Her father, Allan Block,[3] ran a sandal shop in Greenwich Village in the 1960s, and the Greenwich Village folk music scene, such as Peter Rowan, Maria Muldaur, and John Sebastian influenced Block to study classical guitar.

At age 15, she left home to seek out the remaining blues giants, such as Mississippi John Hurt, Reverend Gary Davis, and Son House,[2] and hone her craft in the traditional manner of blues musicians;[4] then she traveled to Berkeley, California, where she played in clubs and coffeehouses.

[2] Since then she has carved out her own niche, releasing numerous critically acclaimed albums of original and traditional songs, including many Robert Johnson covers, such as "Terraplane Blues" and "Come on in My Kitchen".

[6] In 2010, Block released her autobiography in .pdf format and a limited print run titled When A Woman Gets The Blues.

[7][8] She also won 3 NAIRD awards for "Best Adult Contemporary Album of the Year" in 1992 for Ain't I A Woman, in 1994 for Angel of Mercy, and again in 1997 for Tornado.