Any favorites?

John Lee Hooker. Also quite a lot of the 60s British revival stuff - John Mayall, Fleetwood Mac in their first incarnation, for example.

Best blues recording ever: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZBCaVEctPs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXM5\\_ihlHQI

My favoriets are female blues singers from before WW II. Bessy Smith Sophie Tucker Mamie Smith Ida May Cox Victoria Spivy Alberta Hunter Ethel Waters. Yup… the very same Ethel Waters who later sang with the Billy Graham Crusade… She stopped singing about sin (she had some great songs about sin) and started singing about Jesus instead! Early acoustic blues are good too – my favorite style is Kansas City style blues. Robert Johnson Blind Willie McTell etc. (Ma Rainy never really did anything for me) What can I say?? I was born 40 years too late!

So many but a few faves include: BB King, John Mayal, Johnny Lang, Keb Mo, John Lee Hooker, Johnny Winters, Muddy waters, Taj Mahal, Howlin Wolf, Otis Taylor, Eric Clapton, and the list goes on… It is a fabulous Genre of music that is very diverse and pleasurable. Though much of the music is about sadness and loss, certainly not all by a long ways.

Howlin’ Wolf all the way ! Big fan of BB King, Sonny Boy Williams and good old Jake and Elwood as well though

Howlin’ Wolf’s the man. Sonny Boy Williamson, John Lee Hooker, Robert Johnson and Bessie Smith are all great. I followed Mick&Keith, and Zeppelin back to their idols, and boy was I glad I did!

For some reason I never could get into electric blues, a few exceptions like Lightnin’ Hopkins are incredible, but I enjoy the old old blues, acoustic, closer to the roots.

Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Howlin’ Wolf, Elmore James, Lightnin Hopkins, Willie Dixon (wrote for Waters, Wolf and etc.), Mississippi John Hurt, Mississippi Fred Mcdowell (very traditional delta blues), Champion Jack Dupree and I could go on and on.

Hmm, I’m into newer stuff. The late great Stevie Ray Vaughan, Kenny Wayne Shepard, Johnnie Lang, Slowhand, BB king, but also like the older stuff. Just own the newer. ed

Also most of the British evasion that happened in the 70’s all had their roots in American Blues.

Lonnie Johnson (though he styled himself a jazz guitarist) big bill broonzy, furry lewis, bukka white, mississippi john hurt, frank stokes, and barbecue bob are my top favorites.

I like Skip James, Charley Patton, King Solomon Hill, Geeshie Wiley, various others, blind or otherwise. More recently, R.L. Burnside.

All the old delta guys, some of the newer guys too. Mayall, Clapton, Peter Green and co. were the guys I grew up with. I’ve been influenced by blues since I started playing guitar, which was probably back in 1965.

I’m glad to see someone else mention Elmore James alongside the other important guys, but let’s not forget where electric blues began-T-Bone Walker. Junior Wells did some great stuff with Buddy Guy. I remember when I first listened to It’s My Life Baby (A partially live, partially studio album with Buddy Guy on guitar) I thought:this is everything blues should be. Slow blues, funkier pieces, rip-roaring romps, everything.

This thread has gone too far afield. It’s difficult to remember that when most people think of the blues they think of the generic electric shit. @lunecat that’s one thing I’ve never considered you as. :))

love almost all of the acoustic delta blues artists. of the generic electric shit stuff–my favorite is paul butterfield’s blues band—maybe a little canned heat

google “blind” and blues–as in lemon and blake–good start. not just the famous ones count, hooker is a “moden” one of significance. look for the guitar players–not just the singers. son house, for example. john hurt sings AND plays–a foundamental folk musician–not so much the blues. IMO same for some others/on a side note–if you’ve never heard j hendrix play “red house” you missed

I like everything from early acoustic blues to what is rather dismissively described as ‘generic electric shit’. though I get left behind by guitarists who aren’t Stevie Ray Vaughan but sound as though they are - he was a great singer and guitarist, but one was enough for me, thanks. Still, I’m mature enough to know that my tastes, though right for me, might differ from someone else’s, and whatever floats your boat is fine. I play in a couple of bands on vocals, sax, guitar and harp, though with the energy I suppose the music could be described more as R&B. Here’s a few vids (I’m on the right of the screen); http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvSkdGOTdEM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgMPcZVLzwg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7l4eClTx0M

*uncomfortable pause*

I didn’t mean to come off as dismissive. I should have been more specific. Blues as opposed to the generic reinterpretation of blues. I’m not much for the sequined type of blues. Some have done it better than others, though. But who has, for instance, reproduced a duplicate of an ancient snuff? The above 3 videos are not in any way unique or good enough to make me change my mind about the modern sort of blues we’ve come to expect, which is not to say talent is lacking merely that the essence is not there, according to my definition. But I am too straight forward for this forum, I am sure.

perhaps you guys should differentiate between blues and blues influenced rock, just sayin’… both are good and have their place IMO. Also, if it were not for the brits discovering american blues and applying it to rock, both mediums would be dead today.

Bravo, Xander. Excellent points!

Junior Kimbrough was the real deal. Check him out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-Taae2zLfA

So was Jack Owens and Bud Spires. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKhYLft6\\_p4

For the more modern version of traditional check out Papa Mali. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImgdgO6Kcdk

perhaps you guys should differentiate between blues and blues influenced rock, just sayin’… both are good and have their place IMO. Also, if it were not for the brits discovering american blues and applying it to rock, both mediums would be dead today.

The Brits have to thank Alan Lomax and his father for going out into the world and specifically the deep south during the 40’s and 50’s, to catalog and record the folk music of the time. He is the man to thank for the continued art form.

Willie Nelson, anybody?

My favs are Stevie Ray Vaughn, Kenny Wayne Shepard, Johnnie Lang, B.B. king, a long list of other Black artists that I can’t recall the names of, been a long day of turning wrenches. Eric Clapton… Of course Willie isn’t really Blues, But he can really play that old acoustic. Ed

Joe Bonamassa, Rory Gallagher, Guy Clark. Just listened to Sonny Landreth with John Hiatt. Quite nice stuff!!! Course I am a sucker for any slide/steel guitar. Too many to name without leaving out some greats. Just from the top of my head.

@Xander @Pincher Funny you mention the Brits. I have an old double (vinyl) album. Fleetwood Mac in Chicago. They went there, played and recorded with some of the greats. Of course this was the Peter Green Fleetwood. No girls! Just Blues.

Gary Clark Jr. Is leading the new generation of blues.

I love blues! I love all kinds of blues. T Bone, Hooker, Blind, Hendrix… a lot of names escape me right now. But one of gods biggest regrets must’ve been to take Jim Morisson before he got to fully cultivate his blues side for at least another couple of albums, cause that direction he was going in was off the hook! Man… PS: I see people mentioned: Ida May, Stevie Ray, Howlin’ Wolf… oh man… just their names give me goosebumps thinking about their music…

I love the blues, but I don’t really know any names or songs. I just enjoy it when I hear it. I live near New Orleans, so I’ve been hoping to visit one of the legendary blues clubs soon. youtube.com/watch?v=0Fju9o8BVJ8 Is THIS blues?

No one likes Willie Nelson? So maybe Bruce Willis? Or Steven Seagal? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ml0acyrMGc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k2mj3Zryds

Lol, one of my friend’s moms was so excited when Bruce Willis was doing a gig in town. We had a little chuckle about it. She said it was a great time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uENunBP8Rfg

In terms of blues musicians my all time favorite has to be John Lee Hooker. However, I am also a big fan of Robert Johnson, Lonnie Johnson, Henry Thomas, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Skip James, and Jimmy Reed. I have got to say even at that I have heard very few blues artists whose music I did not care for. Overall, it is an excellent musical genre.

I love listening to the blues…listen to most everything. to many to name. all the usuals and whatever i catch on Sirius…