Aurora "Rory" Block (born November 6, 1949, in Princeton, New Jersey) is an American blues guitarist and singer, a notable exponent of the country blues style.
Career
Aurora Block was born in Princeton and grew up in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...
. Her father, Allan Block, ran a sandal shop in
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...
in the 1960s, and the Greenwich Village
folk music
Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has ...
John Sebastian
John Benson Sebastian (born March 17, 1944) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and harmonicist who founded the rock band The Lovin' Spoonful. He made an impromptu appearance at the Woodstock festival in 1969classical guitar. At the age of 14, she met guitarist Stefan Grossman, who introduced her to the music of
Mississippi Delta
The Mississippi Delta, also known as the Yazoo–Mississippi Delta, or simply the Delta, is the distinctive northwest section of the U.S. state of Mississippi (and portions of Arkansas and Louisiana) that lies between the Mississippi and Yaz ...
blues guitarists.
Block began listening to old albums, transcribing them, and learning to play the songs. At age 15, she left home to seek out the remaining blues giants, such as
Mississippi John Hurt
John Smith Hurt (March 8, 1893 – November 2, 1966), better known as Mississippi John Hurt, was an American country blues singer and guitarist.
Raised in Avalon, Mississippi, Hurt taught himself to play the guitar around the age of nine. He wo ...
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...
coffeehouse
A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other no ...
s.
After retiring temporarily to raise a family, Block returned to the music industry in the 1970s with middling success until signing with
Rounder Records
Rounder Records is an independent record label founded in 1970 in Somerville, Massachusetts by Marian Leighton Levy, Ken Irwin, and Bill Nowlin. Focused on American roots music, Rounder's catalogue of more than 3000 titles includes records by Al ...
in 1981, who encouraged her to return to her love for the classical blues form. Since then she has carved out her own niche, releasing numerous critically acclaimed albums of original and traditional songs, including many
Robert Johnson
Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His landmark recordings in 1936 and 1937 display a combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that has influenced later generat ...
I've Got a Rock in My Sock
''I've Got a Rock in My Sock'' is a blues album by American blues guitarist and singer Rory Block, it was released in 1986 by Rounder Records
Rounder Records is an independent record label founded in 1970 in Somerville, Massachusetts by Mari ...
'', included contributions from Taj Mahal and David Bromberg. The same year, Block's 19 year old son, Thiele, died in an automobile accident. Her tribute to him, ''
House of Hearts
House of Hearts is an album by American blues guitarist and singer Rory Block, released in 1987 on the Rounder Records
Rounder Records is an independent record label founded in 1970 in Somerville, Massachusetts by Marian Leighton Levy, Ken Ir ...
'', contained mostly Block penned tracks.
''Angel of Mercy,'' ''Turning Point,'' and ''Tornado'' included mostly original compositions. However, ''Mama's Blues,'' ''Ain't I a Woman'' and ''When a Woman Gets the Blues'' featured songs written by Tommy Johnson,
Robert Johnson
Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His landmark recordings in 1936 and 1937 display a combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that has influenced later generat ...
Mattie Delaney
Mattie Delaney (born c. 1905 – after 1930) was an American Delta blues singer and guitarist active in the 1930s. Only two recordings by her are known: "Down the Big Road Blues" and "Tallahatchie River Blues".
Career
Delaney may have been bo ...
.
In 2010, Block released her autobiography in .pdf format and a limited print run titled ''When A Woman Gets The Blues''.
Awards
Rory Block has won six
Blues Music Award
The Blues Music Awards, formerly known as the W. C. Handy Awards (or "The Handys"), are awards presented by the Blues Foundation, a non-profit organization set up to foster blues heritage. The awards were originally named in honor of W. C. Handy ...
s, two for "Traditional Blues Female Artist" (1997, 1998), three for "Acoustic Blues Album of the Year" (1996, 1999, 2007), and the 2019 "Acoustic Artist of the Year". She also won
NAIRD
The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) is a trade association that represents independent record labels in the United States, founded in 2005. A2IM is headquartered in New York City, with chapters located in Nashville, Chicago, North ...
awards for "Best Adult Contemporary Album of the Year" in 1994 for ''Angel of Mercy'' and again in 1997 for ''Tornado''.