The last six months have been a bit rough for me in my personal life but I am back to tracking new & upcoming blues music for 2026! This list is truly for diehard blues enthusiasts that want to know about new blues music and what is coming up during 2026. My guess is that includes YOU and most everyone that reads the Blues Beats blog and listens to Blues Music Fan Radio!
This past Friday saw the release of three albums that merit your attention. Lil’ Ed & the Imperials have released Slideways which is full of upbeat party blues heavily infused with Elmore James rhythms. Garret T Willie hails from western Canada and brings a Bachman Turner Overdrive feel to the his new blues rock recording Bill’s Cafe. And I just love the new album Issaquena Getaway from Pittsburgh’s Charlie Barath. It is some great chill blues featuring Charlie on harmonica and the great Johnny Burgin on guitar.
In the next couple of months, new recordings from the Black Crowes, the Tedeschi Trucks Band, Studebaker John, Alexis P. Suter, Dana Fuchs, Rick Vito, Robben Ford, The Name Droppers, Curtis Salgado, and Albert Castiglia are due out…to name just a few! Singles from all of these upcoming recordings on the list should make the playlists of BMFR DJs in the coming weeks. Oh yeah…2026 is off to a great start!!
Recordings Out Now – Albums
Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials – Slideways [Alligator Records]
Garret T Willie – Bill’s Cafe [Gulf Coast Records]
Charlie Barath – Issaquena Getaway [self release]
Upcoming Releases – March 2026
The Black Crowes – A Pound of Feathers (March 13th)
Paul Gemmell & the Black Magic Blues Band – Walkin’ On Broken Souls (March 13th)
Studebaker John’s Maxwell Street King – Jumpin’ From Limb to Limb (March 13th)
The Alexis P. Suter Band – Just Stay Alive: Recorded Live at the Falcon (March 17th)
Tedeschi Trucks Band – Future Soul (March 20th)
Andy Cohen, Eleanor Ellis & William Lee Ellis – Whistlin’ Past the Graveyard (March 20th)
Luke Winslow-King – Coast of Light (March 27th)
Selywn Birchwood – Electric Swamp Funkin’ Blues (March 27th)
Dana Fuchs – Live In Denmark (March 27th)
Gabe Stillman – What Happens Next? (March 27th)
Wreckless Strangers – Dirty Souls (March 27th)
Upcoming Releases – April 2026
Mike Guldin – While I Can (April 1st)
Rick Vito – Slide Master (April 3rd)
P K Mayo – All Before Yesterday (April 3rd)
Krissy Matthews – Rock and Roll Soldier (April 10th)
Marc Broussard – Chance Worth Taking (April 17th)
Curtis Salgado – Legacy Rewind: Live in ’25 (April 17th)
Robben Ford – Two Shades of Blues (April 17th)
Boogie Beasts – Don’t Be So Mean! – A Tribute to R.L. Burnside (April 17th)
Upcoming Releases – May 2026
The Black Keys – Peaches (May 1st)
The Cold Stares – Texas (May 1st)
Carmen Ratti Band – Come to Me (May 6th)
Ryan Bingam and the Texas Gentlemen – They Call Us the Lucky Ones (May 15th)
Emmanuel Casablanca – It’s Getting Strange (May 15th)
Chris Bergson – East River Blues (May 15th)
Steve Louw – Traces of the Flood (May 15th)
Upcoming Release – June/July 2026
Jared James Nichols – Louder Than Fate (June 5th)
Sherri Harding – Storyland (June 5th)
The Name Droppers – Let’s Live Together (June 12th)
Albert Castiglia – Grits and Glory (July 31st)
Planned Release With No Set Date Yet
Anthony Geraci – Enigma (Spring 2026)
Eliza Neal – Thunder in the House (Spring 2026)
Eric Steckel – Sandstorm (Spring 2026)
The Joanna Connor Band – Live (Summer 2026)
Secondhand Dreamcar – Get Ready (Fall 2026)
*** If you or your group have an upcoming blues album set for release, please email ben@benveeblues.com with the info on the recording and release date if you would like it considered for inclusion on this list.
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