With apologizes to France, Chile is the most hospitable nation in the world. Actually, I adore the French, but no country tops the warmth and graciousness of the people of Chile. As a clueless gringa, I recall with fondness my first trek to Santiago from Viña del Mar, when I asked a gentleman which train to take. Realizing I was Yankee tourist, he insisted upon paying for my entire transport. I politely protested. The gentleman replied, ‘You are a guest in my country, and it is my wish to host you.’ I recalled the words of Mark Twain, which goes something like: ‘The act of kindness is a language the whole world can understand.’

Waking to the news that Dave Mason had passed set off a flood of memories for me. Fifty years became yesterday recalling my first tour through Asia as a young Navy journalist. One of my very first assignments for Armed Forces Radio in Tokyo was to seek out and interview touring musicians for broadcast to our troops stationed overseas. As luck would have it, Dave Mason was just wrapping up his tour through Japan and after I reached out, he graciously agreed to sit and talk.

One of Chicago's most influential bluesman, Otis Rush would have turned 92 in 2026. His West Side style of Chicago blues had a global impact on an entire generation of guitarists. Clapton, Santana, Michael Bloomfield, Peter Green, Jimmy Page and Stevie Ray Vaughan all considered Rush to be a major influence on their musical journeys. We lost Otis Rush in September of 2018 from the complications of a stroke. He was 84 years old.

No stranger to the Blues Music Awards, John Németh has picked up four more nominations this year.  Categories include Instrumentalist - Harmonica, Instrumentalist - Vocals, Soul Blues Male Artist and John Németh & The Blue Dreamers for Band of the Year.  The ceremonies take place in May this year in Memphis. This conversation was prior to the 38th annual BMA's when we took a deep dive into his influences and musical running buddies. 

"The blues," according to John Hammond, "is the most honest way of looking at life. It's reality but with humor and the deepest feeling. Blues is not like sadness, blues is like…depth. Like the sky is blue, like the ocean is blue, it's forever."

On February 16, 2026, documentarian film director, Frederick Wiseman, passed away. He was 96 years old. His most famous documentary films include Titicut Follies (1967, Hospital (1970), Welfare (1975), and In Jackson Heights (2015). His films were renowned for possessing a dramatic structure despite not using a traditional documentary narrative, plus focusing on social and economic themes.

The 2026 Winter Paralympics (Italian: Milano Cortina 2026 Giochi paralimpici invernali), is an upcoming international winter multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities. This year it is scheduled to take place from March 6 to 15 at sites across Lombardy and Northeast Italy.

It has always amazed me how the blues have wrapped themselves around our little planet. Magic Sam and Charlie Musselwhite referred to them as a "comforter," B.B. King thinks of them as medicinal, "they're good for what ails you." For Johnny Winter, they break down to pure "emotion."

It should have been so obvious, but who better to profile in this continuing series, than those who live most of their lives 'on the road.' No, I'm not talking about long-haul truckers or UPS deliverymen, nor am I referring to cabbies or regional sales reps. I speak of those who continue to travel the byways, back roads and endless ribbons of black top to play the music they love. I'm referring, of course, to the journeymen and women of the Blues, and their lifelong quest for that elusive 'Key to the Highway.'

Johnny Otis did it all; a multi-talented performer who sang, played drums, vibes and the piano. He was a bandleader, songwriter, producer, promoter, club owner, talent scout, and publisher. At one time, he managed his own record label, worked regularly as a radio disk jockey and hosted a long-running music and dance program in the early days of television that predated Dick Clark's 'American Bandstand.'