DEATH LETTER – Son House. Possibly the most chilling vocal performance ever. Between the raw slide, the vocal and the lyric, how could you not be moved? When I first heard Son House, as a teenager, I didn't connect immediately. When I finally got it, it changed my life.
FEEL LIKE GOING HOME – Muddy Waters. Although I love Muddy's electric stuff, hearing him acoustically is magnificent. The slide is great, and his voice is enormous. Muddy always said that the only reason he picked up an electric guitar was that he couldn't get the acoustic guitar loud enough to hear it in the noisy clubs. Rock’n’roll thanks him for making that transition, but you hear how comfortable he is just singing above the acoustic guitar.
BLUES POWER – Albert King. I've always maintained that Albert influenced rock guitar more than any other Blues guitarist, in the way that no-one before him sounded remotely like that. His tone was tremendous but his phrasing was totally unique. Without Albert there would be no Hendrix, no Clapton, no Duane Allman, no Stevie Ray, no Santana... there would be no any of us.
SMOKESTACK LIGHTNING – Howlin' Wolf. Everything about this track is menacing. I can only imagine what it must have sounded like coming over the radio in the ‘50s. This is truly rock’n’roll before it's time. The way it's recorded only makes it sound nastier. The guitars of Hubert Sumlin and Jody Williams create the funkiest, swampiest mood - the perfect backdrop.
THE SKY IS CRYING – Elmore James. Elmore is credited for making the slide electric, but we can't overlook what an amazing voice he had. Whenever I hear Robert Plant vocal performances, I can't help but think he got a lot from Elmore.
THE THRILL IS GONE – B.B. King. The epitome of minor key Blues. When I was a kid, I would spend hours everyday listening to soul music. Then rock music made me want to play guitar. All my favourite guitarists were influenced by the Blues, so I went backwards and started studying. B.B was at the top of everyone's list and soon was at the top of mine with tracks like this.
ALIMONIA BLUES – John Lee Hooker. Hooker is one of those artists that, to me, sounds better by himself than with a band. Even Muddy said that when he played with John Lee, he would just wait on him to change chords because you never knew if or when he was gonna change. Having said that, playing with him was one of my fondest memories. This track, from "Hooker N Heat" is one of the many cuts on the album recorded with no band - you can hear, in all his music, possibly the strongest ties of any Blues artist to traditional African music. Check out the guitar sound.
SECOND BEST – Freddie King. This cut, from "The Burglar", represents not only what an influential guitarist Freddie was, but what an amazing singer as well. If you study Freddie from the beginning, you hear how much his approach changed. His voice started out as smooth and clear as Sam Cooke and eventually became as raw as Otis Redding while his guitar playing followed suit. Probably Clapton's biggest influence, as you can definitely hear in this track.
I CAN'T QUIT YOU – Otis Rush. Several versions of this song exist, one in which you can hear where Led Zeppelin got theirs. Complete with the "sharp one" chord and the Jimmy Page guitar breakdown. Otis was a continuation of the Albert King "planet lefty" school, but with a personality all his own.
SHIPS ON THE OCEAN – Junior Wells w/Buddy Guy. Junior mixed James Brown with Sonny Boy and created something new. Although both Junior and Buddy were great on their own, most agreed that together they were explosive. Buddy's playing here was obviously an influence on Hendrix.
FEEL LIKE GOING HOME – Muddy Waters. Although I love Muddy's electric stuff, hearing him acoustically is magnificent. The slide is great, and his voice is enormous. Muddy always said that the only reason he picked up an electric guitar was that he couldn't get the acoustic guitar loud enough to hear it in the noisy clubs. Rock’n’roll thanks him for making that transition, but you hear how comfortable he is just singing above the acoustic guitar.
BLUES POWER – Albert King. I've always maintained that Albert influenced rock guitar more than any other Blues guitarist, in the way that no-one before him sounded remotely like that. His tone was tremendous but his phrasing was totally unique. Without Albert there would be no Hendrix, no Clapton, no Duane Allman, no Stevie Ray, no Santana... there would be no any of us.
SMOKESTACK LIGHTNING – Howlin' Wolf. Everything about this track is menacing. I can only imagine what it must have sounded like coming over the radio in the ‘50s. This is truly rock’n’roll before it's time. The way it's recorded only makes it sound nastier. The guitars of Hubert Sumlin and Jody Williams create the funkiest, swampiest mood - the perfect backdrop.
THE SKY IS CRYING – Elmore James. Elmore is credited for making the slide electric, but we can't overlook what an amazing voice he had. Whenever I hear Robert Plant vocal performances, I can't help but think he got a lot from Elmore.
THE THRILL IS GONE – B.B. King. The epitome of minor key Blues. When I was a kid, I would spend hours everyday listening to soul music. Then rock music made me want to play guitar. All my favourite guitarists were influenced by the Blues, so I went backwards and started studying. B.B was at the top of everyone's list and soon was at the top of mine with tracks like this.
ALIMONIA BLUES – John Lee Hooker. Hooker is one of those artists that, to me, sounds better by himself than with a band. Even Muddy said that when he played with John Lee, he would just wait on him to change chords because you never knew if or when he was gonna change. Having said that, playing with him was one of my fondest memories. This track, from "Hooker N Heat" is one of the many cuts on the album recorded with no band - you can hear, in all his music, possibly the strongest ties of any Blues artist to traditional African music. Check out the guitar sound.
SECOND BEST – Freddie King. This cut, from "The Burglar", represents not only what an influential guitarist Freddie was, but what an amazing singer as well. If you study Freddie from the beginning, you hear how much his approach changed. His voice started out as smooth and clear as Sam Cooke and eventually became as raw as Otis Redding while his guitar playing followed suit. Probably Clapton's biggest influence, as you can definitely hear in this track.
I CAN'T QUIT YOU – Otis Rush. Several versions of this song exist, one in which you can hear where Led Zeppelin got theirs. Complete with the "sharp one" chord and the Jimmy Page guitar breakdown. Otis was a continuation of the Albert King "planet lefty" school, but with a personality all his own.
SHIPS ON THE OCEAN – Junior Wells w/Buddy Guy. Junior mixed James Brown with Sonny Boy and created something new. Although both Junior and Buddy were great on their own, most agreed that together they were explosive. Buddy's playing here was obviously an influence on Hendrix.
