±«Óãtv

This programme is part a collection of ±«Óãtv programmes featuring influential blues musicians, including B.B. King, Muddy Waters and Sonny Boy Williamson.

The origins of the Blues are difficult to pin down exactly, but presenter Alexis Korner holds that "the Blues were created by poor blacks in the South, that's certain. It happened some time after about 1900, that too is certain. Snatches of song were written down by folklore collectors. And that's about all the evidence we have. So what did those old Blues - and they weren't always even called that - what did they sound like? Possibly something like this…"

So begins this series of four films, opening with Booker White singing Poor Boy. Full of anecdotes and recordings from some of the great but perhaps less well-known Blues artists, this is a rare treat for music fans.

Programmes are selected, in part, for their historical context and reflect the broadcast standards and attitudes of their time, which may not accord to some current ±«Óãtv editorial guidelines. We aim to select programmes which can be shown in their entirety but in some cases edits are required.