[peter braun]

Let hear some of everyone's favorite blues artists and particuraly albums. Here are mine -

B.B. King Live in Kansas City 1972 : My first introduction to the King, though not the best recorded album it will always be near and dear to my heart

Buddy Guy I Was Walking Through the Woods: Great example of the early guitar master, album contains my alltime favorite blues song "I Found a True Love"

Eric Clapton The Blues: Compilation album containing Clapton blues tunes and covers from the 1970s. I really like the second live disc.

Robert Cray Bad Influence: I love Cray's super articulate vocals combined with sharp guitar work; this is my favorite album of his heard thus far

 

[TheGhostBelow]

Albert King-Born Under a Bad Sign

John Lee Hooker- I like pretty much everything of his that i have.

 

[Hermitt]

RL Burnside - Wish I Was In Heaven Sitting Down

 

[Dedpoet]

I'm listening to Buddy Guy - Feels like Rain right now. It's one of my favorites. Tom Waits - Small Change is another.

 

[cconroy]

If I didn't have work that I was procrastinating on by reading the forums I might give a longer response. I'm still relatively new to the blues, but I do love it as a genre.

For now, I simply find it necessary to mention Hound Dog Taylor.

You don't hear guitar like that everyday...I mean, the guy has 6 fingers on each hand!!

 

[Jubei]

There are loads of blues artists I like, but these are some I listen to most often or many a big impact on me when I first encountered them.

Albert Collins - Ice Pickin
Albert King - King of the Blues Guitar
BB King - Live At Cook County Jail
Big Walter - Big Walter Horton With Carey Bell
Buddy Guy - I Was Walking Through The Woods
Earl Hooker - 2 Bugs and a Roach
Etta James - The Essential Etta James
Freddie King - Hideaway : The Best of Freddie King
Howlin Wolf - Back Door Wolf
John Campbell - One Believer
John Lee Hooker - The Real Folk Blues
John Primer - The Real Deal
Little Milton - Sings Big Blues
Magic Sam - Black Magic
Otis Rush - Right Place Wrong Time
Sonny Boy Williamson - Down and Out Blues
Vance Kelly - Call Me

 

[DanielBurns11]

Unfortunately the only Blues artist I listen to right now is Robert Johnson. I've really been meaning to discover more artists in the genre, but I never get around to it.

 

[Aman]

Clapton ain't no bluesman...

My favorite blues artists are Howlin' Wolf, Lightnin' Hopkins, James Cotton, Hound Dog Taylor, Albert King, Fats Waller, and Buddy Guy (who I saw live at the Paris Jazz Festival this summer and he ROCKED!).

 

[doctafonk]

Im really enjoying these two JLH albums at the moment:

 

[Slim Pickens]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aman /img/forum/go_quote.gif Clapton ain't no bluesman... My favorite blues artists are Howlin' Wolf, Lightnin' Hopkins, James Cotton, Hound Dog Taylor, Albert King, Fats Waller, and Buddy Guy (who I saw live at the Paris Jazz Festival this summer and he ROCKED!).

Eric Clapton has felt the blues and played the blues as deeply as any of the people you listed above. If "Layla" and "Tears in Heaven" were the only things he had played, he would be deserving of the title "Bluesman".

I've enjoyed Clapton's music longer than you have been alive. I have quite a few of his albums and have seen him in concert, playing solos that while grounded in the blues, expanded the music into something more, incredible music. Yes, he is a bluesman, one of the finest. He ranks with the true giants, and I believe time will only prove this most convincingly.

SP

 

[R_burke]

One of my favorite Blues releases is Harp, steel and guts by Blue Rider Trio. It's a mapleshade records release and is a fantastic recording. Other really good recordings are the Telarc blues releases. I especially like Rory Block and Otis Taylor

 

[Aman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slim Pickens /img/forum/go_quote.gif Eric Clapton has felt the blues and played the blues as deeply as any of the people you listed above. If "Layla" and "Tears in Heaven" were the only things he had played, he would be deserving of the title "Bluesman". I've enjoyed Clapton's music longer than you have been alive. I have quite a few of his albums and have seen him in concert, playing solos that while grounded in the blues, expanded the music into something more, incredible music. Yes, he is a bluesman, one of the finest. He ranks with the true giants, and I believe time will only prove this most convincingly. SP

Age doesn't provide wisdom. Only the potential to gain it. If you don't take advantage of it, you're no wiser than somebody half your age.

I never made the suggestion that one needs to be black to feel the blues. Don't put words in my mouth.

I don't have an understanding of 'the soul'? Do you think I'd even like real blues men like Lightnin' Hopkins if I didn't understand the concept of emotionally-felt performance? Eric Clapton is a technically proficient guitar player - I'll give him that - but with an extremely fake voice and soul.

Clapton did his best work with Cream, second to his work with Derek and the Dominoes and Blind Faith. Grounded in the blues on the theory level, sure, but certainly a more psychedelic exploration of music than anything else. I will always enjoy Clapton's early music, but I will never call it blues. Even his "classic" songs like Cocaine and Lay Down Sally suggest a more pop-oriented approach with very little soul. The real hint in his lack of blues is his solos. For over 30 years, there has been little uniqueness, and much repetitiveness, to all of his solos. And since he does not feel the need to express himself during any other portion of the songs, this is where he must be judged - immense failure!

I'm not alone when I say these things. I'd be backed up by many on this very board - Clapton is quite overrated. Judging merely musical aspects of having "the blues", Clapton would not entail many of them. Anything past that is subjective - if you're using your love for the man's music as the main defense for your point (as you clearly are - how thoughtful and intelligent), then there's no point in arguing this. You dig what you dig. I like much of Eric Clapton's work, but I would never call it blues. There are too many artists that exceed him in terms of what 'the blues' have been all about for the past century.

 

[terriblepaulz]

B.B. King - B.B. King Live At Cook County Jail

Hound Dog Taylor - Genuine Houserocking Music

Koko Taylor - Queen Of The Blues

Muddy Waters - Hard Again

Actually, now that I think of it, most of my blues is in the form of box sets, samplers, and reissues. My fave is the 4 disc Chess Blues box. For some obscure, ancient proto-blues, I like Folks, He Sure Do Pull Some Bow! Vintage Fiddle Music 1927-1935: Blues, Jazz, Stomps, Shuffles & Rags.

 

[Coltrane]

Clapton ain't no blues man. Atleast not compared to BB, Albert Collins, SRV r so many others.

He did ok in the mid-60s, but his reputation is WAY out of line with his actual contributions to the music. I will give him huge credit for being s many people's outlet to the blues, but tat doesn't mean his playing itself is that spectacular.

I do think he is very good pop and rock guitarist.

 

[tyrion]

Please stay on topic and leave the personal stuff elsewhere. We are discussing music not world peace. Express your opinion on the topic not on the poster and all will be good in our little world.