The best all time(In your opinion) Blues album?

Today, the all time, best ever blues album is the one I'm hearing to now.
Louis Armstrong Plays W. C. Handy.
 
kruisin said:
No.1 for me: Johnny Winter's 1969 self titled album. I have an original and a reissue on vinyl the original that's been massively partied still gets more spins than the reissue. The pops seem to fit in just right.
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That is my personal #1. I have it on the Sony 2004 remaster.
 
stoutblock said:
That is my personal #1. I have it on the Sony 2004 remaster.
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I like his "Texas Tornado" album, too.

His "Divin' Duck" is about my fave twist on that old song, ever.

"wrap your legs around me like a circle 'round the son"
lol!!!!!!! only one I've heard sing it that way.....
 
Of course there cannot be just one, if for no other reason than that there's country blues and city blues. Let alone Delta, Piedmont, Chicago, Louisiana, Texas, Jazz, Boogie Woogie...well, you get the idea.
So just from the all the way through great, every cut, I'll list a few:
1. Muddy Waters - Best of Muddy Waters (Chess)
2. Howlin' Wolf - his 1962 releases: Howlin' Wolf & Moanin' in the Moonlight, now out as a 2 for 1
3. Robert Johnson - The Complete Recordings (or King of the Delta Blues)
4. John Lee Hooker - The Real Folk Blues
5. Albert King - Born Under A Bad Sign
6. Memphis Slim - Just Blues (Chess)
7. Lightnin' Hopkins/Sonny Terry - Last Night Blues
9. Buddy Guy - This is Buddy Guy (Live) (Vanguard 1968)
9. Rural Blues - V/A Folkways Records compiled by Sam Charters
10. Country Blues - V/A Folkways Records compiled by Sam Charters
And that's Just scratching the surface - B.B. King, Otis Rush, Elmore James, Sonny Boy Williamson, Willie McTell, Skip James, Son House and so many more all have many incredible cuts.
The first two listed are indispensable. You haven't received the transmission without 'em.
 
My recalling Ruth Brown prmoted a Wki search. Wow she was prolific. Later earned Grammy and Tony on Broadway.

In her first audition, in 1949, she sang "So Long", which ended up becoming a hit. This was followed by Teardrops from My Eyes in 1950. Written by Rudy Toombs, it was the first upbeat major hit for Ruth Brown, establishing her as an important figure in R&B. Recorded for Atlantic Records in New York City in September 1950, and released in October, it was on Billboard's List of number-one R&B hits (United States) for 11 weeks. The huge hit earned her the nickname "Miss Rhythm" and within a few months Ruth Brown became the acknowledged queen of R&B.[3]

She followed up this hit with "I'll Wait for You" (1951), "I Know" (1951), "5-10-15 Hours" (1953), "(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean" (1953), "Oh What a Dream" (1954), "Mambo Baby" (1954) and "Don't Deceive Me" (1960). She also became known as "Little Miss Rhythm" and "the girl with the teardrop in her voice". In all, she was on the R&B charts for 149 weeks from 1949 to 1955, with 16 top 10 blues records including 5 number ones, and became Atlantic's most popular artist, earning Atlantic records the proper name of "The House that Ruth Built".
 
shacky said:
Though I don't have a recording of hers, I saw Ruth Brown live back in early 90's. Dan Ackroyd put it on in Martha's Vinyard church. What a show :banana:

Love Johnny Winter Prgressive Blues Experiment especially his tribute to BB King's No Fault But Mine.

Ad Micchael Bloomfield smokes on PBBB Got A Mind To Give Up Livin' on East-West.
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I was wondering when someone would mention Progressive Blues. That was my first Winter. I also listened, at the time, to that Canned heat with Catfish Blues on it.

We shouldn't forget that Janice could get down and dirty.

Anyway, my records have been in storage 1000 miles away for five years. What did I buy to ease the pain of missing them ? I got the Winter ST and a Best of Muddy on CD. Oh a Sundazed re-issue of a Butterfield LP, and two Mayall on open reel.
 
anybody remember Blues Project? I have an album by them on vinyl that I love. More on the psychedelic folky side, but really neat, I feel.
 
Digging up an old thread ... I've been exploring blues for the past few years and I really love it. Blues as a genre is something I never really got into until just recently.

Some of my favorites:

John Lee Hooker - It serves you right to suffer (this album is a masterpiece)
Willie Dixon - I am the blues
Junior Wells - Hoodoo man blues
Freddie King - Texas cannonball & Freddy King is a blues master
Junior Kimbrough - Sad days, lonely nights & You better run
Robert Belfour - What's wrong with you
Howlin' Wolf - Moanin' in the moonlight
Taj Mahal - Taj Mahal & Natch'l blues
The Black Keys - Chulahoma (this is an EP of Junior Kimbrough covers and is spectacular)

Also love SRV and things that are sorta bluesy by artists like The Black Keys and G. Love & Special Sauce.

There's still so much I haven't heard yet too. I listen to Pandora at work to discover new music, then dial up full albums on Grooveshark, and hit Bull Moose Music on the weekends to buy the stuff I like. This works great for me.

-Matt
 
Wow... Hadn't stumbled across this thread before. My uncle taught me Blues techniques when I first learned to play guitar in the early 90's (Stevie Ray died just two or three weeks after I started playing :sigh:). So I got a good taste of things for a bit, despite my rock background and tendencies. I never got too deep into the older stuff though. Except for a bit of early Buddy Guy. This thread will serve as an excellent reference for me! Thanks!

I don't know what would qualify as "best". But some personal faves that haven't been mentioned yet include...

SRV - In The Beginning
Buddy Guy - Sweet Tea
Lucky Peterson - I'm Ready

SRV's Live At The El Mocambo is also one of my favorite concerts. It's a real shame that nobody's managed to capture a good Buddy Guy show on film yet. I've seen him live several times, and the few concerts they've released are just a shadow and a shame compared to the shows I've been to.

Not quite in the blues category, but I recently bought Aerosmith's Honkin' On Bobo release. I was reluctant since they haven't impressed me in many years. But they actually did some interesting renditions of a bunch of old blues tunes. I only recognized two of them myself. But a good listen for a fan of both blues and rock music. Anyway... For some reason that album has stirred an urge to dig into Johnny Winter. I used to have one of his albums on cassette back in my teenage years (don't recall which one - he did Highway 61 on it). But it has long since vanished.

Great thread!
 
The older I get, the less I want to hear virtuoso playing and performing.

I like this especially. It's one of the gentlest albums I know, which is an unusual word to put on the blues.

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s.
 
satkinsn said:
The older I get, the less I want to hear virtuoso playing and performing.

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I am with you. IIRC my first blues exposure was the first Winter release on Columbia, S/T. It had some blistering guitar work but also captured the soul of blues music. After years of looking to get my head torn off by electric guitar hotshots, nowadays it's all about the feeling that the artists express. If it's real, it gets in your head. I've heard musicians say sometimes it's not what notes you play, it's the ones you don't that make it authentic.
 
Johnny Winter use to say a lot of his guitar heroes ended up getting "too good". He liked them more when they were raw and edgy.

That's how Johnny was on Prog Blues Exp, ST, and Second Winter. When he put together And and had second guitarist he seemed to get a little lazy though I still love most all his stuff. Try his live set with Edgar and White Trash on their double live album.

Haven't seen any Allman Bros. Listening to lesser know An Evening with the ABB. Not their best but tasty with great acoustic In Mem of Eliz Reed.

And how about Layla and Other Love Songs? :scratch2:
 
I like Ronnie and Duke! Duke is oone of the Nicest most down to earth guy`s you will meet. I Have seen him several times in small venues and he never ceases to amaze and is always gracious!
 
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