# I want the blues... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 12, 1999, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-the-blues/9244 "1999-10-12T03:48:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![LongHrn99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e4f/32.png) [@LongHrn99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LongHrn99)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 1999, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-the-blues/9244/21 "1999-10-12T18:51:00Z")
Though he is somewhat like BB King’s poppy blues style, Buddy Guy is a must. T-Bone Walker (Texas blues) is also a great one (one of SRV’s big influences). And don’t EVER let anyone tell you that “Bad to the Bone” is blues. I was unimagineably pissed when I went to my local guitar supercenter looking for blues books, and I see “BTTB” listed as one of the all time greats. Didn’t buy that one. Also, where do you live? Depending on where you live, you might be able to find blues bars\clubs where you could go listen to the guys making new music. Of course if you live in the Midwest (other than Chicago) you’re pretty much screwed on that one. * * * “There are many sweeping generalizations that are always true” -Space Ghost ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 1999, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-the-blues/9244/22 "1999-10-12T19:21:00Z")
If you know nothing about the blues (excuse me, I meant “Effin yo don know nuffin bout de blues”) you might consider _Blues for Dummies_ a book by Lonnie and Wayne Brooks and Cub Koda. It’s a history of the music with biographies of some of the major players. It also has a really good CD included. After that, consider the _Blues Masters_ series put out by Rhino. It’s a fifteen CD series that will give you a good introduction to the different styles and artists of the blues. The _Alligator_ samplers that were already mentioned or any of the _House of Blues_ collections are also good introductions. They tend to be more accessible to newcomers. But I have to disagree with TennHippie’s suggestions of “JLH” and “BS”. While I realize they are popular with their fans, I don’t really feel Jennifer Love Hewitt and Britney Spears can be considered authentic blues singers. ---
**Author:** ![cody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecd19e/32.png) [@cody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cody)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 1999, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-the-blues/9244/23 "1999-10-12T21:13:00Z")
HOUND DOG TAYLOR! ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 1999, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-the-blues/9244/24 "1999-10-12T22:11:00Z")
Alphagene: I don’t get north of 14th St. much. Last time I was up there, Manny’s was still open for private dates and occasional public concerts, just to keep the liquor license current while they fought with the landlord and the police after that kid got shot. But with the way rents have been going up, I wouldn’t be surprised (but I would be saddened) if it were gone forever. Heck, even Tramps is gone, at least for the time being. They always had the best Alligator Records acts. At any rate, here are some of the acts playing around town which don’t involve paying Blue Note prices. At B.L.U.E.S.: Kenny Neal on the 14th and Son Seals on the 15th & 16th. If my Yankee tickets fall through for Thursday, I’ll buy you a beer at Kenny. He’s my favorite young bluesman. Well, OK, he was young when I started listening to him, and he’s still not _old_ ## At The Bottom Line: Bo Diddley on Nov. 19&20. Not my favorite, kind of showy, but worth seeing once. And one of the things that you have to learn first about the blues is that you have to see the artists while you can. By and large, they tend not to live particularly healthy lifestyles, if you get my drift. Livin’ on Tums, Vitamin E and Rogaine ---
**Author:** ![Sassy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@Sassy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sassy)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 1999, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-the-blues/9244/25 "1999-10-12T23:32:00Z")
(hesitating, fearful of being slammed) In the realm of white boy blues… Mike Bloomfield Al Kooper and on the edges Delbert McClinton John Hiatt and - why hasn’t anyone mentioned Bonnie Raitt? * * * The reason gentlemen prefer blondes is that there are not enough redheads to go around. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 1999, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-the-blues/9244/26 "1999-10-13T00:25:00Z")
My own recomendation: Just buy a couple of those cheap Blues anthology tapes, and if you like any of the songs, buy one of that artist’s albums. That would be a lot easier, and I think more fulfilling, than trying to jump into it. But if you’d rather just take recomendations, here’s a partial list: T-Bone Walker Memphis Minnie Lightnin’ Hopkins Muddy Waters Elmore James Bessie Smith Robert Johnson J.B. Hutto Blind Lemon Jefferson (not necessarily in that order) You might also want to consider looking into R&B: The Clovers The Drifters (the original, with Clyde McPhatter, not that other bunch of clowns) The Ink Spots Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers The Dominoes Hank Ballard and the Midniters Big Joe Turner Ruth Brown The Rivieras Some of the more modern Blues artists I’m not that thrilled with. I think when you have to have five backup singers and a pipe organ, something has been lost. Now, of course, in getting into the Blues, you’ll be discussing your interests with other people who are also into it. Keep in mind that communicating your interest in the Blues sends messages to other people about who you are. I don’t mean it’s a mere affectation, but people naturally draw conclusions about others based on whatever data is available. Therefore, I thought it would be nice to give the following advice which may help in socializing with other blues fans: 1. **John Lee Hooker is not your favorite Blues singer.** Well, maybe he is. Certainly no one denies him a place in the pantheon. But if you say he’s your favorite, you’re liable to get lumped in with a certain type of blues fan who knows only a small list of artists, a list which invariably reads exactly like this: [ul][li]John Lee Hooker[/li][li]Stevie Ray Vaugn[/li][li]ZZ Top[/li][li]Robert Johnson[/li][li]Eric Clapton[/li][li]Jimi Hendrix[/li][li]Bonnie Raitt[/ul][/li]Note, none of these are bad artists. But they are artists who are popular with people who are otherwise not that interested in the Blues, and will often be taken as the end-all and be-all of the Blues genre. 2. **"White-boy covers" may be offensive to purists.** It may well be that you genuinely do prefer Stevie Ray Vaugn’s version of _The Sky is Crying_ over Elmore James’. There is nothing at all wrong with that, though you may wish to consider the notion that you were not cut out to be a blues fan if you do prefer Vaugn. And in any case, it behooves one to know, when talking about a white artist, which songs are covers of songs from black artists. 3. **Blues music is not necessarily sad.** It’s an easy mistake to make because of popular misconceptions. Blues music arose as an expression of hardship and tragedy, and uses styles of singing and playing that carry that sense of the tragedy of life, these styles are not always used to sing sad songs. 4. **If you are a guitarist, playing at a bar, please resist the urge to prove you can do Hendrix.** Probably you can. A lot of guitarists can. This is a personal pet peeve of mine, so take it for what it’s worth, but I think if we need to hear _Red House_ one more goddamn time we can go home and listen to it. For crying out Jehova, whatever happened to _Key to the Highway_? 5. **Learn a little folklore.** You don’t want to be caught asking, “Who’s John the Kangaroo?” or singing, “I got a black cap on…” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-the-blues/9244.md?page=1)