Lonnie Johnson
Every time a guitarist in blues, jazz, or rock plays a solo today, he carries on the legacy of one of the first virtuosos of the instrument, Lonnie Johnson. The predominant style of modern blues [...]
Terraplane Blues — Robert Johnson (ARC/Vocalion, 1936)
Terraplane Blues' isn't the best known of Robert Johnson's works today, but it was the song most often recalled as a Johnson hit by bluesmen of the 1930s. In the grand blues tradition of automotive [...]
Good Morning, School Girl — Sonny Boy Williamson (No. 1) (Bluebird 1937)
John Lee “Sonny Boy” Williamson’s first record, “Good Morning, School Girl” (with “Sugar Mama Blues” on the flip side) was also his best remembered and most influential release. Williamson brought the lowly harmonica (never previously [...]
Big Boss Man — Jimmy Reed (Vee-Jay, 1960)
If there ever was a blues theme for the proletariat, it was Jimmy Reed's 1961 smash, Big Boss Man. 'You got me workin', boss man, workin' 'round the clock, I want me a drink of [...]
Big Bill Blues: William Broonzy’s Story as told to Yannick Bruynoghe
London: Cassell & Company, Ltd., 1955. Before authors Sam Charters and Paul Oliver published their pioneering histories of the blues, bluesman Big Bill Broonzy took it upon himself to do a book about the blues [...]
Blind Blake
One of the biggest 'guitar stars' of the first generation of blues recording artists was Blind Blake, whose facile, fingerpicked rags and blues set the standard for guitarists who played in the genre later geographically [...]
Bukka White
Booker T. Washington White was one of the most powerful, imaginative and original country blues artists both in the pre-World War II era and during the folk blues revival of the 1960s. In between, he [...]
Black Magic — Magic Sam Blues Band (Delmark, 1969)
Black Magic follows in the same vein as Magic Sam's first Delmark LP (and first Hall of Fame album), West Side Soul, combining burning West Side blues with heartfelt touches of soul. Again, most of [...]
The Complete 1931 Session — Skip James (Yazoo, 1986)
While many of the great blues recordings have been commercial hits, there are others that sank almost without a trace. Skip James' Paramount singles, for instance -- nine of them, all recorded in 1931, after [...]
The Chess Box — Willie Dixon (Various Artists) (MCA Chess, 1989)
This boxed set bears Willie Dixon’s name and photo on the front, but it is actually a collection of performances by 13 different Chess/Checker artists recorded between 1951 and 1969. The unifying theme is that [...]