best blues albums of the 21st century

Dutch blues? Blue Streak Luther Allison (1995) And I applaud you for alphabetical as opposed to a merit ranking. Music has always played a role in helping to define cultural moments throughout history. He has a lot of great records. The Rolling Stones covered Little Red Rooster in 1964 while Cream recorded a version of Spoonful two years later. Janis Joplin The essential The 2CD Luther Allison, Best of They range from sassy barroom belters (Honkey Tonkey) to aching slow ballads (Thats Why Im Crying). Big Dave McLean Blues from the middle should be on this list. Lomaxs Blues Songbook An exponent of the Chicago blues style, Taylor recorded this, his debut album in 1971 as the inaugural release on Bruce Iglauers Windy City-based Alligator label. Affectionately nicknamed the Velvet Bulldozer due to his silky smooth voice and imposing physique (he stood 64 tall and reputedly weighed 250lbs), Albert King rose to fame in the second half of the 1960s with his Born Under A Bad Sign album. The poled list of artists and top albums highly skews the reality of affection adios and professionals as well as the generational listeners would not even say this list poled by this site is even near accurate. Probably the best white British / black legend collaboration. Back in 1983 at the age of thirty, he was a newbie who helped reinvigorate the moribund US blues scene with the hit album, Bad Influence. Key Track: Let Us Get Together Right Down Here. Blues music as raw, down and dirty as it gets!!! black Gibson Les Paul Custom. Williams, whose trademark was playing a custom-built nine-string guitar, was 65 when he recorded this LP in London during the fall of 1968 under the supervision of Mike Batt (who would later find fame writing Bright Eyes for Art Garfunkel and leading the novelty group, The Wombles). Though famed for its classic title cut (a superstitious ode co-written by Booker T. Jones of the famous Bluff City R&B quartet, Booker T & The MGs), Born Under A Bad Sign also included Kings smash singles Laundromat Blues, Cold Feet, and Crosscut Saw. The album would prove a touchstone for southern electric blues, influencing the likes of Otis Rush, Jimi Hendrix, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Wouldnt have suffered from a mention of Savoy Brown though? Such a list without any jimi Hendrix album sounds strange Notably Canadas Downchild (a.k.a. What of J. J. Cale? All essential. Love seeing a list like this and watch people speak of their favorites and how could they miss.!? A self-taught pianist and singer from Nashville, Tennessee, Carr worked initially as an accompanist for other blues singers before performing as a solo artist in his own right. Heavily influenced by Albert King and Jimi Hendrix, Vaughan was a virtuoso guitar slinger from Dallas, Texas, whose meteoric career was cut short by a fatal helicopter crash. Freddie King Live at Filmore 1970 is a great album, Amazed that Supersession wasnt the first album picked for the list. King to Buddy Guy and Eric Clapton. He was born Aleck Ford in Mississippi and then took the name Rice Miller before morphing into Sonny Boy Williamson. "Introduction." 2. Gotta agree with that. Thanks for reading thus far, if you have. Geoffrey Arnold Beck (24 June 1944 - 10 January 2023) was an English guitarist. The set includes songs associated with Sonny Boy Williamson, Big Mama Thornton, and Willie Cobbs while the Wells original, the funky Snatch & Hold It Back, doffs its cap to James Browns Papas Got A Brand New Bag. Its regarded as one of the best blues albums of the 1960s. Side A consists of a sole feature from 070 Shake while Side B sees an assist from Mahalia. Its AWESOME! Im not sure of the origin of many of these artists listed but it appears that the list doesnt include any Canadian blues guitarists. 100% correct Harmonica Slim. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=he_cNA0fodY. With Johnny Winter,James Cotton Steady Rollin Bob Margolin, Charles Calmese and Willie Big Eyes Smith this would be near or at the top of my Top 100! The star turn came from guitarist, Mike Bloomfield, whose fretboard work is outstanding throughout. Check out the album The Blues aint Bad on YouTube. AC/DC If you want Blood, Clarence Gatemouth Brown John Mayer Will probably be one of 2023's best albums. Joe Bonamassa is easily worthy of this list. Born Robert Brooks in Tennessee, the perennially popular Bland was a constant presence in the American R&B singles chart between 1957 and 1985, scoring three chart-toppers. Great stuff. THIS IS A WHITE FOLKS LIST. Hear, hear been listening lately to that 90s Rounder Records release, Gatemouth Swings something like that, in which he is playing the Texas blues of his youth ala T-Bone Walker. And you are an expert? A collection of rollicking Big Easy barrelhouse piano tunes, the album spotlights Duprees singular blues style with its distinctive New Orleans slant. Featuring tracks recorded in Memphis during 1962, Jelly Roll King chronicles Frosts work for Phillips International, a label run by Sun Records founder Sam Phillips, and the Louisiana-based Jewel imprint. Fleetwood Mac including Green lack that raw blues voice, but I love their blues stuff. I want to know about everyone and then select my own favorites. Thanks all! With his croaky voice and piercing, bittersweet guitar melodies, Allison made his album debut for Chicagos Delmark label in 1969 but three years later, he was recording for Motowns Gordy imprint. Walker's new record, Blues Comin' On, finds him teaming up with fellow legends Jorma Kaukonen, Keb' Mo', Eric Gales, Lee Oskar, and others for what can only be called a super session. A blues shouter from Arkansas who possessed a rich, resonant voice, Witherspoon rose to fame in the 1940s with pianist Jay McShanns band before going solo and topping the US R&B charts in 1949 with Aint Nobodys Business. That particular song features on the singers iconic 1959 album, At The Monterey Festival, which was included as part of the 1972 live double LP compilation, Spoon Concerts. Sometimes you get the frustrating sense that strong ideas are being deliberately short-circuited in the pursuit of a slightly self-conscious weirdness. 1. 1 and the slow, ambling ballad Sad Hours, where Walters harmonica is drenched in an eerie echo effect. Blues For Harlem, his eighth long-player, was recorded in England for the British Armadillo label and contained a tribute to Davis in the shape of a spiritual medley called The Reverend & Me.. With his booming sepulchral voice and bare slide guitar accompaniment, Patton established a musical approach that would prove inspirational and become the stylistic blueprint for many bluesmen that would come in his wake, including Robert Johnson and Howlin Wolf. Far too many white people on this list. ZZ Tops First Album was as bluesy as any of the mentioned albums. Many of them appeared on this album, which despite its title, was recorded in a studio and not in front of an audience. If your including John mayall, Jazz blues fusion would be my pick, as would Roy Buchanans Austin city limits performance. Peter Greens Fleetwood Mac And I do believe the late, great BB King would disagree with you. Fleetwood Mac and Otis Spann, Duster Bennett. Then there are some albums that you may not know, like Blind Mississippi Morriss Back Porch Blues, Koerner, Ray & Glovers Blues, Rags and Hollers, and Tampa Reds Dont Tampa With the Blues; they are all equally worthy of inclusion. John McVie. Recorded between 1966 and 1970, the LP contains original material (Hear My Train A Comin' and Voodoo Chile Blues) with covers of Albert Kings Born Under A Bad Sign and Muddy Waters Mannish Boy. Crucially, the album also shows how Hendrix was able to transcend his blues roots and take the music on a mind-blowing cosmic journey. Big Joe Turner, Big Joe Turner Meets the Trumpet Kings (Eldridge, Edison, Terry) on Pablo Let us know in the comments below. I would have left out any rock or jazz cross-over artists (No Stones, no Clapton, no Allman Bros, No Cream, no SRV!! Its not about hip snobbery, its straightforward common sense. Sheryl Crow, "C'mon C'mon" (2002) Missouri ties: Crow is a. Folk directions of the 21 century Tweet Harpos popularity peaked in the 1960s when he racked up several US R&B hits and found his repertoire raided by British bands like the Rolling Stones, the Yardbirds, and the Kinks. I know most folks think of Louis Armstrong as Jazz, but for me, Id include some of his work. Sugar Blue, Paul DeLay, William Clarke and piano OTIS SPANN, Little Brother Montgomery, Big Maceo. Keith Hartley. A bottleneck guitar specialist from Rossville, Tennessee, McDowell first learned to play slide guitar using a filed-down beef bone. Between 1949 and 1952, this Texas-born chemistry teacher-turned-singer/pianist racked up 12 Top 20 US R&B chart entries, including two number ones, Trouble Blues and Black Night. With his velvety tone and smooth phrasing, Brown brought a sense of urban sophistication to the blues; initially, as part of Johnny Moores Blazers, a Los Angeles-based trio who scored a No. Downchild Blues Band) who have been entertaining folks with awesome foot-stompin blues for some 45 years. Weve set ourselves another, almost, impossible challenge. YES too many Blues-Rock releases and BLUES FOR A ROTTEN AFTERNOON isnt even on the list, so THAT tells me the compilers are just kids. The Five faces of Manfred Mann is a great album that has withstood the passage of time. Bomba Estreo, 'Deja' The Colombian duo Bomba Estreo released "Deja" as a series of EPs tied to the ancient elements: water, air, fire, earth.. Dont ever, ever, ever miss this one! Nick gravenites my labors B.B. It's an album that demands something of the listener, but rewards it in spades. This was his first long-player and it contained the original version of his signature song, the memorable Gangster Of Love, dating from 1957. Consider all the Henry Sloans weve never heard and the mothers of those we have. "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is a recurring opinion survey and music ranking of the finest albums in history, compiled by the American magazine Rolling Stone.It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. A stunning album that never seems to get noticed. Son seals koko Taylor missed them stones bull, Joe Bonamassa 21st Century Blues [Ecko] Album Information. More significantly, the exotic 13-minute title song defined by extended improvisational passages over a mesmeric, open-ended groove lit the touchpaper for both acid and west coast rock. Plus the fact Ronnie plays ever note like it is his last! and The Charles Ford Band (Robben and his brothers) on Arhoolie. Mississippi born and bred, James sang in a brash, declamatory style and played a mean slide guitar. Also featured is M.O. This list has too many blues inspired classic rock bands on it. 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Sadly, he never released an LP in his lifetime but the posthumously released Live On Maxwell Street 1964 from 1979, with its plaintive vocals and searing bottleneck guitar licks, reveals Nighthawks incredible on-stage dynamism during a night in Chicago. A list of the best blues albums ever? King said, Peter Green is the only blues guitar player that can make me cry.Savoy Brown(Kim Simmons)andNo Jimmy Page? The Folk Blues of Eric Von Schmidt The group included a couple of blues covers: raw but incendiary versions of Albert Kings The Hunter and Jimmy Odens Howlin Wolf-associated Goin Down Slow.. West Side Soul - Magic Sam Blues Band. Enjoy our picks for the 10 best 21st century pop . The albums opening song Samson & Delilah was later covered by Peter, Paul & Mary and the Grateful Dead. This album was the fledgling groups rush-released second studio LP, helmed by Blue Horizon boss, Mike Vernon. B. Stacker set out to find the best albums of the 21st century, compiling data from Metacritic (as of March 17, 2021). Even people who love the blues can manage to leave Willie Dixon off this list. A compelling synthesis of seasoned blues standards (Johnny Guitar Watsons Too Tired) and potent original material (Avalanche), Ice Pickin was Collins sixth long-player and, arguably, his best. Find album reviews, track lists, credits, awards and more at AllMusic. He has every right to a place on this list. A versatile pianist who was comfortable in a wide range of different musical settings, Louisiana-born Eurreal Little Brother Montgomery began his recording career in the 1930s. Key Track: Its Nobodys Fault But Mine, Paid tribute to by Bob Dylan (via his 1983 song, Blind Willie McTell) and covered by The Allman Brothers Band (Statesboro Blues), Georgia-born McTell recorded under several aliases, including Blind Sammy, Hot Shot Willie, and Barrelhouse Sammy. Though he was the new blues kid on the block, Lang (born Jon Gordon Langseth Jr.) showed a musical maturity and fretboard virtuosity beyond his years on blues-steeped tracks like the title song, Hit The Ground Running, and the jazz-tinged, easy-swinging Rack Em Up.. Discover. Exactly my sentiments. During that short time, he topped the US R&B charts for fourteen weeks with the 1954 million-selling single, The Things That I Used To Do, with a young Ray Charles producing and playing the piano. You might want to re-evaluate your stance on Stevie Ray Vaughan too. Muddy Waters and Johnny Winter - Hard Again Incredible! It has long been regarded as one of the greatest and most influential blues albums ever. Are you serious? Rocking at the Tweed Mill. No. Jimmy Thackery & The Drivers Sinner Street Claptons presence galvanized the band on a mixture of original material and blues covers. How can you possibly have a list of Blues Albums without Hogwash, Split or Thank Christ For The Bomb featuring anywhere? You forgot Hookern Heat. B. king Live and Well. Muddy Waters They Call Me Muddy Waters. We all know that our bluesmakers of all folks cannot possibly be ranked like football teams or mutual funds. Bad Companyreally? King, The Allman Brothers, Jimmy Reed along with Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper, which gives you an idea of the scope of this list. it was good to Nina Simone & josh white on the list some notable piano players are missing- Otis Spann, Charles Brown and of course Ray Charles. Why is there always someone who has to have the 100 best or the top ten etc. How many do you have? Included in his repertoire is Tee-Nah-Nah, a popular Smiley Lewis record that Washington played on in 1949. Oscar Brown Jr, Between Heaven and Hell, Columbia Robert Nighthawk The blues master recordings. After his clutch of early 78s released in 1931 for Paramount fell on deaf ears, James slipped into anonymity but was rediscovered and coaxed back to the recording studio three decades later as a result of the 1960s blues and folk revival. Give me a break. The sextets commercial breakthrough came was this incendiary live album, recorded over two nights in rock promoter Bill Grahams New York venue. In helping to define cultural moments throughout history recorded over two nights in rock promoter Bill Grahams New venue! Ecko ] album Information and piano OTIS SPANN, Little Brother Montgomery, Big Maceo Waters and Johnny Winter Hard... To define cultural moments throughout history learned to play slide guitar using a filed-down beef bone album was the groups... The fledgling groups rush-released second studio LP, helmed by Blue Horizon boss, Mike Vernon, Gatemouth... From Mahalia Samson & Delilah was later covered by Peter, Paul DeLay, William Clarke and OTIS. 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