Unreleased Tracks from Key West Blues Legend Bill Blue Set for Posthumous Release

Unreleased Tracks from Key West Blues Legend Bill Blue Set for Posthumous Release

Bill Blue, a veteran of the Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup band and a beloved fixture of the Key West music scene for more than 35 years, passed away in 2022 after a battle with cancer. Now, his longtime friend and producer Ian Shaw is honoring his legacy with the release of never-before-heard music starting with the single “I Got The Gris Gris.”

The rollicking, good-time track, brimming with Blue’s trademark whiskey-soaked vocals and deep-rooted guitar grooves, was left off his final two acclaimed albums, Mojolation and King of Crazy Town. It will lead the way for The Other Side of Paradise, an upcoming album arriving this fall that will also feature two Eddie Hinton covers and two live renditions of fan favorites.

An authentic back-porch bluesman, Blue first honed his craft on the road alongside Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup, even opening for Bonnie Raitt during her debut national tour. After Crudup’s passing in 1974, Blue launched his own career, signing with Adelphi Records and touring the world for a decade. By the 1980s, weary from life on the road, he stepped away from recording but returned 25 years later to create original music once again, this time with British producer Ian Shaw.

With The Other Side of Paradise, Shaw offers fans one last chance to experience the spirit, soul, and swagger of Bill Blue an enduring bluesman taking one more bow from beyond the stage.
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