Thursday, February 3, 2011

Down to the Delta

Alright, so we've decided that every month or so we'll make our own list of the most important/influential blues musicians of each genre and style (i.e. Delta, Piedmont, Chicago, Jump, etc.). Then we'll do an individual, in-depth post for each on our list. Some may show up again, who knows. And no, we did not put Jack White on our list simply because The White Stripes broke up, he was on there before the news broke. Also, if we left someone off, we may have stuck them in another category...or simply forgot. First up is the Delta.
  1. Robert Johnson
  2. Son House
  3. Charlie Patton
  4. Skip James
  5. Tommy Johnson
  6. Leadbelly
  7. John Lee Hooker
  8. Mississippi Fred McDowell
  9. Blind Lemon Jefferson
  10. Muddy Waters
  11. Arthur Crudup
  12. Kansas Joe McCoy
  13. David 'Honeyboy' Edwards
  14. Junior Kimbrough
  15. R.L. Burnside
  16. Pinetop Perkins
  17. Booker White
  18. Papa Charlie McCoy
  19. Big Joe Williams
  20. Robert Lockwood Jr.
  21. Furry Lewis
  22. Jack White
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4 comments:

  1. OceanchildFebruary 3, 2011 at 10:07 PM

    I like the list idea, I love blues but feel I know so little about it.

    Gonna check them out, can't wait to see what the specific posts say :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. e.f. bartlamFebruary 4, 2011 at 7:30 PM

    I'm really not trying to be pedantic, but there's a couple of non-Delta bluesmen on there.

    Only reason I bring it is because they play my favorite kind of blues...Hill Country Blues.

    Mississippi Fred McDowell and
    R.L. Burnside

    Also, John Lee Hooker...although from the Clarkesdale area, played a rhythmic style of Blues that had more in common with Hill Country Blues.

    Again, I'm not tryin' to be a jerk...it's just the Hill Country needs some love.

    Check out Othar Turner and of course Junior Kimbrough.

    Love the blog.

    ReplyDelete
  3. e.f. bartlamFebruary 4, 2011 at 7:34 PM

    Doh.

    You already listed Junior Kimbrough...he's 100% Hill Country too.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AmyFebruary 5, 2011 at 1:28 AM

    Thanks for the comments! Not being a jerk at all. I know several on this list could be thrown into other styles, and we plan on doing a list for hill country in the future. We just felt like the ones listed also had a bit of Delta in them as well. I don't think any on the list are 100% anything. The styles can't be separated completely. And hill country often gets lumped in with the Delta, but I know they are unique. R.L. certainly has a background in the Delta (and the album R. L. Burnside Plays and Sings the Mississippi Delta Blues). But again, we are definitely not experts. Thanks again for the comments :)

    ReplyDelete

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