Lee McBee

The blues return to KJHK

Every Saturday The Jookhouse will play music to make you dance

By Vince Meserko

Lee McBee
Lee McBee

The Jookhouse is one of KJHK’s longest-running special programs. Each week I’ll play the best in delta blues, Chicago Blues, electric blues, Stax soul, Goldwax soul, Motown, New Orleans funk and brass band music, and even a little bit of zydeco and cajun. I can thank a local musician, harmonica player and singer Lee McBee, for iintroducing me to blues music. Since high school I’ve been watching Lee play on Sunday nights at BB’s Lawnside BBQ in Kansas City. His music lead me to discover legends like Little Walter, George “Harmonica” Smith, and local favorite Little Hatch. My interest in soul music developed later, but I honestly cannot say there’s any genre of music I appreciate more. Like Americana music, it’s also an exciting time for soul, as bands like Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings and labels like the Numero Group, Daptone, and Soul-jazz have ushered in a revival and rediscovery of this genre that, until recently, had receded out of American popular consciousness.

I’ve been involved with KJHK since 2005 and have been an on-air DJ since 2006. I started as a rotation DJ, but moved into special programs after a year. In addition to my special program genres, I enjoy jazz, indie rock, post-punk, garage and psychedelic music. Academically, I am a third-year PhD student in communication studies where I’ve recently managed to overlap my musical interests with my scholarly pursuits. I’m currently working on a project about neo-soul band Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, in addition to a paper on the Numero Group label’s Syl Johnson box-set. I intend to write my dissertation on the communication of authenticity in contemporary soul music.

The Jookhouse airs every Saturday from 6-8 p.m.