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Published: Tuesday, 17 December 2024 at 12:07 PM
Blues singers: 11 great performers who shaped the blues genre
Powerful, emotional and expressive, blues music originated in the African American communities of the Deep South in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Rooted in the spirituals, work songs, field hollers, and chants of enslaved African Americans, blues music emerged as a powerful means of storytelling and emotional expression. Famed for its melancholy subjects and sounds, blues has produced some world-famous artists who’ve plumbed the genre’s deepest emotional and musical landscapes. Here are the best blues singers of all time.
Best blues singers: the early years
1. Leadbelly (1888-1949)
The legends about Huddie Ledbetter would fill a bookshelf, but his recorded legacy speaks volumes about his incredible and unique talent. Lead Belly, as he was known, was a storyteller who lived the blues.
His vocal range was impressive – from deep boom to falsetto, and from talking blues to yodelling. Whatever style he used, though, the hearer is utterly compelled to listen to one of the great voices of the 20th century. We also named Leadbelly one of the best jazz guitarists ever.
Where to start with Leadbelly
The Very Best of Leadbelly (CD/LP)
2. Bessie Smith (1894-1937)
Listening to Bessie Smith’s powerful delivery of ‘Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out’, it’s easy to see why so many have claimed the Empress of the Blues to be the greatest blues singer of all time.
An orphan from a young age, Smith sang on street corners for pennies, and rose from severe poverty to being one of the biggest stars of the 1920s and ’30s, before being tragically killed in a car crash in 1937. Her legacy remains strong a century on from her first recordings, with honours that include a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, induction into the US National Women’s Hall of Fame, and even featuring on a postage stamp.
We also named Bessie Smith one of the greatest female jazz musicians ever and one of the best jazz singers of all time.
Where to start with Bessie Smith
Bessie Smith: the Anthology (CD/LP)
Best blues singers: the mid 20th century golden years
3. Howlin’ Wolf (1910-1976)
Chester Arthur Burnett, better known as Howlin’ Wolf, learned from the masters – he’d met both Charley Patton and Tommy Johnson, and travelled with Robert Johnson and Sonny Boy Williamson II. At 6’3” and weighing close to 300lbs, he was an imposing figure, who earned the nickname Howlin’ Wolf due the vocal howling that became his signature.
A massive influence on groups like The Rolling Stones and The Yardbirds, his Chess recordings such as ‘Killing Floor’ and ‘Smokestack Lightning’ are among the finest blues recordings of all time. Indeed, we named Wolf’s ‘Smokestack Lightning’ one of the greatest blues songs ever.
Where to start with Howlin’ Wolf
Moanin’ in the Moonlight (CD/LP)
4. Robert Johnson (1911-1938)
Often dubbed the King of the Delta Blues, Robert Johnson’s haunting voice and legendary guitar skills influenced countless musicians. One of the most iconic and mysterious figures in all of music history, Johnson was born in Hazlehurst, Mississippi and soon became a key figure in the Delta blues style.
With his haunting voice, innovative guitar playing, and captivating storytelling style, Johnson managed – despite a brief life and small recorded catalogue – to become one of the most influential figures in all of blues and rock.
Where to start with Robert Johnson
Robert Johnson: the Complete Recordings (CD/LP)
5. Muddy Waters (1913-1983)
With a holler that could wake the dead, Muddy Waters moved from Clarksdale, Mississippi to Chicago, where his self-assured blues became a foundation stone for most of the biggest artists of the 1960s and beyond. ‘Hoochie Coochie Man’, ‘I Just Want To Make Love To You’ and ‘Got My Mojo Working’ showcase his suggestive style and vocal power.
Where to start with Muddy Waters
Muddy Waters: Anthology (3 CD/LP)
Best blues singers: later 20th century
6. John Lee Hooker (1917-2001)
Known for his signature song ‘Boom Boom’, John Lee Hooker enjoyed a career spanning more than half a century, from his 1949 R&B number one ‘Boogie Chillen’ through the blues revival of the 1960s, to his 70s rock collaboration with Canned Heat and his 1989 Grammy Award-winning album The Healer, alongside Bonnie Raitt and Robert Cray. Hooker’s dark, smoky vocals are underpinned by his own stinging guitar riffs.
Where to start with John Lee Hooker
The Healer (1989, CD/LP)
7. Ray Charles (1930-2004)
Hailing from Albany, Georgia, Ray Charles was a genre-hopping genius who mastered the blues, soul, gospel and country music, and was equally gifted on both saxophone and piano. But it was his wailing, soulful vocal delivery that really made him stand out, bringing gospel influences to great blues recordings like ‘Hard Times (Nobody Knows Better Than I)’.
Where to start with Ray Charles
Ray Charles: The Ultimate Collection (CD/LP)
8. Etta James (1938-2012)
There can be few finer examples of singing the blues than Etta James’ 1967 ‘I’d Rather Go Blind’.
A protégé of Johnny Otis, James first came to the world’s attention with ‘The Wallflower’, a R&B number one in 1954. Her ability to hop between styles allowed her to adapt to the changing times – her Tell Mama album, recorded in Muscle Shoals, remains one of the finest blues LPs ever made, and she continued to make Grammy winning records into the 1990s.
Where to start with Etta James
Tell Mama: the Complete Muscle Shoals Sessions (CD/LP)
9. B.B. King (1925-2015)
Known as the King of the Blues, BB’s celebrated for his electrifying guitar playing, but it’s his powerful and emotional singing style that has seen him so often copied, and yet never bettered. In a career that began shortly after World War II and lasted until the year before his death in 2015, King played endless shows, exciting audiences generation after generation.
Where to start with B.B. King
B.B. King: His Definitive Greatest Hits
10. Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland (1930-2013)
While many great blues singers have an earthiness that talks of the harshness of the Deep South from where the blues emerged, Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland mellows his gospel-tinged hollering with a sultry smoothness. ‘Stormy Monday Blues’ is the best example of this blues classic, while ‘Farther On Up the Road’ evokes blues shouters like Big Joe Turner, but polished until the music shines like a new pin.
Where to start with Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland
Dreamer (CD/LP)
Best blues singers: the inimitable Janis Joplin
11. Janis Joplin (1943-1970)
Texan Janis Joplin shot to fame as part of the West Coast psychedelic scene in the 1960s, where she wore the influences of Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey proudly on her sleeve.
She brought the blues bang up to date with an intensity and control that allowed her screaming style to overwhelm the listener, while never drifting out of control. In 1970, she died of a fatal drug overdose at just 27 years old, but left a catalogue that still sends shivers down the spine over 50 years later.
Where to start with Janis Joplin
The Essential Janis Joplin (CD/LP)