Ooh good one! Can’t believe we forgot him. My grandmother used to sing, Pick A Bale of Cotton all the time.
I have been a big fan of Watermelon Slim and The Workers for quite a while now. They are the real deal and brilliant entertainers. In the past two years they have received, I believe, 12 nominations for the Blues Music Awards. I think that means he has more Blues Music Awards nominations than he has teeth.
Watermelon Slim’s history is interesting as well. He has multiple degrees, is a Vietnam War veteran, and was a truck driver. Additionally, according to his website, “while laid up in a Vietnam hospital bed he taught himself upside-down left-handed slide guitar on a $5 balsawood model using a triangle pick cut from a rusty coffee can top and his Army issued Zippo lighter as the slide.” You can read more about him here: http://www.watermelonslim.com/slimband.asp
Here’s a few YouTube videos for you to check out, though I highly recommend picking up an album:
No one has yet mentioned the best of contemporary electric blues:
Jimmy Thackery and the Drivers. Just awesome.
Smokin’ Joe Kubek. Also awesome.
Blue by Nature
Debbie Davies
Gary Moore
Joe Bonamassa
Kenny Wayne Shepard
Jonny Lang
Sue Foley
Tinsley Ellis
Susan Tedeschi
Walter Trout
And the absolute must-have contemporary blues band: Indigenous. If you get nothing else, get the album “Circle” by Indigenous.
I was just enjoying one of my favorite Ry Cooder tunes and had to include a link here.
Ry Cooder - Vigilante Man from 1973
Might as well make it a twofer - Something fitting for the weekend
Just in case this is up anyone’s alley, here’s a video clip of a local band in my neck of the woods: The Alastair Greene Band. He has a couple albums you can find on Amazon, as well as his own website (www.agsongs.com). Definitely one of my favorites.
What, no love from Dopersville for **the **Iceman yet? I mean Mr Albert Collins. That man could make a guitar weep and moan and snarl and howl like a whole zoo in heat.
And I’ll throw in my votes for John Lee Hooker and Muddy and the Wolf too, seeing as they’ve been mentioned already.
Charlie Musselwhite and Little Walter for harp-blowin’ finesse.
Koko Taylor. Etta James. Little Milton. Robert Cray. Big Mama Thornton.They’re all great.
The James Cotton Band is, too.
My poor sweet lady Janis Joplin, was one of the finest voices of her day when she was alive. She sang it hot and raw and full of heart.
And lastly there’s the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and Electric Flag if you’re into reaching way back into the 1960s vaults. Both featured the incredible Mike Bloomfield on guitar, and oh boy could he play it.
Indeed.
And contemporary players: do NOT miss Little Toby Walker. I own almost every album mentioned in this thread either on vinyl, or on CD–and I now own every single album Little Toby Walker has recorded. Plus I’ve seen him in person about four times. Just fabulous playing; great GREAT blues.
Ok, those clips are smokin’. I’m heading over to Amazon to buy an album. Thanks for pointer!
No problem! He also played a couple solo’s on a recent Alan Parsons album, although I can’t remember which off-hand - in case you want to hear some of his non-blues stuff.
…and Rory Block.
Does her voice always sound like it does on The Lady and Mr. Johnson?
No. Her earlier vocal stylings are a lot less ‘growly’ and higher and ‘sweeter’ in pitch. Still like her an awful lot, though. I saw her in concert and wow… what one voice and one guitar can do.
I got the impression she was trying to sound like Robert Johnson. Her guitar sure as hell sounds ike his.