Howlin Wolf and Sonny Boy Williamson are the two I’ve liked best so far. I didn’t much like Muddy Waters or John Lee Hooker.
Robert Johnson is good, but unfortunately there’s no recordings of him with a band, so there’s a limit to what can be done.
All of the previously mentioned artists (especially Son House and Robert Johnson) fit the bill.
In the “young bands playing old blues” category is a band called The Black Keys. I highly recommend them.
Might I suggest the CD “Balling the Jack”. I don’t know if it’s what your’re looking for because it’s “new blues” All current performers. But it has an old blues spirit. And definatly dirty and sweaty.
It might help to break down the genre into its most prominent subgenres, to make your musical navigation easier. Apologies if I leave out anyone’s favorites.
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
There’s more, but that’s enough. Apologies for fudging a few categories/categorizations. Apologies also for being pedantic, but I love this stuff.
A subject very near and dear to my heart, Lib.
The basics have been covered well by astute Dopers, so I’ll add the addenda:
For rather current bluesmen, raw and unfiltered, as well as some great independent artists; Fat Possum records has a great roster, ioncluding my good mentors, the late RL Burnside, and Jr Kimbrough. The North Mississippi stuff was raw and great in the 90’s, also check out Otha Turner and the North Mississippi Allstars, fronted by Luther Dickinson, son of Jim Dickinson, master extrordinaire of Memphis/Msspi blues, *the * guy tapped by Bob Dylan, Rolling Stones, Ry Cooder, etc, etc, to get a handle on it. Luther learned it all well from his Dad, and all the blues musicians around. He and his brother Cody carry it all on today.
Close to my heart, because I’ve seen it grow from an idea in a small hotel room in Meridian, MS, from the dream of a friend to support aging blues musicians and get them playing again: Musicmaker Relief Foundation Can’t say enough about what Tim Duffy has done here in NC. He started out on a shoestring, and plays with blues artists, supporting them in tours wordwide. He recorded a lot of forgotten artists with top-notch tech skill, and gave their languishing careers a new boost. Musicmaker also helps pay the bills for impoverished musicians in need. When I was in Mississippi, and had blues musician friends needing a hearing aid or the medical bills paid, Tim always came through with some funds. The recordings are great, too.
And, last, not least; my alma mater, spent a great decade of my life with this magazine Living Blues. Three decades old, and the source for good blues info.
I’ll stop now.