Blues experts/players/know-all's read this

Europa · #1 May 2nd, 2007

Sorry for the misleading title, I bet you guys thought u were getting some huge news about the blues scene

After picking up the guitar, I'm getting more and more interested in Blues. Blues is a genre I'm very new to.

After playing some blues tunes like "Bob's Blues" and "Deep River Blues", I'm glad to say I'm taking quite a liking to blues.

The Red Strat Blues played by Kirk also added to my growing interest in Blues.

The Red Strat Blues remains my favorite Blues recording/video on the forum. Thanks to Kirk, the lesson contributors, moderators, and members for helping me take an interest in Blues.

I know there are quite some Blues loving players here on the forum, and I hope you guys will help me out to "broaden my musical horizon".

My question is: Can anyone give me some names of great Blues artists? I have relatively little Blues music, apart from the forum recordings, and I hope u guys will help me out

.

This forum has done so much for me in the past, and it will help me develope a wider musical taste

Please let this relatively long post not be in vain

Thanks Again

Daniel

knight46 · #2 May 2nd, 2007

Hi Europa,
Not sure if this is what you are looking for but:
Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, Howling Wolf are some of the pioneers in Delta Blues. If you google "Blues" you will get a long list of greats. Eric Clapton is another name you can check out.
Hope this helps.

Europa · #3 May 2nd, 2007

Thanks for the advice knight.

Yea I've googled blues artists, but I'd like to hear some people's different tastes within the blues genre, and u guys @ GFB&B know what you're talking about

Imagine the trust I put in you guys

Thanks

mike123 · #4 May 2nd, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by knight46

Hi Europa,
Not sure if this is what you are looking for but:
Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, Howling Wolf are some of the pioneers in Delta Blues. If you google "Blues" you will get a long list of greats. Eric Clapton is another name you can check out.
Hope this helps.

anyone with "lightning","blind", or "lemon" in their name should be looked at!

X4StringDrive · #5 May 2nd, 2007

some of my favs....
BB King
Blind Willie McTell
Elmore James
Johnny Winter
Ledbelly
Paul Whiteman
Devlin McCluskey

krissovo · #6 May 2nd, 2007

Have a look at this site http://www.12bar.de/

I found it a big help when I was starting on Blues.

For artists that have not been suggested before have a look at Rory Gallagher and Fleetwood Mac especially a lot of their early stuff. They tend to cover the classics but my god does it sound good.

Best of luck

allthumbs · #7 May 2nd, 2007

John Lee Hooker, Son House. There are so many in so many sub genres of the blues. You would have hundreds of names.

TenThumbs · #8 May 2nd, 2007

Blues is my fave too and to me it kinda breaks down into "old" blues and "new" blues.

This is just personal opinion and perception but "old" blues (Robert Johnson type stuff) is like the pre-60's stuff that preceded the music explosion that spawned the Peter Green (founder of the original Fleewood Mac) and the Clapton (Cream etc) type movements.

I'm more of a fan of the newer blues when it became a bit more polished. I have the original Peter Green stuff (just pre-Fleetwood Mac) and it's very scratchy stuff.

One of my big more modern favorites is Gary Moore - his guitar work is so mellow it makes my eyes water. It's a long story but Peter Green was his idol - so much that Peter gave Gary his Les Paul. Peter was in his slide the gutter and he traded Gary for his cheapo guitar.

Site owner Kirk's recent "Los Blues" was written similar to Moore's "Still got the Blues" after I asked Kirk to come up with something fairly simple for people like me with "Ten Thumbs".

P-90 · #9 May 2nd, 2007

If you want a taste of the old stuff (Son House, Robert Johnson, Blind Willie McTell, etc.) for free, you can look at archive.org, where they keep public domain recordings available for download. For example:
http://www.archive.org/search.php?qu...iatype%3Aaudio

cshude · #10 May 2nd, 2007

Sonny Boy Williamson (both of 'em)
ditto on Son House (Death Letter is the greatest blues song I've ever heard)
- you might also want to check out one of the innumerable branches of the blues- boogie rock (a la ZZ Top and a bunch of the southern rockers)

Fretsource · #11 May 2nd, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by mike123

anyone with "lightning","blind", or "lemon" in their name should be looked at!

or "Mississippi"

I've recently started working out some Mississippi John Hurt songs with his alternating bass fingerstyle. Great stuff!

Also, in case you've missed his posts here, - check out any blues posted by John Bullard for more modern, polished and terrific electric blues.

LeeB · #12 May 2nd, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fretsource

or "Mississippi"

I've recently started working out some Mississippi John Hurt songs with his alternating bass fingerstyle. Great stuff!
:

beat me to it. "Shake that Thing" was one of the first finger-style songs I learned. Its all based around an open G chord.. simple but sounds so cool in my mind with that base sound ringing throughout.
I will add Keb Mo to the new blues list.. just love his style.
I am currently playing a fingerstyle version of "People are Strange" its blues of course.

then there is The Rolling Stones, Led Zep, AC/DC, SRV, and on and on.
someone (a musician) said that "blues" is the soup bone in all contempory music... so its gotta be a good genre to build a foundation for guitar...

Stratrat · #13 May 2nd, 2007

Disclaimer - I'm far from an expert, definitely not a know-all, and barely a blues player.

Pretty hard to add to the list you've already gotten - I haven't seen John Lee Hooker mentioned yet, though. Muddy Waters and B.B. King are definitely among the greats, IMO. For more modern stuff, ZZ Top is a good band to give a listen to - even though they're considered "rock", a lot of their music is blues-based. "Tush" uses a classic 12-bar blues progression, as does "Jesus Just Left Chicago" and a few others. "Blue Jean Blues" couldn't be called ANYTHING but a blues song - it's a great listen to hear some real tasty blues phrasing on the solos.

Blues is a great genre....fun to play and there are so many variations that it could keep you busy for the rest of your life!

There's an instructional DVD called "The Ultimate Beginner Series - Blues Guitar with Keith Wyatt" that's pretty good. I really like Keith's instructional style, and there's a lot of good stuff on the DVD. He teaches things, then has you practice them by "jamming with the band" as they lay down a jam track. There's also a guest appearance by B.B. King!

mike123 · #14 May 2nd, 2007

... and for a blues man who is still alive and kicking
i recomend Tinsley Ellis.
kind of a SRV guy.

GotDeeBlues · #15 May 2nd, 2007

Allman Brothers, Cephas and Wiggins, Lightnin' Hopkins, B.B. King, Bobby "Blue" Bland, James Cotton, Bessie Smith, Big Maybelle, Bonnie Raitt (some), Buddy Guy, Charles Brown, DAvid Bromberg(some), David Jacob-Strain, Johnny Winter, Janiva Magness, Jimmy McGrigg, some of Cockers stuff, John Lee Hooker, Keb' Mo', Leadbelly, Maria Muldaur(check out Richland Woman Blues CD), Memphis Slim, North Mississippi Allstars, Paul Butterfield, John Mayall, Robert Cray, Johnny and or Shuggie Otis, Soloman Burke, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGee, Son House, Sonny Boy Williamson, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Stephen Stillls' "Blues Man" Acoustic work is great, Lazy Lester, Little Walter, Big Walter Horton, Howlin Wolf, Slim Harpo, Willie Dixon, Koko Taylor. Chew through those and you'll have a good base for your blues.