The Best Blues Songs Ever

 

How I Go (Special Edition)

By Kevin Charles Scott

It is entirely a matter of taste as to which are the best Blues songs. However it is possible to speculate as to the most influential songs.

It can be argued that Blues music bought about a greater awareness of the plight of African Americans, as new audiences became interested in its origins and originators.

I clearly remember as an adoring fan of Muddy Waters; Howlin Wolf and Sister Rosetta Tharpe, feeling outrage at the early 60's news reports that a whole people were subjected to such terrible discrimination. The anti establishment feelings so typical of my generation, and empathy with subjugated Black Americans, would manifest itself in the aggressive British interpretation of their Blues music.

The adoption of Blues music by young British musicians, and their successful introduction of that music to white America, inspired a whole generation of white American musicians to rediscover the music and popularize it. This brought recognition to the Black musicians that had created it.

It is the ten songs that had the greatest influence on the "discovery" of Blues that I am presenting here.

Blues music was introduced into Britain after the war. Records came in through the sea ports, and well informed successful Jazz band leaders financed visiting Black artists to visit and play on their shows. Inevitably, their performance influenced the young British musicians who, were looking for something different from the pre war dance band scene.

Smokestack Lightening

Written and recorded by Howling Wolf.

Smokestack Lightening is based on a driving riff and has no chord changes. Released in Britain in 1964 by Pye Records, it reached the Top 50. In 1999, the song was given a Grammy Hall of Fame Award

Boom Boom

Written and recorded by John Lee Hooker, the first American blues artist to do a club tour of Britain. Boom Boom was released as a single in 1961.

Boom Boom is a classic example of Hookers unique timing and chord structure.

The Animals recorded "Boom Boom" for their 1964 UK debut album "The Animals". Their rendition generally follows John Lee Hooker's version, except it conforms to a 12 bar sequence.

Worried Life Blues

The first song written and recorded by Maceo Merriweather in 1941

Inspired by "Someday Baby Blues," recorded by Sleepy John Estes in 1935, however "Worried Life Blues" has gone on to become a Blues "standard" and has reputedly been covered by more artists than any other blues song.

I Got My Mojo Working

Written by Preston Foster and popularized by Muddy Waters. Possibly the most influential of the Blues artists to visit the UK. Covers of this were made by many artists but of special importance were Alexis Korner, a pioneer and possibly the first British Blues band with Blues Incorporated, & Manfred Mann, a highly successful commercial band. Both versions were released in 1964, in itself a testament to the impact of Waters original.

Baby Please Don't Go

By Big Joe Williams, and covered by "Them" becoming the first "hit" record by Van Morrison in 1964. It became the weekly signature tune for the hugely influential television show "Ready Steady Go". The "B" side of the single featured the now-legendary "Gloria". It became a top ten hit in the UK, and launched "Them" and Van Morrisson to world fame.

Hoochie Coochie Man

Written by Willie Dixon and recorded by Muddy Waters in 1957 but covered by almost every blues artist since! The verse and intro are played over "stops" that were to become a feature of many blues recordings. The first cover version was released in 1962 by Alexis Korner on his album "R&B from the Marquee"

Crossroads Blues

Written and recorded by Robert Johnson in 1937 and largely unnoticed until Cream released their version in 1968. The song ranked #10 in the worlds greatest solo's, contributed greatly to the world wide fame of the band and to Eric Clapton in particular.

This success bought Robert Johnson's small but remarkable catalogue of songs to the attention of the music world and has earn't him the acclaim he so richly deserves.

Sweet home Chicago

Robert Johnson 1937. This song has become the Blues "anthem".

The list of artists who have covered the song is immense, including Magic Sam, Buddy Guy, Freddie King, Status Quo, Fleetwood Mac, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Blues Band, and the 1980 Blues Brothers movie.

Everybody Needs Somebody to Love

Written and recorded by Solomon Burke in 1964, For many years it was the opener for the Rolling Stones live shows. 

They released a live version of the song on their 1965 E.P. "Got Live if you want it". The Rolling Stones were to become the most successful Rock band of all time, and they have been fundamental to the wider awareness and appreciation of the early Blues artists. 

They took there name from a Muddy Waters song "Rolling Stone". The songs riff was "borrowed" for the first "Small Faces" hit single "What You Gonna Do About It" also in 1965. The successful "soul" artist, Wilson Pickett covered the song and it entered the US charts in 1967. This song also features in the 1980 "Blues Brothers movie" The song, as are several of those mentioned, is ranked on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Hound Dog

A twelve-bar blues written by Jerry Leiber and originally recorded by Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton in 1952. In 1965 she toured Europe as a part of the American Folk and Blues festival that had become an annual event and had become so influential to the emergence of British Blues. The 1956 remake by Elvis was his second #1 hit and is possibly the first blues song to become a #1 hit record.

Whether you agree or not with my selection of "the best Blues songs ever" I am sure we can agree that theses songs have helped to popularize the Blues genre.

If you like Blues Music then you may like to check out Dr Charlie. He is highly influenced by traditional Blues but with a very different interpretation that you may like.

Click here [http://www.dr-charlie.com/Freemusic.html] and obtain a free copy of "I'd Rather Be Blind" off the latest "Prodigal Son" album. Voted "Male Vocalist of The Year" in the 2011 Australian Blues Music Awards.

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Driving Towards Perfection

 

  Driving Towards The Daylight Blues

By N. H. Foster

Thirteen studio albums in and Joe Bonammassa's insatiable appetite for producing sublime albums show no signs of abating. In my opinion all 13 albums are terrific but JB hit a real rich vein of form with the release of the Sloe Gin album and Driving Towards the Daylight is right up there.

There can be little argument that Bonamassa is one of the best guitar players on the planet but what is great to see is the continuing vocal maturity and the way in which Bonamassa now has the confidence to know that sometimes less is more.

Driving Towards the Daylight is an eccelctic combination of original numbers and covers of some of Bonamassa's luminaries. This is one aspect that seems to contunually draw criticism, the lack of total original material on his albums. Personally I don't get it, when the music is as good as this and it is clear how much the guy reveres his heroes why not just revel in the opportunity to hear some classics reworked by a modern day genius. This album sees a return to a slightly rootsier, rougher sound than last year's Dustbowl, a mere obsevation, not a criticism.

Of some of the original work here Driving Towards the Daylight is destined to become a live classic, it is a haunting and beautiful song that drifts out of the speakers. Opener Dislocated Boy has a low down groove to it, whilst Heavenly Soul is simply stunning. Three songs that begin to encompass Bonamassa's talents.

Of the covers for me all are true gems in their own way; Robert Johnson's Stones In My Passway is Zeppelinesque in its sound and delivery, Howlin' Wolf's Who's Been Talking is delightful and the choice of Too Much Ain't Enough Love with Jimmy Barnes reprising his unique roadhouse vocal is a masterstroke. The two JBs compliment each other perfectly. However, the standout in my opinion is the truly awesome Place In My Heart, originally written by guitar maestro Bernie Marsden. Bonamassa excels on the solos and delivers the vocal with real feel.

The whole package fits together perfectly and makes for around an hour of real bliss.

Forget the rubbish about not being all original songs just listen and enjoy musicianship of the very highest order!

Where Did Rock And Roll Music Come From?

 

 

 Snowboy presents New Vintage 

By Rick Hart

Muddy Waters said it first. "Blues had a baby and they called it Rock and Roll."

Sure, everyone pretty much agrees that rock and roll music actually came from black rhythm and blues of the late 1940's. Of course which songs were the first actual rock and roll songs are hotly debated. But there's no mistaking the sound of the 1947 version of "Good Rockin Tonight" by Wynonie Harris as clearly an early version of rock and roll. At least that's what it sounds like to me.

But the acknowledged song that most agree was the first rock n' roll song was Rocket 88. The original version of the twelve-bar blues song was credited to Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats, who took the song to number one on the R&B charts.

It was actually recorded at Sun Studios by Sam Phillips in 1951 using a studio band that was led by Ike Turner. Yes that Ike Turner, Tina Turner's husband. Of course Sam Phillips was best known for recording Elvis Presley in the beginning of his career.

But before Elvis, Sam Phillips recorded many of the early electric blues musicians including Howlin' Wolf, B.B. King, Bobby Blue Bland, James Cotten, and many others. It was really a mecca for that early electric blues, at least the Memphis flavor of it.

Sam was even known to say that Howlin' Wolf was his greatest discovery. And Elvis Presley was actually his second greatest discovery. And it's easy to imagine that the early white rock and rollers who came into Sam's studio were heavily influenced by their contact with the black blues musicians at Sun Studios. It all cooked together into a musical stew that came out as rock and roll.

But the point is, these early rhythm and blues songs were really part of a larger core of music that certainly is based on black gospel and religious spiritual music of the 30's and 40's. That music was full of emotion and pain.

Of course it was. The typical life of a black person then was full of pain, and religion was a major outlet for expressing that pain.

And of course gospel music expresses that pain and certainly blues music was directly related to that gospel tradition. Although the typical preacher would look badly on this secular version of gospel music. In fact, blues was called "devil's music" by most religious blacks of the day. Early blues musician's had to sneak out to play the blues and avoided playing it in front of parents.

Still it was clear that the average black person of the 40's and 50's connected with this new music. After all, religion was only one outlet for that pain. There was also dancing, drinking and sex, with music being the backdrop to all of it. No wonder the messages in blues music reflected this darker side of life at the time. How else would people tell the stories of failed relationships, drinking, and the pain of abuse by "the man" and other people who helped make their lives a living hell.

And the expression of that pain is the core of what makes blues music and especially early blues guitar so compelling. The guitar, as a lead instrument, has an emotional range that cannot be duplicated by a piano. Perhaps a saxophone is the closest other instrument that has the emotional range of the guitar. And both are still a distant second to emotional range of the human voice. You can say that the guitar and the saxophone are merely trying to duplicate what the human voice can do.

But the electric guitar at the time was a brand new instrument. It was putting out new sounds that had never been heard before. Combined with new amplification that could get louder and more distorted than ever before, it was clear the electric blues guitar would lead to a whole new type of music. Or more accurately types of music. Without this new technology there would be no electric blues and there would be no rock and roll.

And that means there would be no reason to write this article.

Rick Honeyboy Hart is a long-time blues guitar player and online marketer. He likes learning about the history of the blues and teaches blues guitar and thinks about the days when he fronted his blues band Honeyboy. 

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The Early History Of Live From Nowhere In Particular

 

Live From Nowhere In Particular

  By Jeff Horn

Blues music history can be traced all the way back to the nineteenth century. By far, the earliest genre of traditional blues music, comes directly from a musical technique termed the "country blues", dating back to around the 1920's. Obtaining the facts surrounding the oldest origins of blues music is something a good number of historians have focused a lot of energy and money trying to uncover (some going as far as visiting locations within west Africa in order to discover whether or not this unique music genre was created because of an influence from conventional African music). While there does actually appear to be some parallels, blues music carries a distinct and unique sound which began with the African American community inside the southern part of the U.S.

The very meaning of "blues" inside the dictionary implies "1. depression 2. melancholy kind of jazz". Musicians are accustomed to associating the blues with the typical and famous 12 bar blues. This particular type of chord progression utilizes three chords which may be played inside any key. Together with the profound vocals which most often goes along with the chords, blues music expresses and also invokes a different feeling of emotions generally in most of its listeners and supporters.

A number of well-known, early blues musicians who helped form the blues music we all know today. Some of these artists were Robert Johnson, Charlie Patton, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Huddie Ledbetter, Willie Brown, Son House and Tommy Johnson. Many of these blues artists were born within the Mississippi delta, with the exception of a few like Blind Lemon Jefferson (who was from Texas) and Huddie Ledbetter (who was from Louisiana).

The two beginning methods associated with blues music were:

1. classic blues (composed of mainly female performers) 

2. the country blues (composed of generally guy performers).

Every type of blues offered distinct variations in form and tone. Classic blues singers had a relatively stringent adherence on the 12 bar blues as the country blues performers strayed just a little out of the conventional 12 bar blues form. Furthermore, classic blues singers desired to get a band to compliment with them while a country blues performer would usually want to include only his guitar as well as voice to produce music.

Blues music actually started to take off during the early times of the 1920's, once one particular organization took their music revenue to a whole different degree. A lady singer named Mamie Smith, part of the classic blues form, served to start the blues by selling more than 1 million copies of her music within just twelve months.

 Figuring that each of the records were less than $ 1 (low-priced by today standard nevertheless in those days it absolutely was quite a lot for this type of music) that could have added up to a whole lot of money for a new to the scene industry.

Blues music is a special aspect of our history that is uniquely American. Not many styles of music fire up deep emotion and move us the way that the blues does.

Around the world, the best jazz and blues fests are transpiring annually. For anyone who is thinking about tracking down more schedules or more knowledge about universal jazz and blues festivals, there are a lot of different resources out there to assist in your festival planning.

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St. James Infirmary :Blue song

Let Them Talk (Special Edition)

I knew Hugh Laurie was a multi-talented performer, but this CD is outstanding. The emotions he captures in both his singing and piano playing are so real. You can tell that this is not a "stunt" or "novelty" recording. He feels this music in his soul, and he shines! The other musicians he collaborates with are fantastic as well. I love this disc.

He can't sing all that well, but i can't stop listening to this CD he brings back memories of the originals.

they didn't have good voices either, they were able to sell their stories. this is why i recommend this album.

I look forward to more blues from hugh, and will be playing this album again and again  as you probably realize, by now i'm a blues lover from way back.

Hugh Lawrie as a soul and blues singer ? - he's a dam good singer and musician but definately not a Soul and Blues singer he's voice is too ENGLISH - he doesn't have that soul souding voice to carry the choice of songs off sucessfully - the accompianing musician's on the other hand are superb David Piltch on the bass -great, Greg Litsz and Kevin Brett etc etc there all good, but sorry not Hugh Laurie singing the blues. If you want to listen to English men singing the blues go listen to Chris Rea, Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Stevie Winwood, and for me the best English blues singer of all - Chris Farlowe, just to name a few but not Hugh Laurie sorry.

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Don't Explain :More Please Beth and Joe

 

  Don't Explain

More Please Beth and Joe 12 Mar 2012

By M. Jones

I've got a wide taste in music. Reggae,Blues,Soul,Indie etc. I've only listened to this album twice but I can safely say I'll be listening to this in 20 years(if I'm still here). It's timeless music which improves on the originals. This is the first I've heard of either artist and the combination is brilliant.

 His guitar work is superb but subtle, and her voice goes from smooth to rough. 

On the slower songs her voice reminds me of Rebecca Ferguson's. The album has your feet tapping one minute then listening intently on the slower tracks. Turn the lights down pour yourself a whiskey or bourbon and enjoy.I hope they make many more albums together and don't experiment too much-simply make more of the same. 

By Mrs. R. M. Sands

I really don't think it can be improved upon. I wish I knew their email addresses to beg them to get together on a permanent basis. The album has gone into my all time favorites it's that good.Nice to see something being made in the modern era that is as good as anything done in the sixties/seventies.

The album deserves to sell in it's millions.By the way the vinyl is nicely pressed and is very quiet. It came shrink wrapped and the cover wasn't damaged as sometimes happens. It's got a nice dynamic range and is the recording is not too compressed.

Fantastic album. Beth hart excells on this one as does Joe Bonamassa on guitar as always. Beth should have had more publicity as this album just states that it is Joe Bonamassa and no mention of Beth when it is her voice that absolutely "makes" this album what it is, an amazing, fantastic jewel of all albums. Listen to it and see what I 

  Bestseller in Blues

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Driving Towards Perfection

 

Driving Towards The Daylight 

By 

N. H. Foster "Crazy Diamond"

Thirteen studio albums in and Joe Bonammassa's insatiable appetite for producing sublime albums show no signs of abating. In my opinion all 13 albums are terrific but JB hit a real rich vein of form with the release of the Sloe Gin album and Driving Towards the Daylight is right up there.

There can be little argument that Bonamassa is one of the best guitar players on the planet but what is great to see is the continuing vocal maturity and the way in which Bonamassa now has the confidence to know that sometimes less is more.

Driving Towards the Daylight is an eccelctic combination of original numbers and covers of some of Bonamassa's luminaries. This is one aspect that seems to contunually draw criticism, the lack of total original material on his albums. Personally I don't get it, when the music is as good as this and it is clear how much the guy reveres his heroes why not just revel in the opportunity to hear some classics reworked by a modern day genius. This album sees a return to a slightly rootsier, rougher sound than last year's Dustbowl, a mere obsevation, not a criticism.

Of some of the original work here Driving Towards the Daylight is destined to become a live classic, it is a haunting and beautiful song that drifts out of the speakers. Opener Dislocated Boy has a low down groove to it, whilst Heavenly Soul is simply stunning. Three songs that begin to encompass Bonamassa's talents.

Of the covers for me all are true gems in their own way; Robert Johnson's Stones In My Passway is Zeppelinesque in its sound and delivery, Howlin' Wolf's Who's Been Talking is delightful and the choice of Too Much Ain't Enough Love with Jimmy Barnes reprising his unique roadhouse vocal is a masterstroke. The two JBs compliment each other perfectly. However, the standout in my opinion is the truly awesome Place In My Heart, originally written by guitar maestro Bernie Marsden. Bonamassa excels on the solos and delivers the vocal with real feel.

The whole package fits together perfectly and makes for around an hour of real bliss.

Forget the rubbish about not being all original songs just listen and enjoy musicianship of the very highest order!

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