Latest update: ... Thursday 12th February 2026.
Every day we have the Blues .... Backtracking to the Roots of the Blues - Back, to where it all began ...

Legendary blues artists

Mildred Bailey
 

W C Handy
 

Mississippi John Hurt
 

Blue Lu Barker
 

Sleepy John Estes

Robert Nighthawk
 

J. B. Hutto
 
       
   

  Back to the Roots of the Blues ... Backtracking
  Latest release 5th February 2026 - Thank you for visiting with us, we cordially invite you to review and download the current production below. 'Backtracking' is a result of our research a journey of discovery that never ends, our love of the Blues and respect for the artists that left us this legacy of music.

All this simply because the music, the history and the culture of the blues never ends. We're honoured and privileged to share the music within the genre of the Blues back in time a hundred years and beyond, a genre so vast and so diverse.

Backtracking is streamed online and is broadcast worldwide. It's free to join the 'Backtracking' time machine - Get the authentic blues on your radio station .....
   
 
 
Backtracking directory..
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    Backtracking: Featured artist of the week
    Backtracking archive 2026 (Download)
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Featured artist of the week .... Leroy Dallas

Leroy Dallas (December 24, 1909 – September, 1967) Leroy is probably remembered for his more notable tracks Good Morning Blues and Jump Little Children, Jump, both recorded in1948. He worked with both Brownie McGhee and Frank Edwards and recorded eight tracks under his own name between 1948 and 1962.

Around 1937, Leroy formed a small band with James McMillan, who taught him to play guitar, around 1940, he and Frank performed on the radio program Major Bowes Amateur Hour. Music wasn’t kind to Leroy and settled in Brooklyn, New York, in 1943, where he worked as a waiter, a stevedore, a truck driver, and porter.

By 1946, Brownie McGhee had become a sought-after session guitarist in New York, through his connections, Brownie arranged for Leroy to record some of his own material on the Sittin' in With label. At the first of these sessions in October 1948, Leroy recorded a version of Good Morning, School Girl; probably for copyright reasons his version was called Good Morning Blues. He also recorded two other tracks, I'm down now, but I won't be down always and Jump little children, jump, which were released as singles.

By now Leroy was noted as a capable guitarist and an expressive singer, but it was not until January 1962 that the blues historian Pete Welding arranged for him to record two more tracks, Sweet man Blues and one of my personal favourites, She caught the M&O. After these recordings he retired from the music. Leroy died in September 1967 in Brooklyn, New York.

 
    Leroy Dallas - I'm going away
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Different shades of blue ... Piedmont Blues
 

We’ve all got our favourites or styles that we tend to lean towards, Piedmont blues sits for me as do a couple of Piedmont artists such as the Rev Gary Davis, Blind Blake and Sonny Terry. Elizabeth Cotton’s Freight Train is categorised as indeed a Piedmont track and is for me one of the best and easily recognised fingerpicking guitar tunes.

The specific style (also known as East Coast, or South-Eastern blues) refers primarily to a guitar style that may be said to be comparable to the sound of a ragtime piano. How would that sit with you?

The style is characterised by intricate fingerpicking in which the thumb alternates bass strings in a rhythmic pattern the treble strings. The syncopated guitar style connects closely with the traditional earlier string-band tradition that we at PD are so familiar with, integrating ragtime, blues, and country dance songs.

​The style originated in the Piedmont region of the United States, the hilly area which lies between the Atlantic Coastal Plain and the Appalachian Mountains from central Georgia to central Virginia.  Played by both white and black musicians, it is a regional folk music that remains to this day.

Warner Williams and Eddie Pennington - There's a big bug in my beer
Download - There's a big bug in my beer
 
   
Get in touch, How to contact ... PD Productions
 
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Every day we have the blues ..... PD Productions Audio / Video ...
Welcome to the PD Productions video archive. We are delighted to receive video clips from our very good friends around the world to include in our 'Backtracking' program. Below is a list of the clips scheduled for the next few weeks ...  
   
  The Staple Singers - I'll Take You There
  47th Street Jive - June Richmond with Roy Milton's band
  B. B. King - The Thrill Is Gone
  Diunna Greenleaf & Blue Mercy
  Nina Simone - Ain't got no, I got life
  Raymunda Dutch Blues - Pity the fool
  Take Me to the River LIVE - Sharde Thomas and Rising Star
  Send us a video clip of your gig (mp4 format) - Click here
 
   
Current clip: ....Delta Gator Swamp Blues  
   
Play the current video clip  
Legal / Copyright stuff  
 
 
Blowing the dust off a few ... From the audio archives
From the PD Productions archives, we're blowing the dust off tracks that don't appear on Backtracking as much as they should...
Dock Boggs - Country Blues- 1966 (Live)
Down south blues
Who was Dock Boggs
   
Myths and Legends of the blues ..... Henry Qualls

Henry Qualls (born July 8, 1934 – died December 7, 2003) was an American Texas and country blues guitarist and singer. He became famous later in his life when he was 're-discovered' in 1993 by the Dallas Blues Society. His only music album was released in 1994. After which, he travelled around the world, playing at music festivals.

The Dallas Observer newspaper reported that Henry was a purist's dream-come-true, meaning he played blues music in a very traditional and pure way. In addition to his own material he played covers of other blues artists such as Jimmy Reed and Lowell Fulson. People said his guitar playing was powerful, like the old blues masters such as Son House.

   
Henry Qualls - Can t stand to see you go  
Download: - Can t stand to see you go  
A bit more about Henry (PDF)  
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