If you like soaring, soul bursting, euphoric blues, this article is for you. The list below is my own personal opinion of the top ten blues guitarists of all time. You’ll no doubt note the list is heavy with more modern players, which leaves the early masters little room. This is not to slight the earlier players, but recognizes the progress that has been made as each generation learns from its predecessors and then incorporates what they’ve learned into their own music. Also, as a guitar player myself, I’ve learned to differentiate between skillful manipulation of the frets and strings and true artistic expression. With that said, on with the list.
1 – Stevie Ray Vaughn. In my opinion, SRV is unquestionably the greatest blues guitarist of all time. And number two regarding all genres, behind only Jimi Hendrix. To my ears, Vaughn’s playing demonstrates not just a level of physical skill with his instrument, but a feeling of oneness with his instrument, as if the music were coming directly from his soul, rather than through the manipulation of his fingers. And always, it was beautiful, regardless of the emotions he was trying to convey.
2 – Jimi Hendrix. The greatest or best overall guitar player in the history of modern guitar. And second only to SRV in the blues category. Like SRV, Hendrix gave the feeling that he never had to think a single moment about actually playing his instrument. It just happened. And what happened was a magic. Jimi Hendrix was a master of all genre’s. A man constantly in search of a sound to match what he saw and felt. He was a man that had things to say, and was able to back it up with a physical mastery of the guitar that no one before or since has ever been able to equal.
3 – Eric Clapton. No other guitarist has captured the emotional pull of blues guitar in the way that Clapton has. For several decades he dug down deep inside himself and exposed parts of his makeup that most would find embarrassing to be seen in public. He took those things he felt, that we all feel, wrote them down, then used his enormous talents on the guitar to produce a mix of blues and rock in ways that grabbed at the heartstrings and left those of us listening shaking our heads in complete understanding. Everyone gets Clapton.
4 – BB King. Though some thought his lines simple, King was no technical slouch. While it’s true he liked to generally stay in his pentatonic box, it’s also true he always knew exactly when to leave it. It was that inner knowledge of his that left us all feeling as if witness to someone with a greater understanding of what music was supposed to be. What it could be, when played by a true master.
5 – Robert Johnson. Clearly one of the most talented of the early Delta Blues players, Johnson’s ability with the guitar was bolstered by his distinctive songwriting and singing talents. Not only was he one of the best of his time, but he was arguably the most popular as well. Many consider Johnson to be the “Grandfather of Rock n Roll,” and several of the more famous modern rockers (Jonny Winter, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton) considered him one of their biggest influences.
6 – Albert King. King was known for his soul stirring solo’s and some in fact consider him the premier pioneer in this area. Whereas others before him used solo’s as a means of accentuating the melody, King developed the technique of using the single or double-stop solo, along with slides and well placed hammer-ons and pulls-offs to evoke the feelings that live deep down inside the human heart. Virtually every guitarist today owes a debt of gratitude to this man’s demonstrations of how a guitar can replicate human emotion, and in the process cause those fortunate enough to hear, to feel exactly what he was trying to convey.
7 – Buddy Guy. Currently the premier Chicago blues player, Guy has demonstrated a mastery of listening to those that came before him, especially Muddy Waters, fusing it with contemporary artistry and resulting in a truly unique blues sound. All this and a subtle mastery of the instrument itself. Guys’ three Grammys attest to his skill and widespread appeal. If you wanna hear the blues today, go down to Chicago and visit his club, or better yet, go see him in concert.
8 – John Lee Hooker. A truly unique instrumentalist and singer, Hooker took what he learned growing up listening to Delta blues in Mississippi, melded it with Honkey Tonk and Boogie-Woogie and produced what was in effect his own genre of blues. And not only was it innovative, it was truly great stuff. His ability to twist melodies, bang out foot stomping romps and plumb pure joy from his instrument set him apart as one of the true greats.
9 – Freddie King. Another early innovator, King (The Texas Cannonball) blended Texas blues with the Chicago sound and came up with something unique, especially when pushing the envelope with his single string solo’s that sounded eerily at times as if a vocal run. King played as if he and his guitar were a duet at times, bringing smiles to all who came to see him. His mastery of the instrument caused countless aspiring players to reach for something a little more.
10 – Muddy Waters. While it may be true that a lot of people don’t put Waters up there with the other great blues guitarists, I think this is more due to technical mastery than to innovation. But you can’t deny the fact that is was Waters who bridged the gap between “old” blues and “new.” Who moved the focus from Delta blues, to the more modern Chicago sound. What Waters did was give credence to the use of the electric guitar in blues. And for that alone, he should be rewarded.
As mentioned above, this list of the top ten blues guitarists of all time is based on my own personal preferences. I realize others may have their views, and acknowledge that other guitarists may be superior to those I’ve listed in certain categories. Here I’ve tried to give my overall impressions from listening to blues guitarists over many years. If you’d like to leave a comment with your own opinions, I’d love to see them, just so long as you back them up with meaningful examples. Also be sure to check out the links I’ve posted below and in the links section.
Some links:
Stevie Ray Vaughn: http://blues101.org/biographies/biosrv.htm
