John Cephas & Phil Wiggins

about

Cephas & Wiggins was an American acoustic blues duo, composed of the guitarist John Cephas (September 4, 1930 – March 4, 2009) and the harmonica player Phil Wiggins (born May 8, 1954). They were known for playing Piedmont blues. Both musicians were born in Washington D.C. Cephas, who was 24 years older than Wiggins, grew up in Bowling Green, Virginia. They first met at a jam session at the Smithsonian's Festival of American Folklife in 1976 and played together in Wilbert "Big Chief" Ellis's band. When Ellis died, they decided to continue as a duo. In 1980, Cephas & Wiggins were recorded by the German archivists Siegfried Christmann and Axel Küstner. These recordings, their first as a duo, were released the following year as a part of the Living Country Blues USA series on the German label L+R. They also appeared around Washington, D.C., with the Travelling Blues Workshop, which included John Jackson, Archie Edwards, Flora Molton, and Mother Scott. Their first U.S. release, the album Dog Days of August, was issued by Flying Fish Records in 1986. Two more albums followed from Flying Fish. After they left the label, they released one album for the New York–based Chesky Records and four albums for Alligator Records. They released the album Richmond Blues on Folkways Records in 2008. Until the late 1980s, Cephas made his primary living as a carpenter at the D.C. National Armory, playing music on the side. In the 1990s, he became a professional musician, sometimes earning mone

top songs

albums

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Smithsonian Folkways: Classic African-American Ballads

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Classic African-American Ballads

Bluesmen

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Classic African-American Ballads from Smithsonian Folkways

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African-American Ballads

Cool Down

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The Alligator Records 25th Anniversary Collection

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The Blues: Smithsonian Collection Of Classic Blues Singers [Disc 4]

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Gary Davis Style: The Legacy of Reverand Gary Davis

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Blues Routes: Heroes And Tricksters: Blues And Jazz Work Songs And Street Music

Classic Piedmont Blues from Smithsonian Folkways

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Guitar Man

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