Favorite Blues Artist and why?

[corporatewhore]

I my self am picking Robert johnson because he is so haunting and one hell of a guitarist

[GOPisEvil]

1. I like all of them! But, to be different, I'll pick Otis Spann.

Best Blues pianist ever! :-)

[bagimin]

13. FRED NEIL!

#2 King of the 12-string...Leadbelly.

[SiobhanClancy]

2. Son House

father of the Delta blues. He should really be on any blues artist list,IMHO:)

[corporatewhore]

3. yeah i know i just was trying to get a variety of styles he may be the

father but Johnson was the King!!!

[swag]

4. Howlin' Wolf

[Bluzmann57]

5. Toughie here

but I'm saying Buddy Guy. More of a modern type of player, but has never forgotten his roots. Listen to the cd "Blues Singer" And then listen to "Sweet Tea". Different, yet similar.

[Az]

6. Well aside from the fact that he was the father of the blues

Robert Johnson just happens to be my name as well.

[corporatewhore]

8. Did you Sell your soul to the devil at the crossroads too?

[Whitacre D_WI]

10. Son House taught Robert Johnson to play.

Does that make House the grandfather of the blues?

Blues preceded RJ by quite a while. He's pretty damn good, though (and you should be proud to share his name!)

[mac56]

7. Muddy Waters

2nd choice: Howlin' Wolf
3rd choice: Albert Collins
Honorable mention: Louis Jordan - Hey, jump blues is the blues too.

[Whitacre D_WI]

9. Skip James.

Best voice, best songwriter, damn fine guitarist and pianist as well.

[acmavm]

11. Billie Holiday, you can hear every heartbreak she ever suffered in her

voice. And I've seen a film of her singing Strange Fruit in a New York nightclub in front of an audience of whites. That took guts.

[beanball]

14. Billie Holiday

miles and miles ahead of the rest.Carmen McRae also does a great rendition of "Strange Fruit"

[jpgray]

18. Robert Wyatt does a great version as well--if you like his voice and synth

:D

[Lefty48197]

12. All of the above, including the Wolfman!

.

[Bossy Monkey]

15. Mississippi Fred McDowell, for his geetar

Keep those lamps trimmed and burnin'

[King of New Orleans]

20. R.L. Burnside, Junior Kimbrough

Fat Possum label has put out the best blues stuff for the last 10 years now.

[corporatewhore]

23. fat possum is cool

[amandabeech]

16. How about Son Seals

I've seen him live twice, once in Chicago and once in the D.C. area. He and his band are pretty intense! But really, I like them all.

[OneBlueSky]

17. got me a Son Seals autographed album . . . a prized possession . . .

along with two signed by Pete Seeger, and one by Big Joe Turner . . . :)

[amandabeech]

28. Lucky you!

How did you get the Son Seals autograph?

[OneBlueSky]

34. he played at a jazz club I was managing many years ago . . . n/t

.

[OneBlueSky]

19. I voted for Muddy Waters, but only because . . .

I consider both Billie Holiday and Ella primarily jazz singers . . . they could both sing the blues, of course, just as Louis could play a mean blues trumpet . . . of the others listed, I think Muddy Waters may be my favorite . . . though I'd probably have picked Howlin' Wolf if he were on the list . . .

[Kat45]

21. Buddy Guy.

I've seen him play so many times that I've lost count--and a number of the shows were in a small club. His burning guitar blows me away, and his singing is so good. He can be a wild man, playing and singing up a storm, then he can bring the volume down lower and lower until his singing and playing are just above a whisper. And he takes his audience with him all the way. I just love him. I've seen so many great shows from him.

But even with all that talent, there is a flip side. Every so often, he's in a "fucking around" mood and most, if not all, of the show consists of him fucking around. Starting a song, then quitting for something else, talking a lot, etc. You still get to hear bits and pieces of his inspired playing, but you don't get the whole deal. I'm not sure what's going on--I often wonder if he's too drunk or not drunk enough--but I've seen several shows like this. The last show I saw, a few years ago, became a "fucking around show" about a third of the way into the show. A couple of friends of mine were seeing him for the first time and they did really like the show, but I wished they could have seen what he really can do--they had no idea.

[Mrs. Venation]

22. Bonnie Raitt

because she's the best, dammit!

[mitchum]

24. Tie between Son House and Howlin' Wolf...

there is no way on earth I could choose between the two.
Tampa Red in a solid second place.

[mobuto]

25. Leadbelly

King of the 12 string guitar.

[greendog]

26. Mississippi John Hurt / Muddy Waters

John Hurt for his wonderful happy finger-picking and Muddy Waters for having his head in the city and his toes in the delta mud.

[Dr Fate]

27. John Lee Hooker...

...that trance-like rythm- that voice- you cant help but tap your foot...

A real bad-ass too- like "Burning Hell" or "House Rent Boogie"...

[NightTrain]

29. Bo Diddley

He rocked up the blues and sold a ton of records to rock 'n' roll's first generation of fans! Go, Bo Diddley! :headbang:

Bo Diddley buy baby diamond ring.
If that diamond ring don't shine,
he gonna take it to a private eye.

[holeinboatoutatsea]

30. Buddy Guy

because he performed for a small group, of which I was a part, and he was amazing.

[jus_the_facts]

31. Fats Domino.....

....he's MY favorite Naw'lenz blues MAN!!! :)

[non sociopath skin]

35. If Fats counts, then he gets my vote ...

.. but if it's purely bluesmen, as opposed to R&B, then it's Mississippi John Hurt. Such a cool guy.

The Skin

[SarahB]

32. Billie Holiday

Because of this song (and a plethora of others). As a woman, she speaks to my soul.

Jim

Jim doesn't ever bring me pretty flowers
Jim never tries to cheer my lonely hours
Don't know why I'm so crazy for jim

Jim never tells me I'm his heart's desire
I never seem to set his love afire
Gone are the years I've wasted on him
Sometimes when I get feelin' low
I say let's call it quits
Then I hang on and let him go breakin' my heart in bits

Someday I know that Jim will up and leave me
But even if he does you can believe me
I'll go on carrying the torch for Jim

I'll go on lovin' my Jim

[bubblesby2002]

33. B B King and Lucille

[JaySherman]

36. Tom Waits

[DODI]

37. Who: Billie Holiday Why: Strange Fruit

[dbt]

38. Howlin' Wolf!

Up til him, I didn't know how scary Blues could be! Props to Hubert Sumlin while we're at it!

:smoke:
dbt

[felonious thunk]

39. Jimmy Reed

I don't really have any grandiose reason for picking him. I just dig his music more than I dig any other blues musician's.

[corporatewhore]

40. kick

[fudge stripe cookays]

41. Etta James and B.B. King

I walked down the aisle to "At Last."