I'm sure I've heard that song before, but it is good. He has a great voice for blues. As a white British guy I got into blues in my teens through people like Clapton and Page who did the same in their youth. It does seem strange that people from such a different culture would pick up on it, but those guys helped to get the music out there and get appreciation for the black musicians who created it.
That Garry B.B. Coleman track is really hitting me.
I am not surprised that the extractive industries are being shaken up these days. The world is changing and needs to. It seems the next race is for the rare earth stuff we need for the new technology. That will have its own consequences. I hope you can keep finding work.
Thankfully I live in the south, where one can argue, blues are born and still cultivated. That said in todays global reach, anyone can pick up anything and if talented, can potentially excel. Music knows no boundaries.
B B Coleman is a Texan, I'd say one of the finest guitarist I have listened to when it comes to the use of acoustic guitars in blues music. You are a guitarist yourself, so you obviously appreciate how the tune starts, that is actually no chord! :)
Regarding your comment of extractive industries, I don't think it is anything new. Where was a massive coal industry in UK in the past, the phrase carrying coal to New Castle. But, hardly anything is left there now. I have done a lot of research on the subject and these industries are like civilizations, they rise, and they fall. Hopefully people who are in it, get a chance to catch a ride or two in the middle :)
The experience of music has changed. When I was a kid there was maybe one radio show a week playing just blues, but now you can access all music easily. I lived in Germany in the late 80s where was a good blues and jazz scene. I went to a lot of small gigs in Freiburg.