Step inside The Blues Hotel, where Kelvin Huggins and the irrepressible Rufus check your ticket at the door and send you straight into the heart of the blues. Each episode stitches together history, raw emotion and live performance through recurring segments that dig under the skin of the music: Backstory Blues (the heartbreak, the late-night deals and whiskey-soaked confessions behind the songs), Buried in the Blues (blues archaeology that exhumes brilliant, overlooked tracks), Then and Now (originals vs. modern covers that show how great songs live on), and Live at the MBAS (the best live performances from the Melbourne Blues Appreciation Society).
We argue — often loudly — that the blues is the bedrock of modern music. From Muddy Waters’ hoodoo-steeped swagger to Skip James’ hollowed falsetto, from BB King’s Lucille to new Australian acts cutting their own lines, The Blues Hotel treats songs as living stories. Expect quickfire history, close listening, a celebration of raw authenticity over polish, and coverage of the vibrant Australian blues scene — including highlights from the 2025 MBAS Blues Challenge final (winners Damon Smith and The Cam Walter Blues Band).
If you like your music with backstory, bite and a front-row seat to the live scene, check in — the house band’s tuning up and Rufus is storytelling.
"At The Blues Hotel... There ain't nothin' but the blues."
© 2025. The Blues Hotel Collective
Mentioned in this episode:
The Blues Hotel Collective Presents - The Blues Hotel.
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