Blues guitarists. The most famous blues performers

Blues singers can be called freedom singers. In their songs and in their music they sing about life itself, without embellishment, but at the same time with hope for brighter times. Here are the best blues performers of all time, according to the JazzPeople portal.

Top Blues Artists

They say that the blues is when a good person feels bad. We have collected the most famous blues singers, whose work reflects the structure of this difficult world.

B.B. King

King called all his guitars "Lucille". One story from concert activities is connected with this name. One day, during a performance, two men started a fight and knocked over a kerosene stove. This caused a fire, all the musicians hastily left the establishment, but B.B. King, risking himself, returned for the guitar.

Later, having learned that the cause of the fight was a woman named Lucille, he named his guitar that way as a sign that no woman was worth such nonsense.

For more than 20 years, King struggled with diabetes, which caused his death at the age of 89 on May 14, 2015.

Robert Leroy Johnson

- a bright but quickly passing star in the world of blues music - was born on May 8, 1911. In his youth, he met famous blues musicians Sun House and Willie Brown and decided to start playing blues professionally.

Several months of training with the team only resulted in the guy remaining a good amateur. Then Robert swore that he would play great and disappeared for several months. When he reappeared, his level of play became noticeably higher. Johnson himself said that he contacted the devil. The legend of a musician who sold his soul for the ability to play the blues has spread throughout the world.

Robert Leroy Johnson died at age 28 on August 16, 1938. He was allegedly poisoned by his mistress's husband. His family had no money, so he was buried in the municipal cemetery. Johnson's legacy is difficult to count - although he himself recorded very little, his songs were often performed by many world-famous stars (Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, The Doors, Bob Dylan).

Muddy Waters

- founder of the Chicago school - born on April 4, 1913 in the small town of Rolling Fork. As a child, he learned to play the harmonica, and in his teens he mastered the guitar.

A simple acoustic guitar didn't suit Muddy very well. He really started playing only at the moment when he switched to an electric guitar. The powerful rumble and abrupt voice glorified the aspiring singer and performer. In essence, Muddy Waters' work straddles the line between blues and rock and roll. The musician died on April 30, 1983.

Gary Moore

- famous Irish guitarist, singer and songwriter - born April 4, 1952. In his career, he experimented a lot with different types of music, but still gave preference to the blues.

In one of his interviews, Moore admitted that he likes the dialogue that arises between vocals and guitar in blues. This opens up a wide field for experimentation.

Interestingly, although Gary Moore was left-handed, he learned to play the guitar as a right-hander from childhood and performed this way throughout his life until his death on February 6, 2011.

Eric Clapton

- one of the most influential figures in British rock - born March 30, 1945. The only musician to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame three times - twice as part of bands and once as a solo artist. Clapton played in various genres, but always gravitated towards the blues, which made his playing recognizable and characteristic.

Sonny Boy Williamson I and II

Sonny Boy Williamson, American blues harmonica player and singer, was born on December 5, 1912.

There are two famous Sonny Boy Williamsons in the world. The fact is that Sonny Boy Williamson II took the pseudonym of the same name in honor of his idol, Sonny Boy Williamson I. The fame of the second Sonya greatly eclipsed the legacy of the first, although it was he who was an innovator in his field.

Sonny Boy was one of the most famous and original harmonica players. He is distinguished by a special style of performance: simple, melodic, smooth. The lyrics of his songs are subtle and lyrical.

Williamson II valued personal comfort rather than fame, so he sometimes allowed himself to disappear for a couple of months to rest, and then reappear on stage. Sonny Boy Williamson II passed away on May 25, 1965.

Stevie Ray Vaughan

American guitarist and singer born October 3, 1954. He was named one of Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Most Famous Guitarists in 2003. He got into music thanks to his older brother Jimmy Vaughn, also a guitarist.

Ray Vaughn himself said that he began to play only out of a desire to imitate his brother, who masterfully selected music by ear. After Stevie's death on August 27, 1990, it was Vaughn who took charge of editing and releasing his legacy.

Joe Cocker

A British singer with a memorable, pleasant low baritone, he was born on May 20, 1944. His best works are rock and blues ballads.

Joe's parents are middle class, and his older brother held a high position. Joe did not go to university and preferred to sing in pubs. Cocker was nominated for a Grammy music award, an Oscar film award, and he was also an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. Joe Cocker's creative career and life ended on December 22, 2014.

We present to your attention a list of all times.

Many, many rock musicians were inspired by the blues. His sadness, sincerity and openness to the hearts of ordinary people. And wherever the blues sounded, whether on plantations, on river levees, or in a freight train car, he was the friend of the toiler and the wanderer, singing about his misadventures, skillfully moving his hand all over the fretboard. So we take a moment to honor the genre by listing the Top 5 great bluesmen according to the site website. At the end of the article, there is a bonus - the opportunity to download free blues of famous bluesmen, which this article is about.

Blues on guitar. Top 5 great bluesmen according to the website site

5. T-Bone Walker

The blues wouldn't be what it is today if T-Bone Walker and his innovative electric guitar sound weren't around. T-Bone Walker's development as a musician was greatly influenced by the musical roots of his family. His stepfather taught him to play the guitar. By the age of 15, T-Bone was already performing professionally, and in 1929 he made his first recordings. His distinctive style: smooth phrasing, vibrato and blues bends. Playing Gibson guitars, Walker left a great legacy in this genre of music. Listen to T-Bone Blues, or find this composition in the collection “Blues on Guitar Tabs” (at the end of the article) and then you will not confuse Walker’s playing with someone else.

4. Robert Johnson (Robert Johnson)

Many famous rockers, including Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Ry Cooder, Bob Dylan, Patti Smith and others, learned about the world of guitar sound while performing this musician’s compositions. Dedicated to the figure of Robert Johnson feature film Crossroads (1986), starring another guitar genius, Steve Vai.

The life and work of Robert Johnson is shrouded in many myths and idle speculation. In particular, there is a legend that for the sake of the ability to play the guitar, this man sold his soul to the Devil, making a deal at a magical crossroads. Robert Johnson is one of the first musicians (if not the first!) to use a slide (bottleneck) when playing. A slide is a hollow tube, most often the neck of a bottle (hence the name - bottleneck), which slides along the strings, emitting specific guitar sounds, which in their expression are comparable only to the human voice. Johnson is said to have played Stella and Kalamazoo guitars. To understand the peculiarities of Robert Johnson's style, listen to his Cross Road Blues. The gtp tabs of this musician will help you learn the blues.

3. Eric Clapton (Eric Clapton)

Eric Clapton is known for the variety of styles in which he worked, but the blues has always remained in the heart and soul of this musician. Eric was brought up in musical family and started playing guitar at the age of 13. Blues has become an integral part of the musician's career. Among the guitarists who influenced his work, Eric names BB King, Freddie King and Robert Johnson. For my long musical career Clapton used a lot of guitars. Including Gibson Les Paul and Fender Stratocaster. Listen to Eric Clapton's style in Bell Bottom Blues.

2. Stevie Ray Vaughan (Stevie Ray Vaughan)

Steven Ray Vaughn is from Dallas, Texas. The maestro began pouring out his soul to the guitar at the age of 7. Steve's style is recognizable by his distinctive right-hand lever and tremolo work. Jazz, blues and rock are the styles in which Steve Ray Vaughn's talent was most clearly revealed. The musician primarily plays Fender Stratocaster guitars. The composition Texas Flood will help you hear first-class blues from Steve. Now hurry up for the blues gtp tabs to try to adopt this unsurpassed presentation!

1. BB King

This man is considered by many to be the most influential guitarist of all time. And these are not empty words, if you remember how many talented musicians BB influenced. The story of his life is, in essence, the story of the electric blues. A native of Mississippi, B.B. King sang in the church choir since childhood. But music really began to speak to him at the age of 12, with the advent of the guitar in his life. Thanks to his long career, the great bluesman has released over 50 albums. BB King became famous thanks to his special sound style, which is characterized by a refined vibrato and smooth bends. Numerous Grammy awards, induction into the Blues Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and widespread love made King a legend during his lifetime. Plays B.B. King on the Gibson ES-355 guitar he named female name Lusssil. Listen to the King of the Blues on one of his most iconic themes. The Thrill Is Gone. The passion is gone, baby!

Blues, a vast layer of musical culture, appeared more than a hundred years ago. Its origins should be sought on the North American continent. The style of blues music was initially determined by jazz trends, and further development was completely independent.

Blues is divided into two main styles: "Chicago" and "Mississippi Delta". In addition, blues music has six directions in composition structure:

• spirituals - a slow, thoughtful melody, full of hopeless sadness;
• gospel (gospel) - church hymns, usually Christmas;
• soul - characterized by a restrained rhythm and rich accompaniment of wind instruments, mainly saxophones and trumpets;
• swing - a varied rhythmic pattern that can change shape over the course of one melody;
• boogie-woogie - very rhythmic, expressive music, usually performed on piano or guitar;
• rhythm and blues (R&B) - usually lush, syncopated compositions with variations and rich arrangements.

Blues performers are mostly professional musicians with concert experience. And what is characteristic is that among them you will not find academically trained ones; each one masters two or three instruments and has a well-trained voice.

Patriarch of the Blues

Music in any form is a responsible matter. Therefore, as a rule, blues performers devote themselves to their favorite work without reserve. Good example to that is the recently departed patriarch of blues music, B.B. King, a legend in his own way. Blues performers of any level could look up to him. 90 year old musician last day did not let go of the guitar. His business card There was a song called The Thrill Is Gone, which he performed at every concert. B.B. King was one of the few blues musicians, who gravitated towards symphonic instruments. In the composition The Thrill Is Gone, the background is created by a cello, then at the right moment, “with the permission” of the guitar, violins enter, leading their part, organically intertwining with the solo instrument.

Vocals and accompaniment

There are quite a lot of interesting performers in the blues. Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin and Anna King, Albert Collins and the unrivaled Wilson Pickett. One of the founders of the blues, Ray Charles, and his follower, Rufus Thomas. The great harmonica master Curry Bell and vocal virtuoso Robert Gray. You can't list them all. Some blues artists leave and new ones take their place. There have always been talented singers and musicians and, hopefully, there will always be.

The most famous blues performers

Among the most popular singers and guitarists can be distinguished as follows:

• Howlin' Wolf;
• Albert King;
• Buddy Guy;
• Bo Diddley;
• Sun Seals;
• James Brown;
• Jimmy Reed;
• Kenny Neal;
• Luther Ellison;
• Muddy Waters;
• Otis Rush;
• Sam Cooke;
• Willie Dixon.

Blues performers have almost never enjoyed the same popularity as the kings of pop music, and not only in our country, but also in the homeland of this style - in the USA. Complicated sound, minor melody and peculiar vocals often repel the mass listener who is accustomed to simpler rhythms.

Musicians who adapted this music of the black South and created more accessible derivatives (rhythm and blues, boogie-woogie and rock and roll) gained great fame. Many superstars (Little Richard, Ray Charles and others) began their careers as blues performers and returned to their roots many times.

Blues is not just a style and a way of life. Any narcissism and thoughtless optimism are alien to him - traits characteristic of pop music. The name of the style is derived from the phrase blue devils, literally meaning “blue devils”. It is these bad inhabitants of the underworld that torment the soul of a person for whom everything is wrong in this life. But the energy of the music demonstrates a reluctance to submit to difficult circumstances and expresses complete determination to fight them.

Folk music, stylistically formed throughout the 19th century, became known to mass listeners in the twenties of the next century. Huddie Ledbetter and Lemon Jefferson, the first popular blues artists, in a sense broke the monolithic cultural picture of the Jazz Age and diluted the dominance of big bands with a new sound. Mamie Smith recorded the album Crazy Blues, which suddenly became very popular among white and colored people.

The thirties and forties of the 20th century became the era of boogie-woogie. This new direction was characterized by an increased role in the use of organs, faster tempo and increased expressiveness of vocals. The overall harmony remained the same, but the sound was as close as possible to the tastes and preferences of the mass listener. blues of the mid and late forties - Joe Turner, Jimmy Rushing - created the basis for what a few years later would be called rock and roll, with all the characteristic features of this style (a powerful rich sound created, as a rule, by four musicians, a dance rhythm and in an extremely exalted stage manner).

Blues performers of the early forties and sixties, such as B.B. King, Sony Boy Williamson, Ruth Brown, Besie Smith and many others, created masterpieces that enriched the treasury of world music, as well as works virtually unknown to modern listeners. This music is enjoyed only by a few fans who know, appreciate and collect recordings by their favorite artists.

The genre is popularized by many modern blues performers. Foreign musicians, such as Eric Clapton and Chris Rea, perform compositions and sometimes record joint albums with older classics who made a huge contribution to the formation of the style.

Russian blues musicians ("Chizh and Co", "Road to Mississippi", "Blues League", etc.) went their own way. They create their own compositions, in which, in addition to the characteristic minor melody, ironic lyrics play an important role, expressing the same rebellion and dignity of a good person who feels bad...

The blues world is full of brilliant musicians who gave their all on every album, and some of them became legends without ever releasing a single record! JazzPeople has chosen the 5 best blues albums recorded by great musicians that influenced not only their own life and creativity, but also influenced the entire development of music in this genre.

B.V. King – Why I Sing the Blues

"King of the Blues" for his many years creative career released more than 40 albums and forever remained in the hearts of millions of fans around the world. In 1983, his 17th album, Why I Sing the Blues, was released, which literally answered the question of why King sings the blues.

The tracklist includes such famous compositions by the musician as Ain't Nobody Home, Ghetto Woman, Why I Sing the Blues, To Know You is To Love You, and of course, the first of them was the famous The Thrill is Gone, which at one time received enormous popularity and many awards. The music of the blues maestro has always evoked deep emotions and reciprocal feelings in listeners, and on this disc, King’s most “tart” songs were collected, essentially allowing us to “enter into conversation” with the bluesman and listen to his exciting story, in this case, more than one.

Robert Johnson – King of the Delta Blues Singers

The great Robert Johnson, who according to legend sold his soul to the devil in exchange for learning to play the blues, did not record a single album during his short life (Johnson died at 27), but nevertheless, his music is not only alive to this day , she haunts how famous musicians, and blues fans. The guitarist's entire life was shrouded in an aura of mysticism and strange coincidences, which was directly reflected in his work.

In addition to numerous remakes and re-releases of his compositions, the 1998 album (the official re-release of the 1961 album) definitely deserves attention. King of the Delta Blues Singers. The cover of the record itself already sets the mood for solitary listening and complete immersion in the complex world of Robert Johnson, as if still alive. If you want to try to understand the blues, start with Johnson, with his soul-stirring Cross Road Blues, Walking Blues, Me and the Devil Blues, Hellhound on My Trail, Traveling Riverside Blues.

Stevie Ray Vaughan – Texas Flood

Tragically killed (he crashed in a helicopter in 1990 at the age of 35), he still managed to leave a tremendous mark on the history of blues music. The work of the singer and guitarist stood out for its originality and powerful manner of performance. The musician collaborated and performed in concerts with many equally famous blues figures, for example, Buddy Guy, Albert King and others.

In any improvisation, Vaughn conveyed his feelings and emotions with brilliance and genuine openness, thanks to which the world blues was replenished with new hits.

His colorful album Texas Flood, recorded together with the Double Trouble team and released in 1983, included the most famous compositions that later brought the greatest popularity to the musician, including Pride and Joy, Texas Flood, Mary Had a Little Lamb, Lenny, and of course, languid, leisurely Tin Pan Alley. The bluesman shares with his listeners not just his music, but a part of his soul in every tune he performs, and all of them are certainly worthy of close attention.

Buddy Guy – Damn Right, I've Got the Blues

It is not surprising that a bluesman with such musical talent was quickly noticed and taken under his protection. Buddy Guy's unique, virtuoso playing and charisma quickly brought him fame and respect from colleagues and listeners around the world, and an album with a flashy title Damn Right, I've Got the Blues received a Grammy Award in 1991.

The record is replete with excellent lyrics, unique performances and emotional transmission in the compositions, and in style - electro-blues, Chicago, and at times even archaic blues. The dynamics and character of the record are set immediately by the first song - Damn Right, I've Got the Blues, continues in Five Long Years, There Is Something on Your Mind, takes us into the musician's nocturnal world in Black Night, after which it awakens us with the dynamic Let Me Love You Baby, and at the end of the disc the musician pays tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughn, who died in 1990, in the track Rememberin' Stevie.

T-Bone Walker – Good Feelin'

You can get into the spirit of real Texas blues by listening to the album of the temperamental T-Bone Walker Good Feelin’, recorded in 1969 and received a Grammy a year later. The disc contains the artist’s great tracks – Good Feelin’, Every Day I Have the Blues, Sail On, Little Girl, Sail On, See You Next Time, Vacation Blues.

The bluesman had a significant influence on the work of many talented musicians, including Otis Rush, Jimi Hendrix, BB King, Freddie King and many others. The album reveals Walker's true character, showcasing the greatness of his playing, virtuosity and vocal technique. What makes the record special is that it begins and ends with Walker's informal narration, in which he accompanies himself on the piano. The musician greets the audience and invites them to focus on what comes next.