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Blues History

Blues is an American Heritage, and it should be noted as such.   Blues is a musical art form with it's own distinct musical progressions and much more.  The Blues is a musical genre.  The Blues means a lot of things to a lot of people.
The best way to understand the blues is to visit our Blues Videos page and watch and listen to the music.   
To learn even more about it's origins and historical and cultural significance check out some of the articles and videos on this page.


What is "the Blues"?
A Brief discussion of the definition of blues music
(mojohand.com)

Blues is an African-American music that traverses a wide range of emotions and musical styles. “Feeling blue” is expressed in songs whose verses lament injustice or express longing for a better life and lost loves, jobs, and money. But blues is also a raucous dance music that celebrates pleasure and success. Central to the idea of blues performance is the concept that, by performing or listening to the blues, one is able to overcome sadness and lose the blues.

Among the formal, identifying musical traits of the blues are the familiar “blue notes,” a three-line AAB verse form, and a characteristic use of the familiar blues chord progression. Historically, the popularity of blues coincides with the rise of the commercial recording industry, the introduction of “race” records aimed at black record-buyers after 1920, and the emigration of black Americans from the rural South to the urban North. Many of the earliest black American recording stars were blues singers. The first blues songs to be recorded, often called “classic blues,” were jazz-influenced songs in a vaudeville style, sung by the great blueswomen: Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, Bessie Smith, and others. These singers were often accompanied by pianists, guitarists, or even small jazz combos.

The “country blues,” usually considered an earlier form of the genre, was actually recorded in the mid-1920s. There are several regional styles of country blues, including delta blues from the Mississippi Delta, Texas blues, and Piedmont blues from the Southeast. Country blues was usually recorded by a single male singer, self-accompanied on the guitar or piano, with perhaps an accompanying harmonica or simple percussion. Charley Patton, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Blind Boy Fuller, and Robert Johnson were country blues musicians.
Beginning in the 1930s, blues musicians fell under the influence of urban culture, including popular music and jazz. Combos incorporating piano, guitar, and percussion developed, although the country, “downhome” origins of the musicians were still evident in the music. Major musicians of the 1930s included Tampa Red, Big Bill Broonzy, Little Brother Mongomery, Leon Carr and Scrapper Blackwell, Lonnie Johnson, and Memphis Minnie.

After World War II, the use of electrified instruments became inevitable. During the 1940s, some blues bands even incorporated saxophones, although the preference was for amplified harmonicas, especially in Chicago, a predominant center of blues recording in the 1950s. Blues from this period is often called “urban blues,” “electric blues,” or simply “Chicago blues.” Important urban blues musicians included Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Elmore James, Howlin’ Wolf, T-Bone Walker, and B. B. King.

Blues remains with us in contemporary American culture, and as a traditional musical form it has been subjected to countless revivals and reinterpretations. Its current practitioners often integrate the sounds and instrumental pyrotechnics of rock music and the sheen of urban soul; but the twelve-bar form, variations on the blues chord progression, and emotive lyrical content remain relatively unchanged.


100 greatest classic blues songs

 1. Memphis Blues - W.C. Handy
  2. Crazy Blues - Mamie Smith
  3. Pine Top Boogie - Pine Top Smith
  4. Dust My Broom - Elmore James
  5. Boogie Chillun - John Lee Hooker
  6. Mannish Boy - Muddy Waters
  7. Stormy Monday - T-Bone Walker
  8. Hellhound On My Trail - Robert Johnson
  9. Spoonful - Willie Dixon
10. The Thrill Is Gone - B.B. King
11. Good Morning Little Schoolgirl - Sonny Boy Williamson I
12. Born Under A Bad Sign - Albert King
13. Forty Four Blues - Roosevelt Sykes
14. Smokestack Lightnin' - Howlin' Wolf
15. Statesboro Blues - Taj Mahal
16. Hoochie Coochie Man - Muddy Waters
17. Juke - Little Walter
18. The Little Red Rooster - Willie Dixon
19. Come In My Kitchen - Robert Johnson
20. I'm a King Bee - Slim Harpo
21. The Things That I Used To Do - Guitar Slim
22. Back Door Man - Willie Dixon
23. It's My Own Fault - B.B. King
24. I'm Tore Down - Freddie King
25. T-Bone Blues - T-Bone Walker
26. Sweet Home Chicago - Robert Johnson
27. Preaching The Blues - Son House
28. Nobody Knows You When You're Down & Out - Bessie Smith
29. I Can't Be Satisfied - Muddy Waters
30. Shake Your Moneymaker - Elmore James
31. Matchbox Blues - Blind Lemon Jefferson
32. Hideaway - Freddie King
33. How Long, How Long Blues - Leroy Carr & Scrapper Blackwell
34. Five Long Years - B.B. King
35. Red House - Jimi Hendrix
36. Cross Road Blues - Robert Johnson
37. All Your Love - Magic Sam
38. Give Me Back My Wig - Hound Dog Taylor
39. Reconsider Baby - Lowell Fulson
40. Worried Life Blues - Sleepy John Estes
41. If Trouble Was Money - Albert Collins
42. I Ain't Superstitious - Willie Dixon
43. Sweet Black Angel - Robert Nighthawk
44. I Know What You're Putting Down - Louis Jordan
45. Black Snake Moan - Blind Lemon Jefferson
46. Ball and Chain - Big Mama Thornton
47. Further On Up The Road - Bobby 'Blue' Bland
48. I Can't Quit You Baby - Otis Rush
49. Boom Boom - John Lee Hooker
50. Born In Chicago - Paul Butterfield Blues Band
51. Let The Good Times Roll - Louis Jordan
52. Pride and Joy - Stevie Ray Vaughan
53. Pony Blues - Charley Patton
54. The Sky Is Crying - Elmore James
55. Catfish Blues - Robert Petway
56. Highway 49 - Big Joe Williams
57. See That My Grave Is Kept Clean - Blind Lemon Jefferson
58. Blues Before Sunrise - Leroy Carr & Scrapper Blackwell
59. Baby Please Don't Go - Big Joe Williams
60. Bumble Bee - Memphis Minnie
61. I'm Ready - Muddy Waters
62. It Hurts Me Too - Elmore James
63. Stop Breakin' Down - Robert Johnson
64. Texas Flood - Stevie Ray Vaughan
65. I'm In The Mood - John Lee Hooker
66. Me and The Devil Blues - Robert Johnson
67. The Walkin' Blues - Taj Mahal
68. 'Taint Nobody's Bizness If I Do - Bessie Smith
69. It's Tight Like That - Tampa Red
70. Love In Vain - Robert Johnson
71. Evil - Willie Dixon
72. Baby Scratch My Back - Slim Harpo
73. Wang Dang Doodle - Koko Taylor
74. On The Road Again - Canned Heat
75. Rock Me Mama - Arthur 'Big Boy' Crudup
76. Three O'Clock Blues - B.B. King
77. Tomorrow Night - Lonnie Johnson
78. Boom Boom Out Go The Lights - Little Walter
79. The Same Thing - Willie Dixon
80. West Coast Blues - Blind Blake
81. How Many More Years - Howlin' Wolf
82. Cryin' Shame - Lightnin' Hopkins
83. Rollin & Tumblin - Elmore James
84. Everyday I Have The Blues - B.B. King
85. Messin Around - Memphis Slim
86. Blues After Hours - Pee Wee Crayton
87. Eyesight To The Blind - Sonny Boy Williamson II
88. CC Rider - Ma Rainey
89. I'm Tired - Savoy Brown
90. Graveyard Dream Blues - Ida Cox
91. Beaver Slide Rag - Peg Leg Howell
92. Key To The Highway - Big Bill Broonzy
93. Messin' With The Kid - Junior Wells
94. The Seventh Son - Willie Dixon
95. As The Years Go Passing By - Gary Moore
96. We're Gonna Make It - Little Milton
97. Drinking Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee - Stick McGhee
98. Hard Luck Blues - Roy Brown
99. Black Magic Woman - Fleetwood Mac
100. Stone Crazy - Buddy Guy

100 greatest classic blues instrumentals
1. Juke - Little Walter
  2. Hide Away - Freddie King
  3. Albatross - Fleetwood Mac/Peter Green
  4. San-Ho-Zay - Freddie King
  5. Phillip's Goes Banana's - Hound Dog Taylor
  6. The Supernatural - John Mayall's Bluesbreakers
  7. Wham - Lonnie Mack
  8. Strollin' With Bones - T-Bone Walker
  9. Hawaiian Boogie - Elmore James
10. Chitlin' Con Carne - Junior Wells
11. Thank You Mr. Poobah - Paul Butterfield Blues Band
12. Roller Coaster - Little Walter
13. Remembering Stevie - Buddy Guy
14. Okie Dokie Stomp - Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown
15. Hookin' - Earl Hooker
16. Frankie & Johnny Boogie - Memphis Slim
17. Lookin Good - Magic Sam
18. Avalanche - Albert Collins
19. Albert's Shuffle - Mike Bloomfield/Al Kooper
20. Rude Mood - Stevie Ray Vaughan
21. Cha Cha The Blues - Charlie Musselwhite
22. 12:15 Slow Goonbash Blues - Shuggie Otis
23. Blue Guitar - Earl Hooker
24. Blues For Shawn - Ronnie Earl
25. Ice Pick - Albert Collins
26. Easy Rider - Electric Flag
27. Chicago Breakdown - Big Maceo
28. Blues Boys Tune - B.B. King
29. Sweet Ginny - Jay Hawkins
30. Side Tracked - Freddie King
31. Unmilitary Two-Step - Rory Gallagher
32. Bill's Blues - Ronnie Earl
33. Blues Fore' Dawn - Jimmy Thackery
34. The Blues Walk - Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown
35. Drivin' Wheel - Earl Hooker
36. Boogie Albert - John Mayall
37. You and Me - Snooks Eaglin
38. 4811 Wadsworth (Blues For George) - Rod Piazza
39. The Stumble - Freddie King
40. Wade In The Water - Dr John
41. Purple - Shuggie Otis
42. Sad Hours - Little Walter
43. Jam On a Monday Morning - Buddy Guy
44. Tribute To Elmore James - Roy Buchanan
45. The Messiah Will Come - Jimmy Thackery
46. Hey Jose - Ronnie Earl
47. Whammer Jammer - J. Geils Band
48. Blues We Like - B.B. King
49. Christo Redemptor - Charlie Musselwhite
50. Hot Fingers - Lonnie Johnson
51. The Screwdriver - Earl Hooker
52. Tribal Dance - Fleetwood Mac/Peter Green
53. Dirty Girl - Jimmie Vaughan
54. Really - Mike Bloomfield/Al Kooper
55. Old Time Sake - Guitar Shorty
56. Scuttle Buttin' - Stevie Ray Vaughan
57. The Deacon's Hop - Big Jay McNeely
58. Z Rider - Sonny Landreth
59. Blues For Otis Rush - Ronnie Earl
60. Roy's Blues - Jimmy Thackery
61. Blues In D Natural - Earl Hooker
62. Harlem Nocturne - Charlie Musselwhite
63. Driven' Slow - Johnny London
64. Night Train - Jimmy Forrest
65. Apollo Jump - Lucky Millinder
66. Screamin' - Paul Butterfield Blues Band
67. Extra Jimmies - The Fabulous Thunderbirds
68. Torqueflite 727 - James Harman
69. Hot & Heavy - Earl Hooker
70. Sittin' On Top Of The World - Rod Price
71. Dockside Boogie - Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown
72. T-Bone Shuffle - Duke Robilliard
73. Aint That Dandy - Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown
74. Down at J.J's - Anson Funderburgh
75. Easy - Jimmy & Walter
76. Messin Round With The Blues - Earl Hooker
77. Little Johnny Lee - Ronnie Earl
78. A Handfull of Riffs - Lonnie Johnson
79. Blues For Nothing - Mike Bloomfield/Al Kooper
80. Spann's Stomp - Otis Spann
81. Jigsaw Puzzle Blues - Fleetwood Mac
82. Cold Feet - Albert King
83. The Clock Strikes Twelve - Bo Diddley
84. Evan's Shuffle - Muddy Waters
85. Off The Wall - Little Walter
86. The Late Frieght Twist - Johnny Guitar Watson
87. Overall Junction - Albert King
88. Stop - Mike Bloomfield/Al Kooper
89. Boogie In The Dark - Jimmy Reed
90. Cincinnati Flow Rag - Rev. Gary Davis
91. House Rent Stomp - Big Bill Broonzy
92. Homesick's Shuffle - Homesick James
93. The Creeper Returns - Little Sonny
94. Jukebox Shuffle - Lowell Fulsom
95. Blues After Hours - Pee Wee Crayton
96. Cole Slaw - Frank Culley
97. Mellow Blues - Sonny Thompson
98. Blues For The Red Boy - Todd Rhodes
99. Long Gone - Sonny Thompson
100. Dark Was The Night - Blind Willie Johnson

100 greatest influential blues artists

1. W.C. Handy
  2. Son House
  3. Bessie Smith
  4. Robert Johnson
  5. B.B. King
  6. T-Bone Walker
  7. Muddy Waters
  8. Little Walter
  9. Lonnie Johnson
10. John Lee Hooker
11. Blind Lemon Jefferson
12. Elmore James
13. Willie Dixon
14. Freddie King
15. Billie Holiday
16. Stevie Ray Vaughan
17. Charlie Patton
18. Ma Rainey
19. Leadbelly
20. Howlin' Wolf
21. Louis Jordan
22. Big Bill Broonzy
23. Skip James
24. Sonny Boy Williamson I
25. Professor Longhair
26. Mamie Smith
27. Blind Blake
28. Robert Nighthawk
29. Memphis Minnie
30. Leroy Carr
31. Arthur Big Boy Crudup
32. Ida Cox
33. Tampa Red
34. Sonny Boy Williamson II
35. Lightnin' Hopkins
36. Charles Brown
37. Albert King
38. Brownie McGhee
39. Junior Wells
40. Missippi John Hurt
41. Jimmy Reed
42. Ray Charles
43. Blind Willie Johnson
44. Big Mama Thornton
45. Big Joe Turner
46. Albert Collins
47. Sleepy John Estes
48. Rosco Gordon
49. Otis Spann
50. Walter "Furry" Lewis
51. Reverend Gary Davis
52. Big Maceo
53. Blind Boy Fuller
54. Pinetop Smith
55. Hound Dog Taylor
56. Roosevelt Sykes
57. Buddy Guy
58. Johnny Winter
59. Big Joe Williams
60. Missippi Fred McDowell
61. Slim Harpo
62. Etta James
63. Tommy Johnson
64. Big Walter Horton
65. Sippie Wallace
66. Amos Milburn
67. Bobby Blue Bland
68. Victoria Spivey
69. Otis Rush
70. Gus Cannon
71. Sunnyland Sims
72. Magic Sam
73. Memphis Slim
74. Willie Brown
75. John Mayall
76. Big Maybelle
77. Champion Jack Dupree
78. Johnny Shines
79. Julia Lee
80. Josh White
81. Sister Rosetta Tharpe
82. J B Hutto
83. Jesse Fuller
84. Eric Clapton
85. Blind Willie McTell
86. Eddie Taylor
87. Peatie Wheatstraw
88. Wynonie Harris
89. Meade Lux Lewis
90. Jimmy Rushing
91. Taj Mahal
92. KoKo Taylor
93. Charles Musselwhite
94. Luther Allison
95. Frank "Son" Seals
96. Honeyboy Edwards
97. Ruth Brown
98. Barbecue Bob
99. Johnny Ace
100. James Cotton

cont...honorable mentions
Robert Jr. Lockwood 
Sonny Terry
R L Burnside
Mance Lipscomb
Junior Parker
Carey Bell
Bukka White
Houston Stackhouse
Robert Pete Williams
Jimmy Rogers
 Robert Cray
John Hammond
St. Louis Jimmy Oden
Helen Humes
J. B. Lenoir
Leroy Carr
Nappy Brown
Scrapper Blackwell
Alger Texas Alexander
Henry Brown
 
100 greatest blues albums
 1. King Of The Delta Blues - Robert Johnson
  2. West Side Soul - Magic Sam
  3. Born Under A Bad Sign - Albert King
  4. I Am The Blues - Willie Dixon
  5. A Man and The Blues - Buddy Guy
  6. Hoodoo Man Blues - Junior Wells & Buddy Guy
  7. Fathers And Sons - Muddy Waters
  8. Moanin' In The Moonlight - Howlin' Wolf
  9. Texas Flood - Stevie Ray Vaughan
10. Dance With Freddie King - Freddie King
11. Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton - John Mayall
12. The Gate Of The Horn - Memphis Slim
13. The Paul Butterfield Blues Band - Paul Butterfield
14. Coffee Blues - Mississippi John Hurt
15. The Natch'l Blues - Taj Mahal
16. It Serves You Right To Suffer - John Lee Hooker
17. Spotlight On Lucille - B.B. King
18. Blues After Hours - Elmore James
19. I Do Not Play No Rock and Roll - Mississippi Fred McDowell
20. Completely Well - B.B. King
21. Couldn't Stand The Weather - Stevie Ray Vaughan
22. Down and Out Blues - Sonny Boy Williamson
23. Confessin' The Blues - Little Walter
24. Johnny Winter - Johnny Winter
25. King of The Blues Guitar - Albert King
26. Can't Get No Grindin' - Muddy Waters
27. T-Bone Blues - T-Bone Walker
28. Howlin' Wolf - Howlin' Wolf
29. Ice Pickin' - Albert Collins
30. Roy Buchanan - Roy Buchanan
31. One More Mile - Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown
32. Bonanza of Instrumentals - Freddie King
33. English Rose - Fleetwood Mac
34. From The Cradle - Eric Clapton
35. I Feel Like Goin' On - Ronnie Earl
36. I'll Play The Blues For You - Albert King
37. Blues Singer - Buddy Guy
38. Raw Sienna - Savoy Brown
39. Hard Again - Muddy Waters
40. Natural Boogie - Hound Dog Taylor
41. Taj Mahal - Taj Mahal
42. A Hard Road - John Mayall
43. Progressive Blues Experiment - Johnny Winter
44. Hawk Squat - J.B. Hutto
45. Stand Back - Charlie Musselwhite
46. Showdown - Albert Collins, Robert Cray & Johnny Copeland
47. The Wham of That Memphis Man - Lonnie Mack
48. Bad News Is Coming - Luther Allison
49. Long Way Home - Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown
50. Third Degree - Johnny Winter
51. In Step - Stevie Ray Vaughan
52. Nothin But The Blues - Johnny Winter
53. The Resurrection of Pigboy Crabshaw - Paul Butterfield Blues Band
54. Two Steps From The Blues - Bobby "Blue" Bland
55. Alone & Acoustic - Buddy Guy & Junior Wells
56. Boogie With - Canned Heat
57. Blues On The Bayou - B.B. King
58. I'm A Blues Man - Z.Z. Hill
59. The Colour Of Love - Ronnie Earl
60. Chicago Bound - Jimmy Rogers
61. Double Time - Leon Redbone
62. Delta Blues - Son House
63. Hard Time Killing Floor Blues - Skip James
64. Dark Was The Night - Blind Willie Johnson
65. Beginnings - The Allman Brothers
66. Otis Spann is the Blues - Otis Spann
67. Mississippi Fred McDowell - Mississippi Fred McDowell
68. Singin' The Blues - B.B. King
69. East West - Paul Butterfield
70. Alright Again - Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown
71. Move It On Over - George Thorogood
72. Riding With The King - B.B. King & Eric Clapton
73. Right Place, Wrong Time - Otis Rush
74. At Last - Etta James
75. Endless Boogie - John Lee Hooker
76. Slideways - Roy Rogers
77. Girls Go Wild - The Fabulous Thunderbirds
78. Cold Snap - Albert Collins
79. Strike Like Lightning - Lonnie Mack & Stevie Ray Vaughan
80. Still Got The Blues For You - Gary Moore
81. Strong Persuader - Robert Cray
82. Slippin' In - Buddy Guy
83. Crusade - John Mayall
84. Roll Away The Stone - Kelly Joe Phelps 
85. The Son Seals Blues Band - Son Seals
86. After Hours - Gary Moore
87. Lead Me On - Kelly Joe Phelps
88. Original Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac
89. T-Bird Rhythm - The Fabulous Thunderbirds
90. Gate Swings - Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown
91. Indianola Mississippi Seeds - B.B. King
92. Hooker & Heat - John Lee Hooker & Canned Heat
93. Black Magic - Magic Sam
94. Stone Crazy - Buddy Guy
95. Houserockin' - Hound Dog Taylor
96. Mr. Scrapper's Blues - Scrapper Blackwell
97. White African - Otis Taylor
98. Hard Drivin' Blues- Roosevelt Sykes
99. Koko Taylor - Koko Taylor
100. Relentless - Danny Gatton

Blues Artists in Alphabetical order:

A
Albert Collins 
Albert King 
Alexis Korner
Alvin Youngblood Hart 
Ana Popovic
Anson Funderburgh 
Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup 
Aynsley Lister 

B
B. B. King 
Barbecue Bob 
Bessie Smith 
Big Bill Broonzy 
Big Joe Duskin
Big Joe Turner
Big Joe Williams 
Big John Wrencher
Big Maceo Merriweather
Big Mama Thornton 
Big Walter Horton 
Billy Boy Arnold 
Billy Branch 
Billy F. Gibbons
Black Ace
Black Cat Bones
Blind Blake 
Blind Boy Fuller
Blind John Davis
Blind Lemon Jefferson
Blind Mississippi Morris
Blind Willie Johnson 
Blind Willie McTell 
Blues Explosion
Blues Incorporated
Bluesbreakers
Bluesology
Bo Diddley 
Bob Brozman 
Bob Gaddy
Bob Margolin 
Bobby "Blue" Bland 
Bobby Rush
Bobo Jenkins
Bonnie Lee
Bonnie Raitt
Boogie Bill Webb
Boogie Woogie Red
Booker T. Laury
Brownie McGhee 
Buddy Guy 
Bukka White 
Bumble Bee Slim
Buster Benton
Buster Pickens
Byther Smith 

C
Calvin Frazier
Canned Heat 
Carey Bell 
Carl Weathersby
Casey Bill Weldon
Champion Jack Dupree
Charles Brown 
Charley Lincoln
Charlie Musselwhite 
Charlie Parr
Charlie Patton 
Charlie Spand
Chicken Shack
Chris Duarte
Chris Farlowe
Chris Rea
Chris Thomas King
Christian Dozzler
Chuck Berry 
Clara Smith
Clarence Gatemouth Brown 
Clarence Edwards
Climax  Blues Band
Coco Montoya
Colin James
Corey Harris 
Cream
Cripple Clarence Lofton
Cuby and the Blizzards
Curley Weaver
Cyril Davies
D
Dan Sane
Danny Kirwan
Darrell Nulisch
Dave Kelly
Dave Peabody
Dave Specter
David Honeyboy Edwards
Davy Knowles
Deanna Bogart
Del Rey
Derek Trucks
Doug Macleod
Dr. Feelgood
Dr. John 
Duane Allman
Duffy Power
Duke Robillard 
Duster Bennett

E
Earl Hooker 
Eddie "Chief" Clearwater 
Eddie "Guitar" Burns
Eddie Boyd 
Eddie Mapp
Eddie Shaw
Eddie Taylor
Eddie Vinson 
Elmore D
Elmore James 
Elvin Bishop
Eric Bibb 
Eric Burdon
Eric Clapton 
Eric Sardinas 
Ernie Hawkins
Ethel Waters
Etta Baker
Etta James 
Eugene "Buddy" Moss

F
Fenton Robinson 
Fleetwood Mac
Floyd Council
Floyd Dixon
Floyd Jones
Frank Stokes
Frankie Lee Sims
Freddie Brooks
Freddie King 
Furry Lewis 

G
Gabriel Brown
Gary B.B. Coleman
Gary Moore 
Gary Primich
Gaye Adegbalola
Gene Kelton
Geoff Bradford
George Harmonica Smith 
George "Mojo" Buford
George Thorogood
Georgia Tom Dorsey
Gladys Bentley
Golden "Big" Wheeler
Graham Bond
Gus Cannon
Guy Davis
Gwyn Ashton

H
Hans Olson
Hans Theessink
Harmonica Shah
Harry Manx
Henry Thomas
Henry Townsend 
Hound Dog Taylor
Houston Stackhouse
Howlin' Wolf 
Hubert Sumlin 
Hugh Laurie

I
Ian Siegal
Ida Cox
Indigenous
Ivory Joe Hunter
J
J. B. Hutto
J. B. Lenoir 
J.D. Short
James "Stump" Johnson
James Armstrong
James Cotton 
James Harman
James Hunter
James "Son" Thomas 
Janis Joplin
Jay McShann
Jazz Gillum
Jeff Beck
Jeff Healey
Jelly Roll Morton
Jeremy Spencer
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jesse Fuller
Jim Jackson
Jimi Hendrix 
Jimmie Vaughan
Jimmy Burns
Jimmy Dawkins 
Jimmy Johnson
Jimmy McCracklin 
Jimmy Reed 
Jimmy Rogers 
Jimmy Thackery
Jimmy Witherspoon 
Jo Ann Kelly
Joanna Connor
Jody Williams
Joe Bonamassa 
Joe Louis Walker 
Joe Pullum
Joe Weaver
Joe Willie Wilkins
John Hammond 
John Henry Barbee
John Jackson
John Kirkbride
John Lee Hooker 
John Mayall 
Johnnie Bassett
Johnny "Man" Young
Johnny B. Moore
Johnny Childs
Johnny Copeland 
Johnny Shines 
Johnny Williams
Johnny Winter 
Jonny Lang 
Josh White
Junior Kimbrough
Junior Wells 

K
Kansas Joe McCoy
Keb' Mo' 
Keith Richards
Kelly Joe Phelps
Ken Saydak
Kenny Brown
Kenny Neal
Kenny Wayne Shepherd 
Kip Anderson
Koko Taylor 
Kokomo Arnold 

L
L.V. Johnson
Larry Davis
Larry Garner
Larry McCray
Lead Belly 
Lee McBee
Leroy Carr
Leroy Foster “Baby Face”
Lightnin' Hopkins 
Lil Green
Lil' Ed Williams
Little Brother Montgomery
Little Hatch
Little Mack Simmons
Little Milton 
Little Richard 
Little Sammy Davis
Little Smokey Smothers
Little Sonny
Little Walter 
Little Willie Littlefield
Lonesome Sundown
Long John Hunter
Lonnie Brooks 
Lonnie Johnson 
Lonnie Mack 
Lonnie Pitchford
Louis Jordan
Louisiana Red 
Lowell Fulson 
Lucille Bogan
Lucille Hegamin
Lucky Peterson 
Luther Allison 

M
Ma Rainey
Maggie Jones
Magic Sam 
Magic Slim
Mamie Smith
Mance Lipscomb
Marcia Ball
Marvin Gaye 
Matt Schofield
Meade Lux Lewis
Memphis Minnie 
Memphis Slim 
Mick Jagger
Mick Taylor
Mike Bloomfield
Mike Morgan
Mississippi Fred McDowell
Mississippi John Hurt 
Mitch Woods
Moody Jones
Mose Allison
Mose Vinson
Moses "Whispering" Smith
Muddy Waters 
Murali Coryell

N
Nick Moss
North Mississippi Allstars
Nuno Mindelis

O
Oli Brown
Otis "Smokey" Smothers
Otis Grand
Otis Redding 
Otis Rush 
Otis Spann
Otis Taylor

P
Papa Charlie Jackson
Papa Charlie McCoy
Pappo
Paul "Wine" Jones
Paul Butterfield 
Paul Lamb
Pee Wee Crayton
Peetie Wheatstraw 
Peg Leg Howell
Percy Mayfield
Pete Mayes
Peter Green 
Phil Wiggins 
Piano Red
Pinetop Perkins 
Pink Anderson
Professor Longhair 

R
R. L. Burnside
Rabbit Brown
Ramblin' Thomas
Ramon Goose
Ray Charles 
Reverend Gary Davis 
Robben Ford
Robert Cray 
Robert Johnson 
Robert Lockwood, Jr. 
Robert Nighthawk 
Robert Shaw
Robin Trower
Rod Piazza
Ronnie Earl 
Roomful of Blues
Roosevelt Sykes 
Rory Block
Rory Gallagher
Roscoe Shelton
Roy Book Binder
Roy Brown
Roy Buchanan
Roy Milton
Rufus Thomas
Ruth Brown 
S
Saffire Uppity Blues Women
Sam Collins
Sam Myers
Sammy Lawhorn
Savoy Brown
Scrapper Blackwell
Screamin' Jay Hawkins 
Sean Costello
Seasick Steve
Shakey Jake Harris
Shemekia Copeland 
Sherman Robertson
Shirley Griffith
Silas Hogan
Sippie Wallace
Sister Rosetta Tharpe 
Skip James 
Sleepy John Estes 
Slim Harpo 
Smokey Hogg
Smokey Wilson
Smoky Babe
Snooks Eaglin
Snooky Pryor
Solomon Burke 
Son Bonds
Son House 
Son Seals
Sonny Boy Williamson I
Sonny Boy Williamson II 
Sonny Terry 
St. Louis Jimmy Oden
Stan Webb
Steve Freund
Steve James
Steve Nardella
Stevie Ray Vaughan 
Sue Foley
Sugar Ray Norcia
Susan Tedeschi

T
T-Bone Walker 
T-Model Ford
Tab Benoit
Tabby Thomas
Taj Mahal 
Tampa Red 
Terry Garland
The Animals
The Blues Band
The Blues Brothers 
The Butler Twins
The Fabulous Thunderbirds
The Legendary Blues Band
The Rolling Stones
Tinsley Ellis
Tommy Castro 
Tommy Johnson
Tommy McClennan 
Tony McPhee
Top Topham

U
U.P. Wilson

V
Victoria Spivey
Virginia Liston

W
Walter Brown
Walter Davis
Walter Roland
Walter Trout
Walter Vinson
Washboard Sam
Washboard Willie
Wayne Baker Brooks
Whistlin' Alex Moore
William Clarke 
Willie Brown
Willie D. Warren
Willie Dixon 
Willie Love
Wynonie Harris

Z
Z. Z. Hill
ZZ Top
_Dan Aykroyd talks about The Blues
ROBERT JOHNSON
The most influential Delta blues musician of all time.    
We've dedicated a full page to the music, history and legend of 
Robert Johnson. Check it out.

_Congress declares 2003 "Year of the blues".
Passes bill in recognition of the importance of blues music.
Read Congressional Bill here

A Feature Length Documentary about blues history.
http://www.folkstreams.net/film,109

April is Jazz Appreciation Month in the U.S.
There was a resolution by the US Congress in support of this - and does recognize the historical and cultural contribution of jazz (and blues)
as a uniquely American art form with historical - cultural - and yes, musical importance.  This celebration was started by the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. many years ago -- and is now celebrated on over 40 countries.
Note:  While Jazz and Blues are considered close cousins they are respectfully regarded as separate disciplines and musical genres and this particular celebration is primarily focused on promoting the Jazz genre.
http://www.smithsonianjazz.org/

Recommended Articles about Blues Music
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blues
National Association for Music Education
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jazz_appreciation_month
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Museum_of_American_History
http://www.smithsonianjazz.org/
http://www.imc-cim.org
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505263_162-57410403/musical-history-of-the-blues-found-in-juke-joints/


"The blues is like a planet. It's an enormous topic. You can't ignore the impact that it has had and continues to have on the whole musical culture. It's a tree that everyone is swinging from. Without it, I don't know where I would be. It's indelible and indispensable."
Tom Waits 
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