Favorite Blues Artist

Ronnie Earl
Freddie King
SRV
Albert Collins
Roy Buchanan

other rootsy stuff, not necessarily blues:
Danny Gatton
Arlen Roth
David Lindley
The Hellecasters
 
Oh man, Rory Gallagher. I haven't thought about him in years. I saw him open for Jethro Tull in 1974. Another good acoustic blues guitarist is ex-Jefferson Airplaner Jorma Kaukonen.

Jack
 
Keith Caton...and the Accelerators. With Kim Harpo on the harmonica, ain't no one better!
 
"Robert Johnson (from whom all true blues springs) " Trane Fan

Actually this is a popular misconception. Johnson had many earlier and contemporary musicians that influenced him. Son House, Charlie Patton, Willie Brown, Tommy Johnson, Scrapper Blackwell, Black Bottom McPhail, Floyd Jones and more were around at the birth of the delta blues. The earliest was probably Charlie Patton who started recording a few years prior to Robert Johnson. They all shared and stole songs from one another. Tommy Johnson originated the song that became "Crossroads" and Scrapper Blackwell wrote the "Kokomo Blues" that Robert Johnson made into "Sweet Home Chicago"

Robert Johnson was a genius, but he had company. Scrapper Blackwell outshines him on the guitar. Son House and Charlie Patton probably influenced the development of the delta blues more, largely due to being around longer.

I have the complete works of Robert Johnson on two CDs as well as CDs by Scrapper Blackwell, Tampa Red and Charlie Patton, and anthologies of other artists. One good one to check out is "The Roots of Robert Johnson".
 
I appreciate your comments and don't disagree with them. What I meant (and I realize I could have stated things more clearly) was that Robert Johnson is credited, more often than anyone else, by people like EC, Robert Cray, Keith Richards, Billy Gibbons and many other blues artist/disciples as being their chief influence and inspiration. He, IMHO, is the point at which all the different attributes that makeup a great blues man came together in a more complete package than with any other artist of his time (and maybe since). ;) ;)



shgeo said:
"Robert Johnson (from whom all true blues springs) " Trane Fan

Actually this is a popular misconception. Johnson had many earlier and contemporary musicians that influenced him. Son House, Charlie Patton, Willie Brown, Tommy Johnson, Scrapper Blackwell, Black Bottom McPhail, Floyd Jones and more were around at the birth of the delta blues. The earliest was probably Charlie Patton who started recording a few years prior to Robert Johnson. They all shared and stole songs from one another. Tommy Johnson originated the song that became "Crossroads" and Scrapper Blackwell wrote the "Kokomo Blues" that Robert Johnson made into "Sweet Home Chicago"

Robert Johnson was a genius, but he had company. Scrapper Blackwell outshines him on the guitar. Son House and Charlie Patton probably influenced the development of the delta blues more, largely due to being around longer.

I have the complete works of Robert Johnson on two CDs as well as CDs by Scrapper Blackwell, Tampa Red and Charlie Patton, and anthologies of other artists. One good one to check out is "The Roots of Robert Johnson".
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B. B. King
Jimi Hendrix
Muddy Waters
Clapton
SRV
Kenny Wayne Shepherd

A couple of years ago I went to a BB King Blues fest that featured BB & Kenny Wayne Shepherd. They played togetgher sitting side by side. It was great to see the past & the future of blues playing like that. :cool:
Danny
 
Man how could I not include SRV.

A few weeks ago there was a 3 cd and DVD set at Costco.
The DVD was his Austin City Limits performance from a few years back and I had not seen it since it was aired.

I had to grap a bib while I was watching it. It is a sad thing to see an old man drool with his mouth hanging open while watching that. I think the dude was one of the most creative musicians in my lifetime. Like Trane Fan I wonder what more he would have accomplished.
 
Gus Kalanzis said:
Man how could I not include SRV.

A few weeks ago there was a 3 cd and DVD set at Costco.
The DVD was his Austin City Limits performance from a few years back and I had not seen it since it was aired.

I had to grap a bib while I was watching it. It is a sad thing to see an old man drool with his mouth hanging open while watching that. I think the dude was one of the most creative musicians in my lifetime. Like Trane Fan I wonder what more he would have accomplished.
Click to expand...

Next to the white four disc set, that is probably the best SRV compillation going. There are bootlegs like Stilleto Rain and the On Stage "Guitar Boogie" that hint of what might have been and if you can find a decent video of "Live at the El Mocambo" grab yourself another bib.

I'd have to add Corey Stevens' early stuff and Chris Duarte to the SRV Texas Blues style artists and favs although Kenny Wayne continues to be the best SRV follow on IMO. Saw Johnny Lang in concert last year and was impressed with the improvements in his playing. He has the blues voice and his guitar work is coming along nicely.

The '60s SF band Cold Blood had a blues-jazz sound and lead singer Lydia Pense had a gritty blues voice that IMO surpassed Janis Joplin best blues efforts. Led Zeppelin's first album remains my favorite due to its blues content.

Others? Les Dudek, Roy Buchanan, Gary Moore, Jimi Hendrix (the bootleg "High, Live, and Dirty" with him and Jim Morrison is smokey-night club dirty blues jammin' and jivin' ) Albert King, Buddy Guy, BB King, Lonnie Mack, Charlie Musselwhite, Etta James, Susan Tedeschi, Robert Cray, etc.

I could get really carried away here and start mentioning the blues works of The Rolling Stones or Great White (House of Broken Love). Better to quit and just say have a great time at the concert.
 
Chris Duarte!
Doesn't sound that awesome, until you try and play what he's playing. Then you appreciate him.

It's funny how even great players like Steve Vai really can't play blues. I heard Malmsteen go at it and it was awful. Jeff Beck certainly can, but as Clapton said, he just goes off on his tangent and plays Jeff Beck. Hendrix was a real blues player, but a genius from Mars so he is sui generis, as the latin speaking martians admirers say :). Clapton once commented that Van Halen, a great player by anyone's standard, sent him a tape and Eric was shocked that the blues were lousy. Even Satch, probably my favourite of the new breed, sometimes misses the heart and sound of the blues. Ditto Robben Ford. The greats could say more with one note than most hotrodders can with their taps and runs. And tone. What happened to tone? Stevie Ray used to make me cry with his ****ing tone.
Why do you think that is, if you agree at all?
 
I totally agree with you. It seems some guitarists, although amazing in their genres, are more like technicians with a guitar and lack soul. I listened to the version of Red House with Eric Johnson, Steve Vai, and Satriani...although good, I then listened to Hendrix's version...no comparison. Jimmy Page hasn't been mentioned too much, but he was an awesome if someone out there blues guitarist...a tad sloppy at times but he had soul.
 
Excellent point. Vai, Satriani, Johnson are awesome but the "soul" is lacking. I enjoy there music (as you say excellent technicians), but it does not "touch" me like the others.
 
I'm an old guy, I guess, but I remember when it was de rigeur to reference Clapton, Beck and page as the three great British blues guitarists of their generation. That left out Peter Green and Mick Taylor, but those three really were [and are] something special. Yes?
 
java said:
The '60s SF band Cold Blood had a blues-jazz sound and lead singer Lydia Pense had a gritty blues voice that IMO surpassed Janis Joplin best blues efforts.
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Wow, you just brought back an old early 70's AM radio memory for me. They actually had a hit, I remember the chorus was "Gettin' down, down, down to the bone". I can still hear it in my mind.
 
If you want to hear a woman sing gritty low down blues, check out the queen, Willa Mae (Big Mama) Thornton. She wrote Ball and Chain and arguably, Hound Dog. She did the first recording of each in the late 40's-early 50's. Her version of Hound Dog from 1952 makes Presley's later (1956) version sound like elevator music.

That whole period of Jump Blues, post swing-pre rock and roll saw some of the best music and performers of the century. Many of them have been mentioned above: Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Howling Wolf along with others (not all guitar players, but part of the scene) like Luis Prima, Big Joe Turner, Little Walter Jacobs, Junior Wells, Willie Dixon, Sunnyland Slim and on and on...

Listen to Joe Turner's version (the original) of Shake, Rattle and Roll and Ann Cole's (also original version) of Got My Mojo Workin' and you will see the shape of rock and roll at the beginning.

For a great British blues guitarist, don't overlook Alvin Lee of Ten Years After. Just watch his performance of Goin' Home from Woodstock.
 
TorzJohnson said:
Wow, you just brought back an old early 70's AM radio memory for me. They actually had a hit, I remember the chorus was "Gettin' down, down, down to the bone". I can still hear it in my mind.
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Torz,
Skip the radio and head to cdnow.com Down to the Bone is on First Taste of Sin and it's now out on CD. I would recommend The Best of Cold Blood (attached) but the CD is now running about $50.00 if you can find it. Saw Lydia and company close the Filmore West. She is a mini-package (4'11") of blues dynamite! You Got Me Hummin' has always been one of my favorite tunes. Check out the audio clips off of Cold Blood/Sisyphus while you're there.

HJK
Good point on Robin Ford. I almost included him but he seems to range closer to jazz. Good musician all the same.
 

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Gus Kalanzis said:
Man how could I not include SRV.

A few weeks ago there was a 3 cd and DVD set at Costco.
The DVD was his Austin City Limits performance from a few years back and I had not seen it since it was aired.

I had to grap a bib while I was watching it. It is a sad thing to see an old man drool with his mouth hanging open while watching that. I think the dude was one of the most creative musicians in my lifetime. Like Trane Fan I wonder what more he would have accomplished.
Click to expand...
Gus, is that Austin City Limits episode where he performed "Tightrope"? That song, as I'm sure you know, concerned his struggle with substance abuse and his eventual victory over it. He played that song with such utter conviction and passion that it gives me goose bumps every time I watch it.
 
I have listened to and enjoyed most of what has been mentioned.But some of my favs are
SRV
Johnny Winter
Clapton
Alvin Lee and Ten years After
and one not mentioned Savoy Brown
Dave :)
 
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