Who was the best old school bluesman?
- Thread starter thestraightman
- Start date
rutabowa said:
OK.
Bahamian Blind Blake
http://www.wirz.de/music/blakbfrm.htm
and the american one from Florida
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blind_Blake
Magic Sam said:
the picture looks modern... when is this guy from? It doesn't really count if he just some new guy who's taken his name. Otherwise you could say there's 2 "Baby Huey and the Babysitters", cos there's some evil band going around now with that name (check Google!), when in fact there's obviously only 1 (the great soul singer and group)
changingman
Cyber curmudgeon
There's two of them too! the sit-down bloke with a guitar and the stand-up jazzy geezer who sang with the Count Basie band..ICB said:
Did you know the first one did a load of good stuff with Big Joe Williams?
changingman
Cyber curmudgeon
changingman
Cyber curmudgeon
Didn't i say he was one of the first? not the first. and anyway it's debatable. And, although the lomaxs' done great work in giving these guys exposure. huddy ledbetter was a legend in his own way before the lomaxs' recorded him.....thats why he was put forward by the prison warden they asked about prisoners with a musical bent.rutabowa said:
his infuence was massive, pop bands were still recording his songs in the 1970's. And massive stars like van Morrison, chuck berry,Jerry lee lewis had hits with goodnight irene...
Oh and what about Nirvana and led zepelin-where did you sleep lastnight and gallows poll.
IMO his influance means he was the big daddy of all blues men. Even if wasn't the first to play the 12 string, he was certainly the best.
I think we need some pianists in there...
Jimmy Yancey
Champion Jack Dupree
Otis Spann
Clarence "Pine Top" Perkins
Memphis Slim
and the boogie-woogie specialists
Clarence "Pine Top" Smith
Rufus Perryman ("Speckled Red")
Meade "Lux" Lewis
Albert Ammons
Pete Johnson
I'll also include Henry Gray (pianist for Howling Wolf) as he was kind enough to invite me to duet with him at the 100 club
Memphis Slim was the first I heard, when I was eight or so on a compilation album called 'Blues for your pocket'. His was the first track, called 'boogie-woogie piano styles'. I kept demanding to have it played. Later, my folks got divorced and the record went with my dad. I got to hear it again about twenty years later...
After it was a Champion Jack Dupree track, called 'strollin' and when I heard it I had to go to the piano and work out the main riff. I got it, and I've been playing blues piano ever since - although it was a while before I was any good; luckily I didn't know that at the time.
Jimmy Yancey
Champion Jack Dupree
Otis Spann
Clarence "Pine Top" Perkins
Memphis Slim
and the boogie-woogie specialists
Clarence "Pine Top" Smith
Rufus Perryman ("Speckled Red")
Meade "Lux" Lewis
Albert Ammons
Pete Johnson
I'll also include Henry Gray (pianist for Howling Wolf) as he was kind enough to invite me to duet with him at the 100 club
Memphis Slim was the first I heard, when I was eight or so on a compilation album called 'Blues for your pocket'. His was the first track, called 'boogie-woogie piano styles'. I kept demanding to have it played. Later, my folks got divorced and the record went with my dad. I got to hear it again about twenty years later...
After it was a Champion Jack Dupree track, called 'strollin' and when I heard it I had to go to the piano and work out the main riff. I got it, and I've been playing blues piano ever since - although it was a while before I was any good; luckily I didn't know that at the time.
If I had heard "Boogie-Woogie Man" by Pete Johnson and Albert Ammons when a kid, I would probably have gone insane...
Jazzz said:
and who could stay immobile listening to "Barrelhouse Woman"?
And Blind John Davis is another pianist I enjoy listening to.
Johnny Canuck3
Well-Known Member
Gatemouth Brown
thestraightman
Hand to mouth to Jaksie
poor old Lightning, if he could see this poll, I just know he'd have to sing a song about it 
well we might have to disagree! He didn't record anything before Alan Lomax discovered him, he was in prison too much, so maybe he was a legend in his prison but not far beyond. There were many guitarists better than him, 12 string and otherwise... the reason he's such a big influence is because he was discovered by a folklorist and introduced to a white audience, which was what he played for. More talented guys didn't get as much exposure cos their records were released as "race records".bertifrew said:
rutabowa said:
his music lives on, and is more origional than some of the others that stuck to the old standards, or the same sound of there local country or delta blues. listen to some of his stuff that he done in the 50's, listen when he plays the same song 3 times in 3 different styles. and i say again his music lives on, because it's so adaptable. are the others(blind willie, bill broozney ect)better because they got recorded first? imo no, when they were recorded means nothing, what they recorded means everything.
ledbelly= The real king of the blues!!!
Well, Leadbelly is great you're right, i have no argument there!
the king of them all is Rev Gary Davis though... all styles from blues to gospel to ragtime, all instantly recognisable as him, and an impossibly great but effortless guitarist... he's who i heard and loved first anyway, so he must be the best
the king of them all is Rev Gary Davis though... all styles from blues to gospel to ragtime, all instantly recognisable as him, and an impossibly great but effortless guitarist... he's who i heard and loved first anyway, so he must be the best
rutabowa said:
The first i heard (and knew who it was) was John Lee Hooker. By no means the best tho', i do however bow to his greatness. He wrote hundreds of songs, and he was illiterate(sp?)!
what about some of the newer breed of blues men?
Taj Mahal in particular, i love him.
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