Reddit mentions: The best electric blues music

Well for the past couple of years I've been doing more web development; it's very difficult to make a living playing music. Extremely. And I have a young son that I'm trying to remain in town for. Plus...swinging sticks until 2am for a room full of tourists has sort of lost it's luster; so the web thing is sustaining me for the moment. So glad I have that! Going to work at a "normal" job is just something I don't even think I'm capable of.

When I was 12 my career started in wedding bands and then I went on to playing clubs with rock bands. Mostly cover stuff. I left home (Jackson, MS) at 17 and moved to Tampa, FL to play with a band. It was largely hit/miss, as it was an original music group.

At 20 I moved to California and started to work on the club scene here, as well as recording albums. All I wanted to do was play drums, so that's what I put my premium on. I did not deal with the business stuff; in hindsight that's what I'd have done differently.

Over the past 20+ years I've recorded on about 150+ albums, one of which won a Grammy award. Did the grammy thing help? A little...my phone rings with better gigs but in the end, "Until you're walking on stage, the gig is not on".

I still travel with some of the bands I've played with in the past; This year I was in the UK and Italy with Earl Thomas and the Kings of Rhythm (Ike Turner's old band, of whom I'm a member) I'll be in Paris Jan. 24-29 at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Club and in Amsterdam Mar. 13-16 playing with Ernest Lane for a boogie woogie piano festival.

As far as signed goes...I've been in bands with development deals and can tell you that the first CD is the kiss of death. Add to that a guy who babysits the entire creative process and shoots down your idea for "what the label feels is best for the project"...and reminds that the "recording deal is merely a high-interest loan"...That'll suck the life from your muse if you allow it.

Nowadays there's so many groups out there, and many of them are rather good; music is indeed ubiquitous and it's hard to even GIVE YOUR STUFF AWAY. As a result it gets harder and harder to survive unless you've got a sturdy following.

One can make it, but really you have to be good at many things. I can play any style of music convincingly so if a jazz gig or a country gig or a blues gig calls in, that's some bread.

Overall this entire experience has taught me much. The most important thing I've learned is that "If you are doing what you truly are intended to do, then somehow you'll survive." Notice I said "survive". You may or may not get wealthy, but as far as playing music for what amounts to as a lifetime, that will bring you riches beyond the scope of mere money.

I've smoked hookahs with Bedouins in Saudi Arabia, jammed with legends, met Paul McCartney, lived in Asia for a bit, on a cruise ship in Alaska, and smelled more cigarette smoke and dog farts from a bunch of smelly guys crammed in a van for thousands of miles.

Music will keep you young, if not for the hustling one must do to survive!

I think one of my favorite players is Ronnie Earl, and my favorite album of his is "Ronnie Earl and The Broadcasters: Blues Guitar Virtuoso Live in Europe." Here's the link for the CD on Amazon. And here's the link at the iTunes Music Store.

Ronnie Earl is probably the most under rated, first rate blues guitar player playing today. His playing will really open up your ears. He has a "Hot Licks" DVD, recorded years ago (on VHS, no doubt) that is really good to watch. I can't say I stole any licks from it, but his discussion of playing soulfully and doing more with less is something I find really inspirational.

Another really good blues player that you may or may not of heard of is Tab Benoit, who is like the guitar mayor of New Orleans right about now. I really like his album "These Blues Are All Mine." Here is the CD at Amazon and here it is on iTunes. He plays with a really good mix of major and minor pentatonic scales, and combines them in a very lyrical and soulful way.

Give these two albums a listen and see what you think.

1. You are obviously an intelligent, free thinking individual. It also appears you are selflessly sacrificing yourself for your family and your future. That takes a lot of will power and I commend you for that.
   
2. It sounds to me like you have a lot of opportunity at hand. You are at a point in life where any action can have a long term effect for you. Take advantage of this situation and make the best of it.
   
3. Not knowing what kind of freedom you have in your job, there are small tasks you can use to make the day go by. Try to have meaningful conversations with people, learn to write with your opposite hand, read up on a particular country's literature (Russian, Japanese, etc).
   
4. this
   or this or maybe this

As fun and interesting as the dancing is, the music behind the dance is just as great:

Jump Blues links:

http://www.stuve.com/history.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jump_blues

This is where rock and roll came from; if you like rock and roll, you'll probably love this stuff. For folks looking for some good Jump samplers, the best I've ever come across are the two CDs from the Blues Masters collections, volumes 5 and 14:

http://www.amazon.com/Blues-Masters-Vol-Jump-Classics/dp/B0000032X7

http://www.amazon.com/Blues-Masters-Vol-14-More/dp/B0000032XN/ref=pd_sim_m_1

Hard Again is an amazing album, get it. Also, if you are interested in the roots of the blues, I highly recommend this Chess Blues Box Set. Some amazing stuff on there, from both the greats and incredible artists who did not get much recognition. It gives you a great historical perspective, too, the discs are organized by time period. Just awesome stuff.

For a beginner, the best choices are

1. B. B. King - The Ultimate Collection
   http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Collection-B-B-King/dp/B0007QJ1PM/
   It's a recent release, notes are VERY easy to pick out, aren't frustratingly hard, but just challenging enough (especially his vibrato) to keep you coming back
   
   
2. Albert King - Born Under a Bad Sign
   http://www.amazon.com/Born-Under-Sign-Albert-King/dp/B00BCMT4RA/
   Everything I said about BB, I can say about Albert. The difference is that he "worries" every note in a way that will teach you how to "feel" a solo.
   
   
3. Howlin Wolf - The definitive Collection
   http://www.amazon.com/Definitive-Collection-Howlin-Wolf/dp/B000O5905M
   Jimi Hendrix said that Hubert Sumlin was his favourite guitar player. Indeed, I'd say his rhythm guitar playing is unmatched especially in how he works in fills.
   
   These should give you an excellent foundation in blues licks. After that, move on to
   
   
4. Freddie King - Ultimate Collection
   http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Collection-Freddie-King/dp/B00005B2XZ
   
   
5. Magic Sam - West Side Soul and Black Magic
   http://www.amazon.com/West-Side-Soul-Special-Magic/dp/B004B3PBEC
   http://www.amazon.com/Black-Magic-Sam/dp/B000004BIP
   
   
   When you can play all of that, note for note, you will likely be my favorite guitarist :)

Instrumental Albums:

Earl Scruggs - Foggy Mountain Banjo

Bill Emerson - Home of the Red Fox

Jim Mills - Hide Head Blues

Bill Keith - Something Auld, Something Newgrass, Something Borrowed, Something Bluegrass

Jayme Stone - Room of Wonders

Non-instrumental Albums:

JD Crowe and the New South - 'Rounder 0044'

Here Today - Self Titled

Muleskinner - A Potpourri of Bluegrass

Reno and Smiley - Just get the box set

Jimmy Martin - Another box set you should get

Osborne Brothers - Country Bluegrass

Jim and Jesse - In the Tradition

Hot Rize - So Long of a Journey

Seldom Scene - Act I

John Hartford - Aereo-Plain

Newgrass Revival - Best of

Johnson Mountain Boys - At the Old Schoolhouse

Nashville Bluegrass Band - American Beauty

Bluegrass Album Band - Definitely Volumes 1-3

Boone Creek - One Way Track

Larry Sparks - Coldest Part of Winter... or get every album he's ever made

Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver - The Original Band

Lonesome River Band - Old Country Town

IIIrd Tyme Out - Back to the Mac

Chapmans - Grown Up

Blue Highway - Through the Window of a Train

Steeldrivers - Self Titled

Boxcars - Self Titled

Junior Sisk and Rambler's Choice - Heartaches and Dreams

How to Grow a Woman from the Ground - Chris Thile... or pre-Punch Brothers

Punch Brothers - Antifogmatic

Infamous Stringdusters - I like "Things that Can Fly" but "Fork in the Road" and "Silver Sky" are also very good

Deadly Gentlemen - Carry Me to Home

There's a good start. I'll try to add more as I think of them.

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|name|Mississippi Sheiks|
|about artist|The Mississippi Sheiks were a popular and influential American guitar and fiddle group of the 1930s. They were notable mostly for playing country blues, but were adept at many styles of popular music of the time. The Mississippi Sheiks consisted mainly of the Chatmon family, who came from Bolton, Mississippi and were well known throughout the Mississippi Delta. The father of the family had been a "musicianer" (someone with good technical ability on his or her instrument adept at sight-reading written music) during slavery times, and his children carried on the musical spirit. ([more on last.fm](http://www.last.fm/music/Mississippi Sheiks))|
|album|Honey Babe Let the Deal Go Down: The Best of the Mississippi Sheiks, released May 2004|
|track|The Jazz Fiddler|
|images|album image, artist image|
|links|track on amazon, album on amazon|
|tags|blues, countryblues, folk, americana|
|similar|Bo Carter, Frank Stokes, Charley Patton, Blind Willie McTell, Tampa Red|
|metrics|lastfm listeners: 37,022, lastfm plays: 180,683, youtube plays: 30, radd.it score: 2.33|


Please downvote this comment if this data is incorrect!
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I love "Duck" Dunn. He's one of my biggest influences. You're right, he did record with Albert King but this, however, is Gus Thornton. This video is from a great recording called In Session (sometimes with '83 at the end.) This makes a great stocking stuffer!

Three that spring to mind are:

Johnny Winter with The Return of Johnny Guitar

John Campbell with A Man And His Blues

Freddie King with King Of The Blues

This covers a range of styles and some fantastic music.

And just as a wildcard here is some French blues - Johnny Hallyday with Le Coeur d'un Homme. Some great songs really well sung.

Enjoy the blues and keep exploring.

You can get it on CD/DVD. http://www.amazon.com/In-Session-Deluxe-Edition-DVD/dp/B00377V6J2

Or, if you'd rather get it from PBS as just the DVD. http://www.shoppbs.org/product/index.jsp?productId=11278706

EDIT: Honestly, my favorite parts of this are where they're just shooting the shit between songs. You don't really get to see that sort of stuff anymore and it's cool to see their personalities kind of feel each other out a bit and not be jerks or anything.

My suggestion would be to start digital and play the soundtrack to Martin Scorsese's The Blues: A Musical Journey and try to narrow down what you like. There's so many different styles of the blues and you're sure to have your favorites. Once you pick your guys, then start looking for records and getting deeper into the stuff you like.

Three boxed sets to start with. This is some of the best stuff around:

James Brown: Star Time

The Temptations: Emperors of Soul

The Complete Stax-Volt Singles 1959-1968

Also, more on the early R&B/soul tip (rather than the funk stuff that would follow a little later), check out the Hot Slop Podcast.

Hope that helps.

I started with Ultimate Collection. This gave me the hits and an overall feel for his music.

Since BB King came from an era before studio LPs were really a big thing, most of his best work was released as singles. King of the Blues is a brilliant, very comprehensive box set that helps in tidying things up, although since it was compiled in 1992 it omits some of his surprisingly good recent work such as Blues on the Bayou, his collaboration with Eric Clapton and One Kind Favor

He must have about 20 live albums out there, almost all are good but Live at the Regal is the most popular. He's (understandably) lost a bit of his touch live recently but it's hard to go wrong with any pre-2000's live album.

Yuck! That's a lot of driving!

Nevertheless:

This is great driving music!

Thanks! You can find it easily on Amazon:https://www.amazon.it/Inspiration-Information-Shuggie-Otis/dp/B000059TLS

The Stax/Volt box set would be a great intro to the genre in general if you have access to it.

I've always loved This for some reason.

Buddy Guy's Chess Sessions, Albert King & Otis Rush's So Many Roads collection, and B.B. King's Singin' the Blues all spring to mind. Also, a good mix of starting stuff is the soundtrack from Scorsese's The Blues - A Musical Journey.

If you want a broad introduction to the blues this collection by Martin Scorsese might be a good place to start http://www.amazon.com/Martin-Scorsese-Presents-The-Blues/dp/B0000A0VA1

You might try Scorsese's blues collection.

http://www.amazon.com/Martin-Scorsese-Presents-The-Blues/dp/B0000A0VA1