Cephas And Wiggins' 'Richmond Blues' Brings Piedmont Style From Appalachia To You

New York, NY. (Top40 Charts/ Shore Fire Media) - On July 29, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings will release 'Richmond Blues' by guitarist-singer John Cephas and his harmonica-player partner Phil Wiggins as part of the African American Legacy Recordings Series. 'Richmond Blues' traces the traditional Piedmont blues through its origins in the southeast Appalachians, from Richmond, Virginia, to Atlanta, Georgia, and showcases its thriving modern embodiment in the hands of Wiggins and Cephas, the most respected and well-known Piedmont blues musicians today.

Piedmont blues is a distinctly regional style that has been shared among Black musicians in the southeast Appalachians for over a century. The music incorporates ragtime, country, old-time string band, rhythm and blues and other traditions into its sound, as well as specific instrumental techniques. 'My style is a little different from most modern blues players,' explains Cephas, 'because I play with my thumb and fingers.... It's an alternating thumb bass, and then you play the leading parts with your fingers.' Cephas learned the characteristic technique from his cousin and from watching the legendary Piedmont blues performers Blind Boy Fuller and Reverend Gary Davis. The harmonica joined the guitar in blues music around the beginning of the 1900s, replacing the fiddle, and was particularly appealing in its capacity to mimic the sound of a human voice in certain keys. Within the Piedmont region, the best-known practitioners of the acoustic harmonica/guitar duet were the late Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, who dominated southeastern blues through the Folk Revival and the 1980s.

Cephas and Wiggins embrace the deep history of Piedmont blues while creating a sound that is both unique and distinctly modern. Their music blends both old and new, bringing harmonica and guitar together for modern audiences unlike any pairing before them. 'Richmond Blues' is the duo's effort to document the Piedmont tradition and provide a musical roadmap for other aspiring musicians. Featuring original songs and traditional favorites, the album's 16 tracks, each carefully annotated, exemplifies the duo's skill as well as the enduring relevance of Piedmont music.

Together, Cephas and Wiggins have earned numerous awards for their music and advocacy for the Piedmont tradition, including the Blues Foundation's Best Traditional Artist, Best Traditional Album, and the W.C. Handy Blues Entertainer of the Year. Additionally, Cephas was named a National Heritage Fellow in 1989, and serves on the board of the National Council for the Traditional Arts, while Wiggins until very recently was the Artistic Director of Blues Programs and workshops for Centrum's Port Townsend Country Blues Festival, and has worked with various Blues in the Schools programs.