What's In A Name

Chester Arthur Burnett, McKinley Morganfield, Huddie Ledbetter. Three of the most influential Blues singers of all time. Whoa, influential Blues singers of all time? How can they be influential if you've never heard of them? Well how about Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, and Leadbelly. Better now? As with many areas of entertainment, the name is everything, and the Blues has more than it's share of colorful names, nicknames, and titles.

Physical Names:

• Blind Arthur Blake
• Blind Boy Fuller
• Blind Lemon Jefferson
• Blind Willie McTell
• Willie 'Big Eyes' Smith
• Peg Leg Howell
• Jimmy "Fast Fingers" Dawkins
• Big Mama Thornton
• Professor Longhair
• Little Walter
• "Sleepy" Joe Estes
• Right Arm Cramps

Geographic Names:

• Mississippi Fred McDowell
• Mississippi John Hurt
• Tallahassee Tight
• Memphis Minnie
• Houston Stackhouse
• Chicago Bob Nelson
• Tex Alexander

Animal Nicknames

• Bo Weevil Jackson
• Chicken Wilson
• Skeeter Hinton
• Bumble Bee Slim
• Rattlesnake Annie

Given Names:

• Muddy Waters
• Howlin' Wolf
• Leadbelly
• Son HOuse
• Whistlin' Britches
• Slim Harpo

Blues Titles:

• Ma Rainey - "Mother of the Blues"
• Bessie Smith - "Empress of the Blues"
• Koko Taylor - "Queen of the Blues"
• BB King - "King of the Blues"
• W.C. Handy - "Father of the Blues"
• Johnny Adams - "The Tan Canary"
• Buddy Ace - "The Silver Fox"
• Katie Webster - "The Swamp Boogie Queen"

Instrument Names:

• Matt "Guitar" Murphy
• Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson
• Johnny "Guitar" Watson
• Huey "Piano" Smith
• Harmonica Red
• Tuba Fats

Personality Names:

• "Mighty" Sam McClain
• George "Wild Child" Butler
• Phillip "The Gentleman of the Blues" Walker
• Jerry Lee Lewis - "The Killer"
• Coy "Hot Shot" Love
• Jitterbug Webb

As the joke goes, to find your Blues nickname just select a physical infirmity for your first name, and fruit for your middle name, and a US president for your last. Blind Banana Bush signing off.