The Blues

We love The Blues and with this band we want to promote some of the original artists who started off and popularised this music – and by extension created much of the other great music we have today.

Here’s a few of our favourite artists:

Son House

Jack White explains it best!

One of our favourite covers is Empire State Express by Son House, but here’s the man himself playing Death Letter.

BB King/Buddy Guy

Two legendary Bluesman who’re still out there today in their 70s and 80s, playing live and promoting the genre across the world.

 Sonny Boy Williamson II

A genius on the Harmonica, and a hell of a character!

Eric Clapton/Jeff Beck/Jimmy Page/Peter Green/ The Rolling Stones

Just some of the players who (led by people like Alexis Korner and John Mayall) created British Blues and did a lot to promote the original American blues artists and make them far more popular in their own country by touring with them in the US.

Here’s Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck playing a Muddy Waters number – which Jimmy Page may also have been familiar with…

Rory Gallagher

Legend has it that when asked how it felt to be the greatest guitarist in the world, Jimi Hendrix replied ‘I don’t know, go ask Rory Gallagher.’

Apocryphal? Maybe, but it doesn’t change the fact that Gallagher was certainly up there with the best ever. Electric, acoustic, slide guitar, harmonica, singing, he even played saxophone on occasion!

… Barack Obama!

But these are just a wee selection… we haven’t even mentioned Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Charley Patton, Freddie King, Albert King, Stevie Ray Vaughan… the list goes on!

Highly recommended are The Blues Magazine from Classic Rock and The Paul Jones Show on Radio 2 which are both excellent ways to discover more about the artists and origins of the blues as well as great new music from across the genre today!