Perhaps because it is often mentioned as the birthplace of jazz, New Orleans isn't often mentioned as a hotbed for blues. In truth though, the blues has always been popular in New Orleans, and it is the home of one of the last great country blues players, Little Freddie King.

Little Freddie lives the blues. He stays in a run-down apartment, in a deteriorating neighborhood, with a domineering wife. He rides a rickety bicycle several miles to and from a downtown garage, where he rebuilds alt...