Heroes of the Blues featured artist: Charley Patton

Charley Patton (1890-1934)

Heroes of the Blues Trading Tees Card #26

Art by R. Crumb Text by Stephen Calt

One of the most influential Mississippi blues musicians, Charley Patton was born in the 1890's and raised in the Delta town of Dockery. By 1910 he was already an established performer, known for such songs as "Pony Blues" and "Banty Rooster Blues." A prolific artist, he recorded more titles (forty-two) within a single year than any blues artist of the decade. After his debut in 1929, his blend of comedy effects and hard blues gave him a unique musical identity. He died in 1934 and was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in 1980.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this Keep On Truckin' Apparel exclusive t-shirt will be donated to Music Maker Relief Foundation.

Heroes of the Blues Featured Artist: Son House

Son House (1902-1988)
Heroes of the Blues Trading Tees Card #31

Art by R. Crumb Text by Stephen Calt

The possessor of a powerful voice, Eddie James (Son) House gave up preaching for music around 1927 while in his native Lyon, Mississippi. His friend Charlie Patton arranged for his 1930 recording debut, which resulted in nine titles. He worked with Willie Brown and recorded for the Library of Congress before moving to Rochester, New York, in 1943. House influenced such famed musicians as Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters. His career revived when he was rediscovered in 1964. Son House was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall Of Fame in 1980.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this Keep On Truckin' Apparel exclusive t-shirt will be donated to Music Maker Relief Foundation.

Heroes of the Blues Featured Artist: Skip James

Skip James (1902-1969)

Heroes of the Blues Trading Tees Card #14

Art by R. Crumb Text by Stephen Calt

Nehemiah (Skip) James was born in 1902 and raised in Bentonia, Mississippi. He learned guitar in his late teens from a local player, Henry Stuckey, and began piano soon afterwards under the tutelage of an old Arkansas performer, Will Crabtree. A professional blues musician from 1924 onward, James recorded seventeen sides for Paramount in 1931, and entered the clergy the same year. His "I'm so Glad" became a rock hit shortly before his death in 1969. Skip James was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in 1992.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this Keep On Truckin' Apparel exclusive t-shirt will be donated to Music Maker Relief Foundation.

Heroes of the Blues Feature Artist: Cannon's Jug Stompers

Cannon's Jug Stompers
Heroes of the Blues Trading Tees Card #20

Art by R. Crumb Text by Stephen Calt

Cannon's Jug Stompers, based in Ripley, Tennessee, consisted of banjoist Gus Cannon (Banjo Joe), guitarist Ashley Thompson, and harmonicist Noah Lewis. Cannon was born in Mississippi in 1883 and played professionally before 1900. Lewis a native of Henning, Tennessee, was born in 1895 and began working with Cannon around 1910. The group's twenty-eight recordings between 1928 and 1930 included "Walk Right In," made famous as a folk-rock song in the 1960's. Cannon's Jug Stompers was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in 2010.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this Keep On Truckin' Apparel exclusive t-shirt will be donated to Music Maker Relief Foundation.

T-Shirts available exclusively at www.kotapparel.com

R. Crumb's Heroes of the Blues

In celebration of our new, Heroes of the Blues T shirt collection, a tribute to those early great singers and musicians who first recorded the blues. Many of whom never received recognition until after their deaths.

All pictured here have since been inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame: Son House, Skip James, Charley Patton, Mississippi John Hurt, Reverend Gary Davis, Blind Blake, Big Bill Broonzy, Blind Lemon Jefferson and Willie McTell.

We here at Keep on Truckin' Apparel are excited and thrilled to be donating a portion of the proceeds from sales of our "Heroes of the Blues" Trading Tees Collection to Music Maker Relief Foundation. Music Maker is based out of Hillsborough, North Carolina, their mission to "keep the bluest of the blues alive", through offering support to musicians living in poverty, and launching careers with a hand up, not a hand out. As well they preserve and present American musical traditions for the benefit of local communities, worldwide education and future generations.


Their mission seems to go hand in hand with the spirit of the "Heroes of the Blues" series. These color portraits where commissioned by Yazoo Records founder Nick Perls. Nick spent time traveling through the South, visiting second hand shops and knocking on doors to track down old blues records in the 1960's. He then remastered and preserved these old 78-rpm. His work was part of the revival of the Blues in the 60's, and brought attention to these unsung heroes.

For the "Heroes of the Blues" artwork he turned to Robert Crumb, musician and cartoonist, and for the historical text Stephen Calt, author and blues historian. The 36 card trading card set first appeared in 1980, and includes:
Charley Patton, Son House, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Mississippi John Hurt, Memphis Minnie, Blind Blake, Willie McTell, Big Bill Broonzy, Gary Davis, Skip James, Roosevelt Sykes, Cannon's Jug Stompers, Blind Willie Johnson, Tommy Johnson, Sleepy John Estes, Peetie Wheatstraw, Bo Carter, Ed Bell, Barbecue Bob, Buddy Boy Hawkins, Papa Charlie Jackson, Memphis Jug Band, Ramblin' Thomas, Sam Collins, Furry Lewis, Bo-Weavil Jackson, Rube Lacey, Mississippi Sheiks, Whistler & His Jug Band, Curley Weaver & Fred McMullen, Leroy Carr & Scrapper Blackwell, Jaybird Coleman, Frank Stokes, Clifford Gibson, Peg Leg Howell, and William Morris.

So collect them, trade them, wear then with pride, and know that you will be supporting a rich American musical heritage.

"Heroes of the Blues" T-Shirts Exclusive at KOT Apparel

Today, Keep On Truckin’ Apparel, LLC of Carlton, Oregon, announced the acquisition through Denis Kitchen Publishing of the exclusive rights to reproduce the “Heroes of the Blues” trading card color portraits as part of their apparel line. Online at www.kotapparel.com, “KOT Apparel” features the cartoon artwork of Robert Crumb.

R. Crumb of underground comics fame combined both his passions as an artist, as well as a musician, when creating the original “Heroes of the Blues” Trading Card Set for Yazoo Records in 1980. These thirty-six, beautifully detailed color portraits, feature the early great musicians and singers who were among the first to record the Blues. The original text on the back of each card was penned by famed Blues historian and author Stephen Calt.

Keep On Truckin’s website, at www.kotapparel.com, will begin the introduction of the collectable “Heroes of the Blues” t-shirts in Mid-November, planning to release them in the order in which the musicians where inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame. First releases will include: Charley Patton, Son House, Memphis Minnie, Blind Lemon Johnson and Big Bill Broonzy. Part of the proceeds from the sale of each t-shirt will be funneled back into the Blues community through a donation to Music Maker Relief Foundation.

Keep on Truckin’ currently offers two additional t-shirt collections: the “Classics Collection” featuring iconic R. Crumb illustrations; the “Mr. Natural Organics Collection” featuring Crumb’s infamous character and related imagery. All KOT Apparel is printed on-demand – based on the customer’s design preference and t-shirt style, color, and size choices. Shoppers can choose from conventional or organic cotton.