Who do you think is the best blues guitarist?

[gav1nzdad]

I don't think I've seen the name Joe Bonamassa here. But ya'll need to give him a listen. His name should be in any discussion about blues guitar. Possibly the best blues guitarist alive today.

 

[gav1nzdad]

wow, somebody loves keith.

IMO joe bonamassa is the best blues player alive today

Ooops, just posted that I hadn't seen Joe's name on here. Missed this post. JB is pretty awesome, isn't he? The Last Matador of Bayonne is one of my favorites!

 

[ulu]

Ya bonamassa is awesome. There's another guy I just heard tonight for the 1st time- Derek Trucks-outstanding!
I think he may now be a member of the allman bros band

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wr_9yt4hsHg&feature=related

Here he is tearin i up from 6;40

 

[gav1nzdad]

Ya bonamassa is awesome. There's another guy I just heard tonight for the 1st time- Derek Trucks-outstanding!
I think he may now be a member of the allman bros band

Allman Brothers, "The Sky Is Crying," 12/3/2011 - YouTube

Here he is tearin i up from 6;40

AWESOME clip! Loved the tone.

 

[ulu]

I see he's playing here in toronto on friday as part of the jazzfest. Sweeeeeet!

 

[weathered]

I have recently discovered the blues and recently started learning guitar about 8 months ago or so. I fell in love with acoustic blues. The old stuff is amazing. I recently discovered lightnin' Hopkins too. I like his slow, simple acoustic sound.

 

[Amber Bird]

Well there is only one person I can think of that truely is the best blues guitarist and that is Stevie Ray Vaughan?

Who do you think is the best blues guitarist? LOL^


Thanks alot and God Bless.

Whole heartedly agree.
Rest in peace Stevie. Thank God your music lives forever.

 

[weathered]

Yes I understand what you was trying to say. Another point is
What is a "Western Instrument"? As Share Croppers they couldn't afford good instruments and a piano was just a dream.
Harmonicas were less expensive so that what was played a lot.
Yet, they used it to play music in their own culture style. Even the slide guitar is to mimic the voice. Yeah and they made their own One-String guitars. Another music you don't hear much of is the African-American Drum and fife bands.

As far as making due I have even heard BB King talk about when he was young tying a broken string to a broom wire so they could keep playing.

As far as the African link to the music, I have spent months in West Africa and I can the connection. The music from Mali is maybe the closest to the blues.

Taj Mahal, is a great guitarist that explores some of the roots and even some jazz influence.

Michael

That's where slide guitar came from i hear. They couldn't afford instruments and so they would take a wire and string in onto a board and use something to slide up and down the string to get different notes. Cool.

 

[differentDemocrat]

greg alman

 

[ulu]

Allman plays keys...

 

[markb77]

Allman plays keys...

Right. Greg's brother Duane played guitar, along with Dickey Betts, in the original Allman line-up.

 

[ulu]

Duane was a great slide player

 

[weathered]

This guy isn't bad. I think i might try to get some lessons from him. Here's a free one.


Youtube Guitar Lessons with Jim Bruce - Play Blues Lightnin' Hopkin's Style - YouTube

 

[RuthD]

Eric Clapton is awesome!

 

[Mother Natures Son]

Jimi Hendrix.

Definitely not limited to a "blues player" but he certainly took the musical elements of blues to a whole new dimension.

 

[juliepeasandlove]

Good Question! I thought I had an answer, but I just bought a 4-lp set of the Chicago Blues and there are some great guitarists on there! Who cares, just LISTEN!!!

 

[Girder of Loins]

Slow Hand is my favorite. Blackie was his best guitar, although I was quite sad when I learned he sold Brownie... It went to a good cause though.

 

[Rev Wayne]

As someone already stated, it's pretty hard to pick a "best" blues guitarist, with all the different blues styles and sounds out there. I think Eric Clapton will be in anybody's book of "best" players. Clapton has been around too, I think he's played with EVERYbody. I had the privilege of seeing him on stage in Charlotte in '75, with Santana as the opener. Clapton had some guy in his band, I never found out his name, who was lick-for-lick right on track with him on stage that night, swapping licks like he BELONGED on the same stage with him. Then they had the encore, and Carlos Santana came out to finish with them, and it was funny watching him, because he did more watching those two than he did playing, with a look on his face like "How in the world do you DO that?"

I saw B.B. King live during the year he turned 80, and man, that guy never lost a step anywhere along the way, those guys were pouring it on.

My all-time favorite, though, and of course this is not saying anything to the question of best, just my personal fav, is Duane Allman. I think he's probably the smoothest blues guitarist ever. In second place I'd have to put Roy Buchanan, a wizard who influenced a lot of people. Johnny Winter is likely the fastest, or perhaps I should say was when he was in his prime. Stevie Ray played with the most soul. My favorite of the old acoustic players will always be Lightnin' Hopkins.

Some others I can't help mentioning:

Gary Moore
Lonnie Mack
Albert Collins
Buddy Guy
Clarence Gatemouth Brown
Dave Hole
Elvin Bishop
Jeff Beck
Joe Bonamassa
Kenny Wayne Shepherd
Luther Allison
Bonnie Raitt

 

[epistemaniac]

so many great players!!

I too have been listening to Derek Trucks A LOT lately... unbelievable... other worldly... I especially like him with his wife Susan Tedeschi, in their "Tedeschi and Trucks Band"... here are a couple of my favorites, for any who care to give them a listen...

 

[epistemaniac]

Midnight In Harlem - Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Band (Live At The Crossroads Festival 2010) (HD) - YouTube