Modern Blues Essentials
Essential artists and recordings from the modern blues era, 1950-1980.
Country Blues Pioneers
Country blues, which is also known as "folk blues," is a primarily an acoustic guitar-oriented type of blues from which many other styles are derived. Developed independently in both the Mississippi Delta and in the Southeast United States, country blues incorporates elements of gospel, ragtime, hillbilly, and Dixieland jazz. These are the country blues pioneers that brought the music to new audi…
Country blues, which is also known as "folk blues," is a primarily an acoustic guitar-oriented type of blues from which many other styles are derived. Developed independently in both the Mississippi Delta and in the Southeast United States, country blues incorporates elements of gospel, ragtime, hillbilly, and Dixieland jazz. These are the country blues pioneers that brought the music to new audi…
Instant Record Collection: Chicago Blues
Blues music may have been forged in the Mississippi Delta, but Chicago is where the music put on a shirt and tie, subsequently achieving commercial respectability. The period between 1950 and 1970 was the prime era for Chicago blues music, when giants like Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and Junior Wells ruled the roost. Although the music slumped somewhat during the late-1960s, it remains a strong p…
Blues music may have been forged in the Mississippi Delta, but Chicago is where the music put on a shirt and tie, subsequently achieving commercial respectability. The period between 1950 and 1970 was the prime era for Chicago blues music, when giants like Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and Junior Wells ruled the roost. Although the music slumped somewhat during the late-1960s, it remains a strong p…
Modern Blues Artists You Should Know
As rich in talent as the early blues era was, artists like Charley Patton, Robert Johnson and Son House set the stage for bluesmen in the 1940s and '50s to succeed commercially, thus bringing the blues to a mass audience. It's tough narrowing any list of talent down to a mere handful, but here are six essential blues artists of the modern era, those with the most influence and impact on both blue…
As rich in talent as the early blues era was, artists like Charley Patton, Robert Johnson and Son House set the stage for bluesmen in the 1940s and '50s to succeed commercially, thus bringing the blues to a mass audience. It's tough narrowing any list of talent down to a mere handful, but here are six essential blues artists of the modern era, those with the most influence and impact on both blue…