Great Bluesmen in no particular order

"When you write about me, please don't say I'm a jazz musician. Don't say
I'm a musician or a guitar player -- just write 'Big Bill was a well-known blues
singer and player and has recorded 260 blues songs from 1925 up till 1952; he was a
happy man when he was drunk and playing with women; he was liked by all the blues
singers, some would get a little jealous sometimes, but Bill would buy a bottle
of whisky and they all would start laughing and playing again.'"
Big Bill Broonzy

This quote encapsulates some of the spirit of the Blues. It is essentially a simple music, developed in the southern United States in the early part of the twentieth century, before being exported to Britain and the rest of the world. In its early form it was largely played for and by poor black men and women at dances and other community events. The lyrics of early Blues songs are simple, direct and repetitive, for example:

Baby, please don't go
Baby, please don't go
Baby, please don't go, down to New Orleans
You know I love you so

The art of the blues musician was therefore to infuse these simple lyrics with drive and passion, and those who did this successfully are still admired by musicians and listeners today.

This guy was the Blues through and through, and wasn't as well known as he deserved, which is why I've started with him. He had twelve fingers, and attached a guitar slide to the additional one on his left hand. Using cheap Japanese instruments, he and his band the Houserockers could lay down a groove to match anyone. His thick, dirty guitar tone is to die for, and his singing is a wail of pain straight from the Delta. Unappreciated master of the Blues

Raw and dangerous, the delta blues is generally played by by a lone guitarist, howling and moaning over stark but emotional accompaniment. Son House, Charley Patton and Robert Johnson were among the leading practitioners. Also checkout the video of Sister O. M. Terrell in the youtube section above.

This was a gentler style of blues that was more influenced by the popular songs of the time. The players were often more technically precise than those from the Delta tradition, and could be just as powerful in their way. Blind Blake and Mississippi John Hurt were among the masters of this genre.

This is a cover all term for the blues styles, including Delta and Piedmont, used in rural communities in the twenties and thirties, to distinguish them from the more upbeat styles that developed in the cities. Note that it has nothing to do with country and western music! Many of the first players to break into the cities and start playing electrically had a strong grasp of country blues traditions. These include John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters and Lightnin' Hopkins.

This is the foundation of most group based blues music played today, and also has a strong influence in rock. When the Blues moved to the cities in the fifties, it became easier to form groups, and electric guitars and full drum kits led to the development of a new, dirtier, more upbeat sound. The two giants of the Chicago scene were Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf. Waters band in particular became the standard template for the rock and blues bands of the fifties, comprising two guitars, piano, harmonica, and drums. Wolf was perhaps the most admired blues singer in this style. Other notable players include Bo Diddley and Little Walter (who played in Waters' band before heading his own).

The Blues had been heard in the cities before the fifties, but generally in a more sophisticated style with more harmonic complexity, often played by Jazz bands. Many of the great Jazz singers, such as Billie Holiday and Nina Simone recorded great blues songs, and B. B. King has made forged a legend playing Blues in Jazzy settings. Indeed, the influence of the Blues is so strong in Jazz that it is hard to think of a performer that hasn't used it as the basis of some of their music.

The explosion of musical creativity in Britain in the sixties was largely driven by a love of Blues, which was loved by everyone from Eric Clapton to Davey Graham. Clapton, Jeff Beck and Peter Green were all great British guitarists to emerge putting their spin on the Blues at this time, and many of the more experimental bands such as Pink Floyd began by playing the music. The key bands in the British Blues scene were The Yardbirds and John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, which between them nurtured the talents of Clapton, Beck, Green, Jimmy Page and Mick Taylor (later of The Rolling Stones, who were themselves a fine example of the British Blues band).