Top 10 Holiday Blues Gifts

1. The American Folk Blues Festival

This amazing three DVD set features some of the Blues greatest artists as they toured Germany in the 1960's. The video and sound quality is extraordinary, even by today's standards, as artists such as Muddy Waters, Otis Rush, Memphis Slim, John Lee Hooker, Howlin' Wolf, Willie Dixon, T-Bone Walker, Lightnin' Hopkins, Son House, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, and Buddy Guy do their thing in their prime. The definitive Blues DVD!

2. Backbeat All Music Guide to the Blues

This is basically your coffee table Blues book. 754 pages of Blues history that has been updated to include today's hottest artists. A must for the hard-core fan but also a great primer for those music aficionados discovering the Blues. With details of over 1,200 artist, timelines, and essays, this book is a great resource for those searching for the musical roots of today's music.

3. B.B. King - 80

This is the newest release from the "King of the Blues". This 2005 CD has B.B collaborating with an army of musicians from across the spectrum. Glenn Frey, John Mayer, Billy Gibbons, Van Morrison, Elton John, Daryl Hall, Gloria Estefan, Roger Daltrey, Sheryl Crow, Bobby Bland, Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, and Roger Daltrey. This extravaganza will appeal to those "almost" Blues fans who will find their musical heroes playing with their hero's musical hero.

4. Lightning in a Bottle

2003 was designated by Congress as the "Year of the Blues" To kick off the year-long celebration, a concert was held at New York City's famed Radio City Music Hall featuring B.B. King, Solomon Burke, Ruth Brown, Mavis Staples, Buddy Guy, and Dr. John. This DVD is the best modern showing of today's Blues scene. It also includes such non-Blues acts like Aerosmith and Chuck D who help put the Blues in perspective with todays popular music.

5. 30 Cool Ways to Play the Blues

This book is for the musician in your life. In the Hal Leonard family of musical instruction books, this will put your musician on the fast track to the groove. This is not just a Blues "how-to", it is a serious musical lesson that emphasizes the way Blues is juxtaposed to create Jazz and today's modern sounds.

6. Holiday Blues Records

Let the Blues get you in the holiday spirit. These are records that are perfect for the season some people love and some people hate. This would be the gift you give a few days before the holiday so, come Christmas morning, your gang will be dancing around the tree.

7. Blues Concert Tickets

There is a delicious feeling when a person discovers the Blues. Many folks don't really see the light until they've attended a real throw-down Blues show. Sometimes you can see in their faces when that moment occurs. So why not give that juicy feeling to friends and family this holiday season. Buy them a ticket to a hot Blues show.

8. Blues Harmonica

Why listen to the Blues when you can play them! Consider giving a harmonica to a budding Bluesman. It is the easiest common Blues instrument to learn and it's ultra-portable. a pair of Blues Brothers sunglasses goes well with this gift.

9. The Blues Brothers - 25th Anniversary Edition

The most famous Blues movie celebrates 25 years as a cinema classic. The timeless performances and the hapless characters serves both as a laugh-o-rama and a Blues history lesson. It's a great gift for someone doesn't know it, but needs to learn about the Blues.

10. Zydeco Rubboard

When you go to a Zydeco show, invariably the rubboard player will steal the spotlight. The rubboard or, as they call it in Louisiana, "frottier" looks sort of like those old washing boards that you see hanging on the walls of mall restaurants, which in fact were used as percussion instruments, A set of good earplugs might go well with this gift.