The Best Blues Guitarists
For all those who wish to expand their musical culture, discover the great names in the history of the guitar and be inspired by the best, here is our selection of the ten most impressive blues guitarists :
1) Stevie Ray Vaughan
An incredible presence on stage, a technique that makes dream the most professional, Stevie Ray Vaughan is a legend among the blues guitarists. His videos are moments of rare intensity. Disappeared suddenly in a helicopter accident, he marked like nobody the history of music.
2) BB King
The grand master of the blues of the end of the XX°century, its accuracy and the subtlety of the game have spent a good part of its reputation. The King had a huge career, with dozens of albums and tours around the world. He had a unique style that greatly influenced subsequent generations. He named his guitar Lucille, then it was the name of one of his most popular albums. Finally, Gibson created a guitar named Lucille in tribute to BB King!
3) Robert Johnson
Robert Johnson is probably the greatest icon among blues guitarists! Having mixed different styles, he did not start recording albums until two years before his death! A legend even ran into his account saying that he owed his immense talent to a secret pact made with the devil himself.
4) Muddy Waters
King of the solo, knowing how to alternate guitar and singing like nobody, Muddy Waters had an extraordinary career over more than five decades. He has influenced many musical fields such as rhythm and blues, rock, and folk music. It’s even thanks to him that Chuck Berry recorded his first record ! Or that Rolling Stone found their name, a tribute to one of his songs.
5) John Lee Hooker
A huge name for the electric blues guitar, a key influence of all subsequent generations, the author of mythical titles (such as Boom Boom), John Lee Hooker is a reference among all blues guitarists.
6) Albert King
He inspired all the great blues guitarists who succeeded him. The tributes paid to him by Hendrix, Clapton, Moore, Vaughan, and others have gone unnoticed. His style has greatly influenced contemporary music.
7) Albert Collins
Because these songs revolved around cold, he was nicknamed “Iceman”. Renowned for his incredible technique and his mastery of high pitched sounds, he remains a reference among urban blues guitarists.
8) Gary Moore
Having recorded several blues albums of rare intensity, Gary Moore cannot be considered only a rock star. He played with the best names in the genre and was able to create his blues-rock sound. Listen to in particular is this song: Parisienne Walkways, it is beautiful.
9) Buddy Guy
Even if we know him a little less today, Buddy Guy was one of the main influences of Hendrix or Clapton, that is to say, how much his game deserves to be known to you! He was famous for his incredible solos, but also and above all for having participated in the passage between blues and rock. That’s all there is to it. Eric Clapton even said of himself that he was the best blues guitarist still alive.
10) Chuck Berry
You’ll tell me that Chuck Berry is not a blues guitarist…that he does rock, real rock! It is a little more subtle than that; Chuck Berry mark one passage oh-so-fine line between blues and rock! And as a result, we could not fail to pay homage to him in this top 10 of the best blues guitarists. That would be a regrettable breach of the history of music! One could, of course, cite other mythical artists who are worth having their name in a top such as this. But starting by discovering these, by interesting yourself to their music, their influence, their biography, you will discover other great guitarists. And you will understand with time how they, each in their own way, made live the blues Music in the history of the twentieth century.