Can anybody recommend any blues music?
Discussion
Trad = Robert Johnson
Chicago = Buddy Guy
Modern = Stevie Ray Vaughan
Simplistic, I know, but those are my preferences.
Others to explore could be Son House / Muddy Waters / Johnny Winter / T-Bone Walker / Lightning Hopkins / Elmore James / Robert Cray / Hubert Sumlin, and - of course - early Clapton with The Bluesbreakers. Peter Green did some nice stuff also.
Chicago = Buddy Guy
Modern = Stevie Ray Vaughan
Simplistic, I know, but those are my preferences.
Others to explore could be Son House / Muddy Waters / Johnny Winter / T-Bone Walker / Lightning Hopkins / Elmore James / Robert Cray / Hubert Sumlin, and - of course - early Clapton with The Bluesbreakers. Peter Green did some nice stuff also.
I'm a big SRV fan so I'll immediately recommend his Texas Flood album which includes Pride and Joy, Rude Mood, Texas Flood, Lenny and Testify amongst others, great album! Stevie has many more great tracks but this album is a good starting point.
If you like acoustic Blues then you could check out Clapton's Unplugged album.
A couple of my favourite Albert King tracks would be Stormy Monday and Blues At Sunrise
And, of course Jimi - Red House and Voodoo Chile
All the big names for the most part have already been mentioned, check them out on youtube and see what you like, good luck!
If you like acoustic Blues then you could check out Clapton's Unplugged album.
A couple of my favourite Albert King tracks would be Stormy Monday and Blues At Sunrise
And, of course Jimi - Red House and Voodoo Chile
All the big names for the most part have already been mentioned, check them out on youtube and see what you like, good luck!
Pat McManus would be my personal recommendation - http://www.patmcmanus.co.uk/
Ironically, I'm going to see him in Harrogate next weekend
Ironically, I'm going to see him in Harrogate next weekend
The Walter Trout band - Walter was once a Bluesbreaker but formed his own band 20 years ago. Some gret and very muscular blues playing.
George Thorogood & the Destroyers - a bit more boogie in his stuff but worth checking out any of his early albums (anything with "Bad to the Bone", "If You Don't Start Drinking", "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" is worth a look-in).
Hound Dog Taylor - alhtough he was playing for years he only made a couple of albums before he died in the 70s. He also played electric blues - famous for using a cheap guitar with strings missing but the power and energy of his music can't help but raise a grin. Oh, and he had 5 fingers (+ a thumb) on his left hand......
Fleetwood Mac. The first album (the one with the dog and dustbin on it) is a classic slide of pure chicago blues albeit played by a bunch of White British lads.
George Thorogood & the Destroyers - a bit more boogie in his stuff but worth checking out any of his early albums (anything with "Bad to the Bone", "If You Don't Start Drinking", "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" is worth a look-in).
Hound Dog Taylor - alhtough he was playing for years he only made a couple of albums before he died in the 70s. He also played electric blues - famous for using a cheap guitar with strings missing but the power and energy of his music can't help but raise a grin. Oh, and he had 5 fingers (+ a thumb) on his left hand......
Fleetwood Mac. The first album (the one with the dog and dustbin on it) is a classic slide of pure chicago blues albeit played by a bunch of White British lads.
As said above, early Fleetwood Mac.
Early, very early ZZ Top is pure blues rock - Jesus Just Left Chicago for instance.
Leon Redbone has an amazingly lazy voice.
After that, you're onto the best of the oldies - Buddy Guy, Howling Wolf, Willie Dixon, etc
New recommendations would include Ian Siegel - quite a few albums out, but Swagger is good for a starter. Seastick Steve is pretty good for a bloke with a 3 stringed guitar, although a bit sentimental for me at times.
Early, very early ZZ Top is pure blues rock - Jesus Just Left Chicago for instance.
Leon Redbone has an amazingly lazy voice.
After that, you're onto the best of the oldies - Buddy Guy, Howling Wolf, Willie Dixon, etc
New recommendations would include Ian Siegel - quite a few albums out, but Swagger is good for a starter. Seastick Steve is pretty good for a bloke with a 3 stringed guitar, although a bit sentimental for me at times.
I guess you first need to define what you call blues. There are so many different strands of the genre - electric, Chicago, Delta, country, piano, New Orleans, traditional, Mississippi, acoustic, harmonica etc. that you probably need to thin some out at the outset.
A sampler / best of from some of the more specific blues record labels might let you make a start on which style and sub-genre you enjoy. Alligator records have a 40th anniv collection out now, but the 25th & 30th anniv albums are also very good.
http://www.alligator.com/
http://www.chessrecords.com/
http://www.blindpigrecords.com/
Go and have a rummage in the blues section of a decent / large HMV store and pick up a cheap generic box set or two.
There is a blues & boogie show on Sat mornings on Jazz FM. There is Paul Jones blues radio show 7pm on Radio 2 Monday nights. There are many other blues stations on DAB and internet radio services. When you hear a track or artist you like you can research that element on the web.
Once you have decided what type of blues you really like you can go from there, buying some artist albums or more specific style of blues sets and albums. Go and see some live acts, because that is how it is supposed to be heard.
HTH.
A sampler / best of from some of the more specific blues record labels might let you make a start on which style and sub-genre you enjoy. Alligator records have a 40th anniv collection out now, but the 25th & 30th anniv albums are also very good.
http://www.alligator.com/
http://www.chessrecords.com/
http://www.blindpigrecords.com/
Go and have a rummage in the blues section of a decent / large HMV store and pick up a cheap generic box set or two.
There is a blues & boogie show on Sat mornings on Jazz FM. There is Paul Jones blues radio show 7pm on Radio 2 Monday nights. There are many other blues stations on DAB and internet radio services. When you hear a track or artist you like you can research that element on the web.
Once you have decided what type of blues you really like you can go from there, buying some artist albums or more specific style of blues sets and albums. Go and see some live acts, because that is how it is supposed to be heard.
HTH.
Other guys have covered the old-school bluesers quite well already.
Another youngster worth checking out is Aynsley Lister:
Another youngster worth checking out is Aynsley Lister:
- classic cover of Little Wing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWZAp02U7QY
- decent originals, too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvaYxBL18fQ
Durruti said:
What a voiceWill pick up one of his albums
Guvna said:
What a voice
Will pick up one of his albums
Would highly commend the album "Bad Influence" from the early 80's. Not a weak track on it.Will pick up one of his albums
Another example here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq-647aECpE
Edited by Durruti on Tuesday 1st March 21:08
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