Elvin Bishop's musical biography is no secret to anyone who has followed blues or rock over the past 40 years. Starting out on Chicago's South side when blues giants like Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Otis Rush and Howlin' Wolf could be found playing in neighborhood joints, Elvin soaked it all up. In the '60s, Bishop found a wide audience as guitarist in the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. In the '70s he scored a Top-10 solo radio hit with "Fooled Around and Fell in Love." Along the way, he's carved out a niche all his own, playing an appealing mix of rootsy rock 'n' roll, R&B and barroom boogie, steeped in the heavy blues.

The musical pedigree of Grammy Award winner James "Superharp" Cotton brings up a veritable who's who in the world of the Blues. Inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2006, honored by the Smithsonian Institute in 1991, and winner of countless Blues Music Awards, Cotton got his start in Howlin' Wolf's band and was Muddy Waters' harp player for 12 years before breaking out on his own as a band leader. Since then he's performed with B.B. King, The Rolling Stones, Johnny Winter, the Allman Brothers, Santana, Bonnie Raitt, Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, Sam and Dave, The Grateful Dead among many others.

Paul Thorn - hailed as the "Mark Twain of Americana" - has been pleasing crowds for years with his muscular brand of roots music - bluesy, rocking and thoroughly Southern, yet also speaking universal truths. His latest CD, What The Hell Is Goin' On? puts his own gritty stamp on some of his favorite songs including the powerful title track, a blistering look at life in modern times that was penned by his friend Elvin Bishop, who also plays guitar on the recording.