Blues Appreciation Thread

[RealityChuck]

After seeing a fantastic concert a few days ago, I decided to start this thread.

I love the blues. Don't exactly know why, but once I hear a few blues riffs, I'm hooked.

Last week, I sprung for the "Front Porch Blues Tour," with Elvin Bishop, Charles Musselwhite, and three fantastic newer stars: Henry Butler, Corey Harris, and Deborah Coleman. Bliss.

Coleman was just great. Fine voice and a dynamite guitar player. It seemed like she wasn't doing much, since she played so delicately, but once she took on a solo, it blew you away. Harris was a wizard on slide guitar (and the one disappointment of the concer was that he didn't perform enough). Bishop and Butler was both very entertaining, and when everyone got together to jam, it was hard to stand still.

Anyone else into the blues? Any particular artists or performances that really get you moving?

[Skippman]

I've got to give props to Kenny Wayne Sheapord and Corey Stevens. Both are great IMHO.

[Dogzilla]

I love the blues. Personal favorites include Etta James and Koko Taylor.

Went to Chicago B.L.U.E.S. many years ago, where Big Time Sarah knocked me off my barstool with her generous backside. At the time, I didn't know who she was. Then the band stopped their set to invite her onstage to sing with them. She proceeded to knock me to the floor a second time in her haste to get to the stage. Hey, it was a small place, very crowded, and she is a large woman. I'm tiny in comparison, so it was understandable.

I still didn't buy her cd!

[Eve]

Put me down as a Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey fan, myself.

[I can't believe that's butter!]

Me and my friends had a crappy blues band a couple years ago. We covered a lot of rock to please the audience that invariably follows a band aged 18 to 20. I was vying to be the next Eddie Bayers/Mitch Mitchell, the lead guitarist sought a place somewhere between Eric Johnson and Jimi Hendrix, the rhythm guitarist tried to share Jimi with Eric Clapton, and the bassist pretty much played fourths and fifths everywhere, his first instrument being guitar in a heavy metal style. It taught me a LOT in How Not To Alienate An Audience. I remember our setlists consisting of one 12-bar after another, with names like "Blues in C" (I'll never play in C again) followed by "Blues in Ab" followed by a halting version of Aqualung.

As far as real blues though, I like anything out of Memphis. There's something about how everything sounds from there.

[I can't believe that's butter!]

How could I forget Big Mama Thornton?

[Toddly]

I just love electric blues guitar.
Albert King springs to my mind.His guitar style was my favorite. Albert and Stevie Ray Vaughn made a CD by the name of Sessions and each and every song is great . Lots of great guitar work.
Robben Ford in his early years.
Anson Funderburgh is a Texas blues guitar player that is very good and he puts on a great show.

[Swampwolf]

I a big blues fan, but I don't really go as much for the traditional 12-bar blues.

IMO, Taj Mahal is the best out there. Some of his guitar work brings tears to my eyes (especially when he plays 4 lines at once, as in Frankie & Albert)...his range is possibly greater than anyone else's: Delta blues, Chicago blues, reggae, funk, rock, jazz and some that don't really fall under any classification.

Like Dogzilla, I also think Etta and Koko are tops in their league.

[bigbird120]

I love the blues. Robert Johnson is good acoustic blues. For good electric I love Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf, Albert King, Buddy Guy, stuff like that. For newer stuff I really like hot tuna, and Stevie Ray. Plus Jimi Hendrix is the king of blues riffs.

[minty green]

Met mrs. green at a James Cotton gig at Antone's, with Jimmie Vaughan in the band. Damn fine show, even if she doesn't remember that I kissed her goodnight around 2:30 a.m.

[Mr. Wrong]

Toddly, does Anson Funderburgh still have Sam Myers playing the harp? That dude made that band great.

As for old-timers, nobody feels my pain like Lightnin' Hopkins.:cool:

[China Guy]

I was a blues dj back in college for 5 years. Great stuff. Timeless too. I've been out of mainstream music for over 15 years, and I still play blues all the time.

Hound Dog Taylor as just one overlooked and forgotten artist.

[Siemsi]

Susan Tedeschi! She kicks ass. Saw her at the Memphis in May music festival in 2000.

[eponymous]

Originally posted by Siemsi

Susan Tedeschi! She kicks ass. Saw her at the Memphis in May music festival in 2000.

Yes, I'll have to second this - she sure can belt out the tunes (and she's also hot!) :)

For serious blues lovers, here's more info on the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale, MS:

http://www.deltabluesmuseum.org/

[mdf]

RealityChuck:
I saw that same show here a couple weeks ago - now I've got to find some Deborah Coleman recordings. I thought she and Charlie Musselwhite were the standouts of the show - and that's saying something, because there wasn't anybody slackin' that night.

-mdf

[carnivorousplant]

I've got the Robert Johnson CD set.
Thanks for the names, I'll try some more.

.32/20 Blues.

[RealityChuck]

mdf -- I already picked up one of Coleman's CDs on eBay.

I tend to like anything in the blues, but some favorites are Taj Mahal, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, and Muddy Waters.

Otis Taylor also sticks in my mind for a great concert I saw about a year and a half ago.

[Toddly]

Mr. Wrong ..when I saw Anson about 18 months ago he was singing and playing. They led him by the arm to the mic but he still did a nice job. There is a nice small club in our town that has only Blues and they get some good bands playing there quite often.

[fizgig]

I love watching Keb' Mo'[/i] play. The first time, he was mostly solo, and he played for at least three hours. Michelle Shocked opened, then about 45 minutes into Keb's set, poison oak was driving to distraction and I had to leave. My friends said he was still playing at 11 pm when they reluctantly left.

The next time I saw him, he had a band, and he played them into the ground. I could tell that the bass player felt like his hands were about to fall off, but Keb' just kept going. It really shows that he loves playing for his audience, and I love that. Not to mention his music's great, too.

I also like [b]BB King, R.L. Burnside, Government Mule, Little Milton, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Robert Johnson, Rich Harper, and Etta James.

[WordMan]

Originally posted by Toddly
I just love electric blues guitar.
Albert King springs to my mind.His guitar style was my favorite. Albert and Stevie Ray Vaughn made a CD by the name of Sessions and each and every song is great . Lots of great guitar work.

Anybody got a link to a listing for this CD? I couldn't find it on Amazon....

[WordMan]

Oh, and I forgot - when it comes to the blues, I love all of the recommendations people have made thus far. I lovingly add Mr. T-Bone Walker, the original Electric Blues Guitar Player. His style is often referred to as "jump blues" - fully orchestrated with a horn section, etc. - Brian Setzer and Duke Robillard do his thing now. But he was the original, and Albert King and SRV are in a direct line from him in terms of Texas Blues.

[fizgig]

Originally posted by WordMan
Anybody got a link to a listing for this CD? I couldn't find it on Amazon....

I think it's this one. (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00000JTB2/ref=m_art_li_5//104-9947888-2175100?v=glance&s=music)