Don “T-Bone” Erickson

Don “T-Bone” Erickson – 2024 INDUCTEE

Don “T-Bone” Erickson, first and foremost, is a passionate Blues fan. That same passion has brought him into many roles in the Blues scene over the years. These included being a writer, photographer, musician and bandleader, marketing coordinator and newsletter editor/contributor for the Central Iowa Blues Society (CIBS), an Emcee, chairman of the Iowa Blues Hall of Fame (IBHOF), founding editor and photojournalist of a globally popular weekly e-zine, Blues Challenge judge, a volunteer radio personality at KFMG, and the original creator of the Facebook pages for both CIBS and KFMG.

Don grew up in a household where music was a very important ingredient. Swing and Big Band, Jazz, Rock & Roll, and Soul records were the back drop of growing up.

It was the first Jimi Hendrix Experience album that prompted Don to persuade his mother to buy him a cheap electric guitar and amplifier in 1967 at the age of 11. But it was when a brother brought home the 1968 Super Session record, featuring guitarist Mike Bloomfield, that the Blues really connected with the young aspiring fan. This was followed by the first Columbia release by Johnny Winter in 1969 and at that point Don was seriously hooked on the Blues. Other impactful Blues artists early on included Freddie King, Albert Collins, John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, Albert King, Howlin’ Wolf, and Muddy Waters. As the years progressed, Billy F Gibbons, T-Bone Walker, Louis Jordan, James Harman, and Lynwood Slim also became profoundly important to Don’s musical tastes.

It wasn’t until 1976 that Don purchased his first good guitar, a Gibson Les Paul, and his playing began to develop. He started jamming with friends in 1985, and officially formed his first band, T-Bone Woody, in 1995. He would soon adopt the nickname of “T-Bone.”

He also joined the Central Iowa Blues Society in ’95, and started contributing a monthly column to their newsletter, The Blues Crier, called T-Bone’s Blues Beat, along with photographs for many years. He served as CIBS’ marketing coordinator for three years, and then took over as the newsletter editor from 2001-2009, also contributing a total of 78 monthly articles titled Legends of the Blues.

Don’s first gig with T-Bone Woody was at CIBS’ Iowa Blues Challenge in early April of 1996 at Sheffield’s On Court. This performance landed them a gig at The Grand, the first paid gig being an opening slot for Fast Johnny Ricker in June of ’96. Don formed T-Bone Blues Revue Featuring Sarah O’Dell in November of 1997. The T-Bone Rhythm & Blues Revue was formed in 2001, with the band’s name soon changing to Brother T-Bone Groove, with their last gig being in 2005. Three former band members of Don’s through the years have since been inducted into the IBHOF: Jeff Banks, Bob Pace, and Scot Sutherland.

Don’s various bands have performed at the Court Avenue Blues Fest, the Bowlful of Blues, the Court Avenue Brewfest, Blues Under The Trees, and several venues including the historic Val Air Ballroom. His bands have opened for Sue Foley, James Harman, and Roomful of Blues. T-Bone has sat in with Harman, Tommy Castro, and Reverend Raven, among others.

T-Bone became the founding editor of BluesWax – The Online Voice of the Blues in 2000 until 2008, contributing weekly features, interviews, album and show reviews, and photos. BluesWax quickly became the most subscribed email-based Blues publication in the world. Don covered many festivals, International Blues Challenges, and the Blues Music Awards. BluesWax received the Keeping The Blues Alive award for Blues On The Internet in 2004. Erickson also began contributing to Blues Revue magazine at that time. This stint included one cover story/interview with Tommy Castro. T-Bone covered both the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise and Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival in 2004 for both publications.

Other endeavors along the way have included serving as Emcee for most CIBS events and many South Skunk Blues Society’s annual Bowlful of Blues, as well as countless shows at Blues On Grand. T-Bone also served as a judge several times in Memphis during the International Blues Challenge, including the Finals in 2004. He has also been a Blues Challenge judge multiple times at the Finals for CIBS and the Kansas City Blues Society.

T-Bone has been focused on his role as a volunteer radio personality/DJ for the third incarnation of KFMG since April of 2007. He is the host of T-Bone’s House Rockin’ Blues Party followed by The Groove Zone every other Tuesday night from 7 to 10. He also contributes The Bone Zone segment on the alternate Tuesday nights. Don was voted the “Best Radio Voice” in Cityview magazine’s 2019 ‘Best of Des Moines’ annual readers’ survey.

One of the roles that was closest to T-Bone Erickson’s heart was serving as the co-chair (with Tom Gary), and then later as the sole chairman, of the IBHOF Committee from 2000 until 2016. Coming full-circle now as an inductee himself, he feels that this is his greatest honor yet in a life filled with memorable moments.