I got the blues

Cafe Society
1

In the B.B. King thread,** Euthanasiast** suggested we open up the conversation a little, both in order to further my blues education, and to include any folks who might not realize that a B.B. King thread had (as is the Dope’s wont) taken a couple of additional turns.

Where I’m coming from with the blues:

Not, traditionally, a fan of the blues per se –- I’m way too white and way too middle class to enjoy them unselfconsciously –- though in retrospect I can see a couple of trends that date back a whole slew of years (like damn close to 40). There are a few artists from the late '60s and early '70s who are way blues influenced -– Joe Cocker, for one, and both Clapton and Duane Allman (though I spent much more time listening to Jeff Beck in the ‘70s -– and though he certainly has some serious blues influence, he’s not as directly in the tradition as the other two). Two albums that have been desert-island picks for decades are Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs and Englishmen (with the truly amazing “Blue Medley”) and the Allman Bros. *Live at the Fillmore * -– Layla comes and goes from that list.

Over the last 8 or 10 years, I’ve been listening to a hell of a lot more African music, including some that is pretty directly connected with the blues. I know a lot of people hate Putumayo – I’m not one of them, and thought* Mali to Memphis * was (is) a really good album. I also like other compilation albums like this one –- amazing music.

Note, however, that a lot of this isn’t in English –- getting me around my “I’m too white to relate to the lyrics” thing, I can just listen to the instrumentals and treat the vocals as another layer of the sound.

How I got to BB King –- um, not entirely sure, actually. Have a few more current folks I like –- my roots music sidekick at work recommended Corey Harris’s Mississippi to Mali, which I like quite a bit; our own **Marley23 ** insisted I check out Derek Trucks, and I’ve enthusiastically joined that cult; and for reasons I cannot now reconstruct, I got this blues compilation (because Jeff Beck was on it? Cannot recall.) Liked several things on it –- esp. the Sister Rosetta Tharp –- and for some reason it got me thinking about B.B. King. Which led to the B.B. King thread. Which led to this thread.

So -– if you want to recommend good blues -– I like the instrumentals more than the singer-heavy stuff -– and it doesn’t need to be at a primal level of authenticity.

2

Actually, the past few times I went to blues shows, the audience was overwhelmingly white and middle class. There is a clear progression: Black bluesmen of the 50-60s, white bluesmen of the 60-70s, and black and white bluesmen (and women) more recently.

I’m a big fan of Otis Taylor, and also recommend The Roadhouse Podcast as a great sampler.

3

I’ve gotten interested in Koko Taylor after hearing I’m a Woman.
I’m going down yonder, behind the sun
I’m gonna do something for you, that ain’t never been done
I’m gonna hold back the lightning, with the palm of my hand
Shake hands with the devil, make him crawl in the sand

Maybe it’s a testosterone thing.

Billie Holiday’s Strange Fruit isn’t in the classic Delta Blues style, but it sure as hell ain’t jazz.

Interesting from an historical perspective, and to irritate the hell out of Mrs. Plant, are Robert Johnson and Blind Willie Johnson.

Oh, and Son House.

4

I really like Rory Block. Maybe because I’m a white chick, too? But she’s amazing. Oooh! And what about John Hammond? I’ve seen both live, and wow. What you can do with one guitar, one voice, and a whole lot of talent.

The blues don’t know no skin colour… even us white chicks get the blues.

Bonus blues joke!

Q: What did it say on the old blues singer’s grave?

A: Didn’t get up this mornin’.

5

I don’t know how similar they are to the artists in the OP, but I’d recommend Robert Cray, Roy Buchanan, and Clarence Gatemouth Brown. I discovered them in the 80’s and pretty much stopped there. They have everything I want – good vocals and outstanding guitar work, and Gatemouth’s fiddle.

There’s a sample of Buchanan’s version of Sweet Dreams here .

6

I haven’t decided about her singing yet, but she has his guitar down. I gotta have that.

7

Eric Clapton also has a Robert Johnson cover album. I think I’ve died and gone to heaven. :slight_smile:

8

Give Taj Mahal a try. The linked album was (I think) his first, and probably his best. He still does a terrific show at age 60 or so.

And if you’re partial to African, Ali Farka Toure’s stuff is terrific.

9

I highly recommend Showdown!, by Albert Collins, Johnny Copeland, and Robert Cray. Just a fantastic album.

And you might want to check out Robert Cray’s regular stuff, too. Not “traditional” blues, per se, but definitely great to listen to. Strong Persuader is probably his best known album, and a good place to start.

10

hey twick,

It’s late, I’ve just been driving for a couple of hours with the family through a steady snow and got home. So I am tired and not capable of doing a full geek-out, but have a few solid locks that you should check out. Let me (all of us) know where you are headed with your preferences and we can tune from there:

  • Albert Collins - Cold Snap. The Master of the Telecaster. A Texas bluesman (strap over the right shoulder? check. Nasty, shuffle-oriented blues? check). This CD is solid from end to end - great playing, great production - caught him a few years before he died, but still very much in his prime. If “I Ain’t Drunk (I’m just drinkin’)” doesn’t make you smile, nothing will.

  • T-Bone Walker, the complete Imperial Recordings. Urban, jump blues - basically blues with a full swing orchestra and more complex chords - T-Bone was the first electric blues guitarist, by way of Texas, but made his mark in LA around WW2. You love instrumentals - well, it simply doesn’t get any better than “Strollin’ With 'Bone” but if you don’t absolutely love Glamour Girl, The Hustle is On and countless others, I will eat my hat.

  • Otis Spann, The Biggest Thing Since Colossus. Made in the late 60’s in Chicago at Chess studios with the members of the original Fleetwood Mac (Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer on guitar, John McVie on Bass and while Mick Fleetwood was around, he wasn’t good enough so Otis used his guy), this is some fabulous gut-bucket blues but with a bit of white-boy Brit blues on the guitar side, making it that much more accessible. Really solid instrumentally throughout, wonderful songs - what’s not to love?

Finally- if you don’t have some Peter Green, you really should. When he replaced Clapton in John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, they made an album called A Hard Road. There is an instrumental called The Super-Natural - well, it is basically THE blueprint for Carlos Santana’s entire career (seriously, Santana worshipped Green and it shows). More importantly, it is brilliant, transcendent blues guitar playing. When Green split off and formed “Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac” they did other instrumentals such as Albatross which are wonderful and originals like Black Magic Woman (yes, Green wrote and performed it originally, which is why Santana picked the song to cover…)

gotta run.

11

There are a few younger guitarists around that are influenced by the same blues that influenced Clapton, et al. I think of them as following in the footsteps of Stevie Ray Vaughan, but some of my blues-fan friends tell me I’m crazy, that they are nothing alike. I say check them out and if you like them, who cares what they are labeled?
Kenny Wayne Sheppard
Joe Bonamasso
Johnny A
Jonny Lang

And how about some of the older guys?
Rory Gallagher
Danny Gatton
Johnny Winter
Robin Trower

But, what do I know? I hear blues influences in the music of Frank Zappa and Carlos Santana.

And while Marley23 was telling you about Derek Trucks, surely he mentioned Warren Haynes?

12

twickster, I started my blues education about six months ago and it has been an interesting trip thus far.

Two artists I can recommend for some background, Robert Johnson and Huddy Leadbetter (LeadBelly). There is one disk that has the entire Robert Johnson collection on it, here. It’s been cleaned up and it sounds great. As carnivorousplant mentioned, the Eric Clapton cover of this is also great.

The LeadBelly disk I have is also a winner. From its liner notes, I get the impression that his main contribution was not in creating or playing the music so much as it was that he remembered a lot of the folk, blues, and work songs from the pre-recording days.

Another disk I find myself playing again and again is John Lee Hooker.

Others worth mentioning, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Freddie King.

I need to buy myself some post-Christmas presents.

13

A couple of my favorites

Muddy Waters Hard Again (first real blues album I ever owned and man is it good)

Howlin’ Wolf Rocking Chair Album (doesn’t have a name but a photo of a rocking chair on the cover)

Hound Dog Taylor and the House Rockers Beware the Dog (it’s the one where you can see he has an extra finger on his left hand)

Those three are pretty representative of transplanted Mississippi guys playing the electric Chicago blues. Son Seals is also good.

John Lee Hooker someone can recomend on of his last ones like maybe Mr. Lucky, I liked and The Hook graciously and painstakenly (virtually illiterate) autographed a copy of Never Get out of these Blues Alive. He was a delta transplanted to Detroit guy before getting sick of the winters and moving to the SF Bay Area.

Mississippi Fred McDowel, can’t remember the album title but this is some deep Mississippi Delta Blues and at least one of his tunes is covered on the Rolling Stones Exile on Main Street. He played slide and the slide is a beef bone.

One that’s not really traditional but really gets me is the first George Thorogood albumn that has One Bourbon One Scotch One Beer (much better than Hook’s version)

14

Albert Collins, Buddy Guy, Koko Taylor all get my vote. Bonnie Raitt and Eric Clapton are brilliant, when they stick to blues. For older vocal driven work, look into Ruth Brown (“If I can’t sell it, I’ll just sit on it”) and Sippie Wallace (“Don’t advertise your man”)

15

I posted this in another blues-related thread some time ago. I know it’s pedantic and not exactly what you want, but it might be useful.

Pre-War: Characterized largely (though not exclusively) by acoustic or “country” blues.

Early Female Blues Singers: The earliest blues recordings.

Mamie Smith
Ma Rainey
Bessie Smith
Ida Cox
Victoria Spivey

Folk/Songster Blues: John Hurt is often mistakenly lumped in with Delta blues musicians, but he wasn’t from the Delta and his playing was much more akin to a kind of ragtime/Piedmont style.

John Hurt
Leadbelly
Mance Lipscomb
Frank Stokes

Barrelhouse/Piano Blues: From all eras.

Roosevelt Sykes
Otis Spann
Big Maceo
Leroy Carr

Ragtime/Piedmont Blues: Heavily influenced by ragtime (from a generation earlier), emphasis on complicated fingerpicking involving a bassline played with the thumb and a melody line played with the fingers.

Blind Blake
Rev. Gary Davis
Blind Boy Fuller
Blind Willie McTell
Curley Weaver
Barbeque Bob

Memphis Jug Blues:

Gus Cannon
Noah Lewis

Delta Blues: Characterized by strongly percussive playing (often with a slide), and raw, “primitive” vocals. Because it is a style easily transformed into rock and roll with electrification and a backing band, it is often mistakenly considered the original blues. But the blues developed all over the South at the same time, Delta blues being but one variant.

Charlie Patton (the real King of the Delta Blues, IMO)
Son House
Tommy Johnson (from Jackson, but still counts)
Willie Brown
Fred McDowell
Skip James
Arthur Crudup
Robert Johnson
Bukka White
Early Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker

Post-War: Characterized by electrification, the move to single-note guitar playing, and full backing bands.

Chicago Blues: Basically Delta blues moved north, electrified, and backed with a full band.

Early
Big Bill Broonzy
Sonny Boy Williamson
Tampa Red
Kokomo Arnold
Scrapper Blackwell

Classic
Howlin’ Wolf
Muddy Waters
Little Walter
Jimmy Rogers
Elmore James

Later
Otis Rush
Junior Wells
Buddy Guy
Hound Dog Taylor
James Cotton
Jimmy Reed

Jump Blues:

Big Joe Turner
Amos Milburn
Wynonie Harris

Texas Blues:

Blind Lemon Jefferson (pre-war)
Lightnin’ Hopkins
Son Jackson
T-Bone Walker
Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown

Post-War Electric Blues Guitar: For lack of a better term—a coalescence of styles exemplified by single-note electric guitar-playing.

B.B. King
Albert King
Freddy King
Son Seals
Lonnie Brooks

West Coast: Smoother and jazzier.

Percy Mayfield
Lowell Fulson
Jimmy Witherspoon
Pee Wee Crayton
Jesse Fuller

Post-War Female Singers:

Big Maybelle
Big Mama Thornton
Little Esther Phillips

16

Stevie Ray Vaughan. Fantastic stuff.

You might also try a few of the White Stripes’ tracks: Ball and Biscuit, Death Letter, St. James Infirmary Blues.

17

Somebody mentioned the Roadhouse podcast, a good one. I think those and radio shows are a good way to start 'cause the DJ gives some background on artists and connections between songs. I don’t know what part of the world you’re in, but here in Colorado there’s a blues show Sunday nights at 9pm Mountain called Blues from the Red Rooster Lounge on KBCO-FM. You can probably listen to it over the internet. He’s been doing the show for a looooong time and is really knowledgeable. Plus he makes it fun by talking like an old-time hep cat! :stuck_out_tongue:

18

Savoy Brown.

19

Damn, that’s a helluva good list. I was a blues DJ for 5 years in college, and a lot of names escape me now.

Do you have a fav album or two to recommend for each one?

20

Thanks for the recommendations, all. Unfortunately, I’m gonna have a huge honkin’ car repair bill as soon as they’re done repairing my car, so I can’t go out and drop huge amounts of money on blues CDs right this second. (The irony, it burns.)

My college BF was quite a guitar aficianado, so I do remember Roy Buchanan from the '70s – good stuff. Thanks for the reminder, AuntiePam.

Went to the library yesterday for movies, and walked past the CD racks, and had a :smack: moment. Unfortunately, I hadn’t written anything down – and double unfortunately, they sort their CDs quite oddly. (Separate section for Jazz; separate section for Christian; separate section for World-and-Folk; Blues is mixed in with “Popular” in a huge mishmash.) This meant that I just looked for a couple of names I had already heard, and had no idea for titles. Got Stevie Ray Vaughan, Blues at Sunrise. (Also Ray Charles, Genius + Soul = Jazz, and The Marriage of Figaro. :smiley: )

Anyway, I’ll be putting together a better list for the library, so keep the recommendations coming.

Thanks, everyone!