Christopher Wyze & The Tellers – Naptown Blues
Christopher Wyze & The Tellers revisit the music of Indianapolis blues pioneers Leroy Carr and Scrapper Blackwell on ‘Naptown Blues’
Christopher Wyze & The Tellers – Naptown Blues
Format: CD / Digital
Label: Big Radio Records
Release date: October 2, 2026
Christopher Wyze & The Tellers release their new album ‘Naptown Blues’ today, October 2, via Big Radio Records.
The eleven-track album pays tribute to Leroy Carr and Scrapper Blackwell, two musicians whose partnership played an important role in early American blues.
Rather than simply looking back from a distance, Wyze and his Indianapolis-based band returned to the city where Carr and Blackwell developed their music.
‘Naptown Blues’ was recorded in downtown Indianapolis, only a few miles from the location where Carr and Blackwell first recorded together in June 1928.
The project follows ‘Stuck in the Mud’ and the live album ‘Live in Clarksdale’ and is Christopher Wyze & The Tellers’ third release for Big Radio Records.
Wyze’s own music combines blues with elements of rock ‘n’ roll, Americana and country, with storytelling and harmonica remaining central to his approach.
“Photo: Courtesy of Blind Raccoon”
For this album, the band deliberately kept the arrangements close to the spirit of the early recordings. There are no drums or percussion, with acoustic guitar, bass and harmonica forming much of the musical framework.
Alongside songs associated with Carr and Blackwell, including How Long – How Long Blues and Midnight Hour Blues, the album includes Birthday in Jail, a contemporary adaptation written by Wyze and inspired by an early blues recording.
With ‘Naptown Blues’, Christopher Wyze & The Tellers place the focus firmly on the musical legacy of their hometown and two artists whose recordings helped shape the development of the blues.
Website: https://christopherwyzeandthetellers.com/bio
Tracks:
01. I’m Going Back to Tennessee
02. Naptown Blues
03. How Long – How Long Blues
04. The Truth About the Thing
05. My Own Lonesome Blues
06. Midnight Hour Blues
07. Kokomo Blues
08. Tired Of Your Low Down Ways
09. You Got to Reap What You Sow
10. Prison Bound Blues
11. Birthday in Jail
Read also:
Want to discover more from Christopher Wyze & The Tellers and related artists? Click on the titles below to read earlier articles on Bluestown Music.
Christopher Wyze & The Tellers – Stuck In The Mud
Bluestown Music previously featured the band’s debut album, recorded in Muscle Shoals and Clarksdale.
Chris O’Leary – Blue Collar
Singer and harmonica player Chris O’Leary combines blues storytelling with a contemporary approach on ‘Blue Collar’.
Charlie Musselwhite – Look Out Highway
Veteran harmonica player Charlie Musselwhite draws on traditional blues and storytelling on ‘Look Out Highway’.