^th of this past year Grady’s younger brother, guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Roy Gaines passed away. The longtime Los Angeles resident was 83 years old. Even by the mid-50’s the two brother’s resumes of recording credits were becoming very impressive. Their musical careers continued in one form or another up until their deaths, six months apart in 2021. The passing of these two titans of Texas blues and R&B represents the end of an era.

If you are checking out our site for the first time or if you haven’t been here in a while, welcome or welcome back, whichever the case might be. Remember to explore our ever expanding and changing Archive section.

2021 also represented our ten-year anniversary bringing our readers this feature driven, monthly, on-line magazine. While I’m very proud of what we have accomplished, I’m not one to toot my own horn, so this is my first and last mention of this accomplishment.

If there is one concept, I have learned in these ten years at the helm of BLUES JUNCTION it is this: The greatest musicians are also the humblest. Sadly, the opposite is just as true. It is my great honor and privilege to shine a light on these quiet, humble warriors who have mastered a craft that is largely under appreciated and misunderstood by mainstream society.

They have given my life more joy than they dare to imagine. I thank them for that.  

The other thing I have learned about this endeavor is that it comes with a certain loneliness. There is very little human contact on a daily basis. I do what I do behind a laptop. My work station doesn’t have the vibrancy of a live music venue for instance. The lockdowns and social distancing that we are all grappling with to various degrees isn’t that much of a stretch for me. I think about how hard it is for those of you who are the working musicians. Being grounded means a loss of income of course, but a radical change in lifestyle.

2021 showed signs of promise. Even a little normalcy, what ever that is, seemed almost palpable.

Big Creek Slim in the title track to his album Twenty-Twenty Blues asked the question: “What is going to come in that 2021… bright brand-new day or have our troubles just begun?”

I’ll check the box next to the words, “bright brand new day.” I’ll extend those thoughts to 2022. I’m an optimist, remember.

Be well and be in touch.

- David Mac