“Bo Diddley” – Bo Diddley (Checker, 1955)
“Bo Diddley” was not only the 1955 hit record that made Ellas McDaniel famous – it also gave him his professional name. The famed “Bo Diddley beat,” an energized update of the old “Hambone” rhythm, [...]
“Hi-Heel Sneakers” – Tommy Tucker (Chess, 1963)
“Hi-Heel Sneakers” by Tommy Tucker was the last blues record from the mighty Chess Records catalogue to hit No. 1 on the charts. Recorded in New York in 1963, the single on Chess’ Checker subsidiary [...]
“I Ain’t Superstitious” – Howlin’ Wolf (Chess, 1961)
“I Ain’t Superstitious,” an ominous Willie Dixon composition recorded by Howlin’ Wolf in 1961, is best known to rock audiences through the Jeff Beck Group’s 1968 cover version featuring Rod Stewart on vocals. On the [...]
“I’ll Play the Blues For You” – Albert King (Stax, 1971)
“I’ll Play the Blues For You,” recorded by Albert King in Memphis for the Stax label in 1971, was written by Jerry Beach, a longtime fixture on the Shreveport, Louisiana, music scene who died in [...]
“Preachin’ the Blues” – Son House (Paramount, 1930)
“Preachin’ the Blues,” a two-part single by Son House on the Paramount label from 1930, is a prime example not only of House’s intensity as a Delta blues singer and guitarist but also of his [...]
Mamie Smith: “Crazy Blues” (OKeh, 1920)
"Crazy Blues" by Mamie Smith was the record that launched a new era for blues in the music business. Smith was not the first person to sing the blues on record, but up until "Crazy [...]
Jimmy Rogers: “That’s All Right” (Chess, 1950)
"That's All Right" by Jimmy Rogers was not a chart hit when first released as a Chess 78 rpm single in 1950 but has since become a standard in the blues repertoire, recorded by dozens [...]
Billy Boy Arnold: “I Wish You Would” (Vee-Jay, 1955)
"I Wish You Would," a 1955 single for Vee-Jay Records, exemplified the creative flair of the then 19-year-old blues phenom who recorded and composed the song, Billy Boy Arnold. Its catchy riffs and propulsive rhythmic [...]
Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers (Charles Brown, vocal and piano): “Merry Christmas Baby” (Exclusive, 1947)
"Merry Christmas Baby," the first Yuletide song in the Blues Hall of Fame, remains a perennial favorite years after its first release by Johnny Moore's Three Blazers, featuring Charles Brown on piano and vocals, in [...]
Leroy Carr and Scrapper Blackwell: “Blues Before Sunrise” (Vocalion, 1934)
"Blues at Sunrise" was one of several signature pieces contributed to the blues canon by pianist Leroy Carr, one of the most influential bluesmen of the pre-World War II era. Carr's litany of woes is [...]