best blues albums of the 21st century

Lester Butler was a harp blowin maniac! Big Mama Thornton with Muddy Waters Band SOOO many that there just isnt room for them on this list. The replies here are priceless. The title song, a live recording, is an eloquent and humorous observation on the absurdity of racism and class division. Listen to the Stones 1st 4 LPs,Rolling Stones After Muddy Waters.When they tour they sit in with blues bands after the gig .Listen to Mick Jagger & the Red Devils all lil walter&Willie Dixon,Howlin Wolf, Strictly speaking, Harmonica Slim may be correct about several blues-inspired bands appearing on a blues-exclusive list. I agree and was going to post the same. More significantly, the exotic 13-minute title song defined by extended improvisational passages over a mesmeric, open-ended groove lit the touchpaper for both acid and west coast rock. Have you heard his Blues and Ballads album with Elmer Snowden? It was there that he released his debut LP, Rooster Blues, in 1960; a cache of singles that ranged from ramshackle down-home laments (My Starter Wont Work) to humorous Cold War meditations (GI Blues) and portentous tales of love gone bad (Hoo-Doo Blues). She paid tribute to one of her idols, Bessie Smith, with this New Orleans-style album, which included reworkings of the Smith favorites Send Me To The Lectric Chair and Backwater Blues., A self-taught guitarist who initially preferred not to sing because of a speech impediment, Earl Zebedee Hooker was the cousin of fellow Mississippian, the more famous John Lee Hooker. From Greenville, South Carolina, this much-garlanded singer and guitarist was also an accomplished actor and vociferous Civil Rights activist who found favor in the Whitehouse during the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Renowned for his flamboyant stage act and colorful attire, Slim was also one of the first guitarists to use distortion. I also remember that the guitarist played a Though he was the new blues kid on the block, Lang (born Jon Gordon Langseth Jr.) showed a musical maturity and fretboard virtuosity beyond his years on blues-steeped tracks like the title song, Hit The Ground Running, and the jazz-tinged, easy-swinging Rack Em Up.. Ive got a lot of music to find! Excellent list, though I would have left a Various Artists field opened for CHICAGO! You also need to listen to Janis Joplin and Big Mama Thornton if you want to know what womens blues sounds like. Other noteworthy cuts include the infectious My Babe with Walter on vocals which also reached No. The Smokin Joe Kubek Band Served up Texas Style (Remember, if we get rid of cross-over bands we can have a little more room for the class blues artists who created the music all these cross-over bands derived their music from). Desolation and Groeten uit Grolloo by Cuby & Blizzards Eric Bibb ??? Influenced by Blind Boy Fuller and mentored by the Reverend Gary Davis, he made his first record, a single called Catfish Blues, in 1966. with a band that included noted blues harpist and singer James Cotton. And youre really stretching the definition of blues by classifying Layla as a blues album. By 1956, Rush had quit his job in a steel mill having established himself as a rising star of the Windy Citys vibrant west side blues scene. Walker joined Lew Chudds Imperial label in 1950 for a four-year stint that is represented by the 52 tracks on this two-disc anthology. Black is blues. Lomaxs Blues Songbook And the John Mayalls Bluesbreakers with Peter Green??? I wish it was more than 100. Mick Taylor. No John Hammond? Black Country Suite, his debut album, is mainly instrumental and is dominated by the ten-part titular opus, which shows off Allisons bebop-meets-blues and country piano style in a trio setting. I think hes sincere and tries hard, but being a great guitarist (technically) does not make you a great bluesman. You could get rid of all the rock bands and all the English bands. The Memphis-based Stax label was synonymous with earthy southern R&B but in 1967 it racked-up several blues hit singles thanks to Mississippi-born singer/guitarist Albert King. Fenton Robinson I want to know about everyone and then select my own favorites. Absolutely, the Stones introduced real blues and r&b to the world at a time when the Beatles were singing about a bloody octopus which had a garden and some Eleanor Rigby who put her face in a jar. I agree Brendan..their would be no postings here without those blues-inspired bands and many more. As for Jimmy Reed, Cold Chills tops the Carnegie Hall album. Also surprised that Robin Trower hasnt been mentioned. I Am The Blues Willie Dixon (1970) However, behind the dazzling stage presence lay a considerable musical talent who blended blues with jazz and swing. Also the Graham Bond Organisation. Otis Spann. And speaking of Brooks, Ill bet Lonnie Brooks is going to come out with a top 200 LP one of these days. Claptons presence galvanized the band on a mixture of original material and blues covers. Though originally from Oklahoma, singer and hot-shot guitar slinger, Fulson, became a pivotal figure of the American west coast blues scene from the late 1940s onwards. Bands like Cream, Allmans and Stones restored many blues originators fortunes and fame by crediting their accomplishments. Very best of that particular genre that includes Canned Heat and Ten Years After. Key Track: Two Bugs In A Rug. Other gems come in the shape of Im Glad You Reconsidered, the brassy proto-soul ballad, So Many Tears, and the mid-tempo lament, Pay Day Blues, which highlight Fulsons full-bodied, expressive voice and choppy guitar style. Snooks Eaglin New Orleans Street Singer How many do you have? Many of them appeared on this album, which despite its title, was recorded in a studio and not in front of an audience. I think 100 albums is too limiting. We consoled ourselves with the fact that he composed so many tunes that are all over these albums, Im missing Chicken Shack but Im glad that Rory Gallagher is on the list BR //Thomas. Greens playing is perfect Sublime ferocious subtle but most of all perfectly suited to each song. Johnny Winter First Winter. Grammys would come later in her career and help to crown her the queen of contemporary blues, but Turn Up The Heat captures her at the start of what became a storied musical journey. Ultimately who is the definer of what blues is and whether an artist is truly a blues artist? The eight selections on this LP released 25 years after his demise were recorded in Chicago and showcased his plaintive high voice and intricate guitar accompaniment. Chicago: the Blues Today, volume with Johnny Young, Johnny Shines, Big Walter Best culture of the 21st century Pop and rock Why the best album of the 21st century is Amy Winehouse's Back to Black Quietly beautiful and earthily funny, Back to Black's ebullient music. Sure, some of those cross overs were not exactly bad by any means, but I dont know that they belong on this list. User Reviews. And just as importantly, what have we missed? But then again, there are a lot of people who could, or should, have been on this list but arent. ZZ Tops First Album was as bluesy as any of the mentioned albums. With his booming sepulchral voice and bare slide guitar accompaniment, Patton established a musical approach that would prove inspirational and become the stylistic blueprint for many bluesmen that would come in his wake, including Robert Johnson and Howlin Wolf. Rocking at the Tweed Mill. John McVie. Williams, whose trademark was playing a custom-built nine-string guitar, was 65 when he recorded this LP in London during the fall of 1968 under the supervision of Mike Batt (who would later find fame writing Bright Eyes for Art Garfunkel and leading the novelty group, The Wombles). Have a Good Bluesdigging Life , Bert!!!! I would include Howling Wolf The London Sessions among others. Characterised by extravagant fretboard pyrotechnics and searing blues-rock grooves, the albums repertoire ranges from exciting Gallagher originals (Cradle Rock) to steroid-injected blues covers (Muddy Waters I Wonder Who). Theres the jazz end of the blues; folk blues; blues rock; straight forward, honest to goodness, down home blues; Chicago blues; British blues; country blues; as well as white men playing the blues. An exponent of the Chicago blues style, Taylor recorded this, his debut album in 1971 as the inaugural release on Bruce Iglauers Windy City-based Alligator label. Enjoy our picks for the 10 best 21st century pop . John Mayall is not in the pantheon of blues artists. Key Track: "How. Ive been listening to and playing the blues for about 50 years now. Winters fretboard pyrotechnics are impressive, but he matches his flashy technique with high emotional content. The possessor of a powerful contralto voice, she was hailed by her first record company as the Mother of the Blues. She made her debut recording in 1923 and her final one, five years later, before retiring in 1935. Some may complain about crossover or blues rock albums, but how could anyone not think that the Allman Brothers Live at Fillmore East shouldnt be on this list. Jeff Healey Group, he was appreciated by BB King and Eric Clapton. I have to disagree with you concerning the Alman Brothers not being a blues band. Geoff is referring to the Arhoolie release of the Charles Ford Band, which preceeded the Ford Bros on Blue Rock-It. The Black Keys Thickfreakness Down and Out Blues Sonny Boy Williamson (1959) Ben Harper & Charlie Musslewhite Get up! Im not sure that should really qualify as an album. Blues has always been about *songs* more than *albums*. Live on the Queen Mary Professor Longhair (1978) The singles B-side, Reelin & Rockin later recorded by The Rolling Stones also featured alongside the Top 10 US hit, Rock & Roll Music.. They included the classic 3 OClock Blues a slow nocturnal ballad penned by Lowell Fulson You Know I Love You, and Please Love Me.. Criteria: These "Blues" albums were chosen to showcase the artists musical vision through their impact, originality, influence, creative inspiration & musical quality.This list does not include "greatest hits, best of, live albums, box sets OR albums by those artists who did not exhibit a clear blues thread throughout their careers. This triple CD set focused on an overlooked collection of early Hooker recordings that remained unreleased until the 1970s. Bumble Bee spans the years 1929-1941, collecting all the Hoodoo Ladys seminal early sides with McCoy, including the classics Black Rat Swing, Dirty Mother For You, and New Dirty Dozen., Key Track: Whats The Matter With The Mill. Release Date May 6, 2008. Agree about Willie DixonNeeds to be there. Hudson Woodbridge was the birth name of Tampa Red, who was born in Georgia and raised in Florida. Arguably the poet laureate of the blues, Dixon was born in Mississippi but is synonymous with the postwar Chicago electric style. Other highlights were Cuttin In, a chugging beat ballad with strings and the skipping R&B-flavored Broke & Lonely, where Watsons assured vocals are punctuated by dancing horns. I love that album but its rock, not blues. Fords guitar playing steeped in the blues lexicon but augmented by rock power and jazz harmonic sophistication is unimpeachable on a 12-song selection that includes a slow, sizzling version of Etta James I Just Want To Make Love To You.. this sucks, Your additions of sited omissions sir are excellent sited examples.. He patented an eclectic yet distinctive sound that was an amalgam of blues, country, Cajun, jazz, and R&B styles. The pioneering multi-racial quintet formed in 1963 and two years later released its self-titled debut, which consisted of original material alongside the groups turbo-charged interpretations of songs by Elmore James, Little Walter, Muddy Waters, and Willie Dixon. Aw, yes, the Powder Blues Band. deservedly won a Grammy in 1986, and is clearly among the best blues albums ever. Born John Lee Curtis Williamson, this trailblazing Mississippi musician the first of two Sonny Boy Williamsons in the blues field established the gold standard for blues harmonica with his iconic 1937 debut single, Good Morning, School Girl. Spanning the years 1937-1941, the 1995 compilation Sugar Mama is a superb introduction to the mans work and finds him singing and blowing harmonica alongside the likes of guitarists Big Joe Williams and Big Bill Broonzy together with pianist Blind John Davis. Formed in 1961, Korners band Blues Incorporated recorded R&B From The Marquee in a London studio with vocals shared between Cyril Davies and Long John Baldry on a meld of blues covers and original material. Missing: We all have our own ideas for those who do and dont qualify for inclusion in this list but I am just grateful that so many artists and albums are listed by the compilers and the mailers because there are some I missed, until now. Allman Brothers, Cream, Derek and the Dominos, and The Rolling Stones shouldnt even be mentioned here. You are missing greats like Slim Harpo, Rod Piazza, George Harmonica Smith, William Clarke, Willie Dixon (wrote like half of the songs on all of the other old school Chicago blues singers albums too), Robert Nighthawk, James Harman, Ronnie Earl (best living blues guitar player because Joe Bonamassa is not a true blues guitar player as far as Im concerned), Carey Bell, Little Charlie and the Nightcats, Steve Guyger, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Kim Wilson, and a slew of others. At least you did include Texas Flood , Good to see Lonnie Johnson here. black Gibson Les Paul Custom. Duke Robilliard Dukes Blues Delightfull! Exactly my sentiments. Your email address will not be published. you cant win with a list like this . You left out Lazy Lester, Lightnin Slim and Slim Harpo albums on Excello. It included super-charged blues-inflected versions of songs by writers as diverse as Chuck Berry (Johnny B. Goode, given a fuel-injected makeover), Bob Dylan, Albert Collins, and Little Richard. It is an impossible task. Well, I respect that you are entitled to your opinion, but I wonder if you have heard him play live? "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is a recurring opinion survey and music ranking of the finest albums in history, compiled by the American magazine Rolling Stone.It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. Give me a break. Born Huddy Ledbetter in Louisiana, Lead Belly accompanied his tremulous, high tenor voice with a 12-string acoustic guitar. They changed how we heard pop, and changed what pop meant in the new millennium. There the Gibson is really crying. Taj Mahal the real thing simply stunning, There is a Hendrix compilation, titled Blues. Tutored by his mother, Arkansas-born George Harmonica Smith learned to play the harmonica when he was four and after playing with a gospel group early on in his professional career, gravitated to the blues, which led him to Chicago in the 1950s where he joined Muddy Waters band. After toiling as a street musician in Chicago, Hooker began playing in clubs and eventually cut some singles one of which, the instrumental Blue Guitar became the basis of Muddy Waters 1962 single, You Shook Me. With his reputation blossoming he guested on a Beatles TV special in the US Hookers debut LP followed in 1967 for the Wisconsin indie label, Cuca, and contained a dozen self-written instrumentals which highlighted his guitars stinging attack and lucid tone. A charismatic singer and harmonica player from West Memphis, Arkansas, born Amos Wells Blakemore Jr, Wells released his debut album, Hoodoo Man Blues, for Chicago indie label, Delmark. Peter greens playing on it sublime. As far as best living guitarist, not sure if anyone tops Derek Trucks right now. 13 in the Billboard 200. Eric Clapton & the Powerhouse (on Electra as I recall) In a . Born Theodore Roosevelt Taylor in Natchez, Mississippi, hoarse-throated singer and guitarist Hound Dog Taylor had a rare physiological condition known as polydactylism, which resulted in him having six digits on each hand. guess they assume its soul or r and b, but his early stuff was straight blues. Cold Chills tops the Carnegie Hall album as importantly, what have we missed the Dominos and! Bluesdigging Life, Bert!!!!!!!!!!... Humorous observation on the absurdity of racism and class division list, though i would include Howling Wolf the Sessions! 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