Recommended for rock fans too! — A classic album of modern blues

Fishing BluesHenry Thomas

Henry Thomas – Fishin’ Blues

Henry Thomas, born in 1874 in Big Sandy, Texas, was an American singer, guitarist, and quills player.

Among recorded artists, he is one of the earliest Black singers and exemplifies the prototype of the blues.

Between 1927 and 1929, he recorded 24 sides for Vocalion.

He performed at railroad stations and used trains to travel back and forth between Dallas and Houston.

While playing guitar, he also blew the quills—sometimes called “panpipes,” made from carrizo cane—producing flute-like sounds reminiscent of Mississippi fife music, and he sang using hooping, an African-derived vocal style similar to yodeling.

Fishing Blues was recorded in 1928.

Honey, Won’t You Allow Me One More Chance? was covered by Bob Dylan.

All Your Lovin’ (I Miss Loving)Otis Rush

Otis Rush “All Your Love I Miss Loving” 6-1-96 Hagerstown, MD

Otis Rush, born in 1934 in Philadelphia, Mississippi, was an American blues singer and guitarist.

Although ranked among the very best both as a vocalist and as a guitarist, he recorded relatively little.

The works he left on Cobra Records have become classics—about sixteen tracks that heralded a new era of Chicago blues.

Because he was left-handed, he played a right-handed guitar turned upside down, creating a distinctive sound.

He stood at the forefront of the West Side style sound, helped spark the vogue for minor-key slow blues, and his band is said to have been the first blues band to begin using an electric bass.

EasyBig Walter Horton

Walter Horton – Easy

A must-hear harpist for blues fans, a master of the blues harp known for his thick, powerful harp blows and richly expressive vocals.

It’s said that countless bluesmen wanted to perform with him, and the blues giant Willie Dixon even called him “the most wonderful harpist.”

Easy Rider BluesBlind Lemon Jefferson

Blind Lemon Jefferson-Easy Rider Blues

Many blues musicians are professionals who perform blues in bars, and they sometimes use stage names or epithets.

Another characteristic of the blues is that many performers were blind; those with the epithet “Blind” were often visually impaired.

Blind Lemon Jefferson performed blues with a gentle, amiable character.

Come OnEarl King

EARL KING – “COME ON” [Imperial 5713] 1960

Earl King, a guitarist and singer-songwriter from New Orleans.

He made his debut recording in 1953 and continued to be musically active with great energy until around 2003.

He produced not only blues but also many R&B songs, and he also provided compositions to many other musicians.

Tomorrow NihgtLonnie Johnson

Kelsey Gardner – Tomorrow Night – (Lonnie Johnson)

Lonnie Johnson, born in 1894 in New Orleans, Louisiana, was an American blues musician who mastered a variety of instruments—including vocals, guitar, kazoo, piano, and violin—and also had a profound influence on the development of jazz.

He pioneered a guitar style featuring bending (string choking) and vibrato, and as a studio musician he took part in recordings with Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington.

In the 1940s, he scored hits with songs such as “Tomorrow Night” and “Pleasing You.”

Do I Move YouNina Simone

Nina Simone – Do I Move You (Audio)

The album introduced here might be considered a bit of a curveball in terms of classic blues records.

I’d like to present Nina Simone’s 1967 release Nina Simone Sings The Blues, by the legendary singer who was a renowned jazz vocalist and excelled across a wide range of genres.

It was her first album after moving to the RCA label, and it features not only standard blues numbers but also the traditional folk ballad House of the Rising Sun, known from The Animals’ hit version.

You can almost imagine the sound of the record just from Simone’s piercing gaze on the album cover, but her voice is truly remarkable, standing out with a rich blend of not only blues but also jazz and gospel feeling.

The performances by legendary session musicians like guitarist Eric Gale and drummer Bernard Purdie are more than compelling, and the drum-driven groove in particular should strongly appeal to the club generation.

If you listen to original tracks like Backlash Blues with an understanding of Simone’s background as a civil rights activist and social activist, you’ll grasp where the formidable power of her voice comes from.