Recommended Listening!
Over the years, I have learned most of what I know by simply listening to certain records and cds over and over again. Here is a list of some of the specific vinyl albums and cds that I recommend to anyone who wants to learn how to play traditional blues guitar - acoustic and/or electric. Most of these are easy to find in a variety of forms - digital, cd, or even vinyl.
electric Blues - vinyl lps
Jimmy Reed - "Root of The Blues" was the record that really got me to want to play blues guitar. My brother had it in his collection in our house. It is a double-lp that includes most of his best known songs. I recently bought a copy on E-Bay for around $10 - vinyl.
Freddy King - "All His Hits" on the Federal label was another vinyl LP that I wore out as a teenager trying to figure out how to play like Freddy King. There are much better CD compilations and LPs, but this is the one that I got started with. A friend of my brother's had an enormous blues lp collection that he allowed me to come over and transfer onto cassettes. I bought my own copy of this a few years back on E-Bay for around $12.
Howlin' Wolf - "The Chess Masters Series" LP from around 1974 was a huge influence on my own blues guitar experience. It was my first exposure to Hubert Sumlin who quickly became one of my foremost guitar heroes -still is! If you are patient, and not worried about the condition of the album cover, you can pick-up a copy on E-Bay for $10 - $20. Great stuff! I still do not know why they never issued these on CD.
There are Chess Masters Series LPs for Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, Little Milton, and Lowell Fulson that are also very, very good and include a lot of great guitar! I have probably spent more time listening to these records - trying to learn the guitar parts - than any others in my collection.
Buddy Guy - Chess Masters is the LP that introduced me to Buddy Guy's early recordings. I picked it up at a record store in Skokie, Illinois for around $10 back in 1984. It remains one of my all-time favorites.
T-Bone Walker - "Classics of Modern Blues" is a double-lp that includes some of his greatest tunes. I got this on cassette back in the 80s and recently bought it on E-Bay for around $12. I've listened to this over and over and over again over the years - never gets old!
Junior Wells & Buddy Guy - two lp's I listened to alot over the years that feature Buddy Guy backing up Junior Wells. So much great guitar!
Otis Rush - Groaning The Blues/Cobra Recordings is yet another LP that I wore out trying to figure out each and every one of Otis Rush's magical licks - still working on it! His later stuff is good too, but, to me, nothing comes close to his Cobra sides.
Magic Sam - West Side Soul & Black Magic, all by themselves, include as much great guitar as any other albums on the planet.
Various Artists - America's Musical Roots includes songs by Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, Bo Diddley, Memphis Slim, Muddy Waters, and other Chess Blues artists. This, along with the Jimmy Reed double-lp, is the record that really got me into blues guitar! You can still find it out there on E-Bay!
I bought my copy of this 2 LP set at a small record store in Skokie, Illinois. It is a great samples of Chicago Blues and 50s/60s electric blues gutar styles with tunes by Otis Rush, Buddy Guy, Elmore James, John Brim, and Johnny Shines among others. I do not know if this was ever put out on CD. It is still one of my favorites!
This is THE lp from which I learned about Slim Harpo! I spent many hours trying to learn the guitar played on tunes like "Tip On In," "Scratch My Back," and "Keep What I've Got."
I bought this record at a store in Bloomington, IN when I was a freshman at Indiana University. It was the LP from which I started learning my Willie Johnson guitar licks and chords. I regrettably sold it a while back after obtaining a CD with the same songs on it.
This was my first BB King LP - a wonderful collection of his early songs - including "3 O'clock Blues," "Bad Case of Love," and "You Know I Love You." I still have this one!
My brother had this LP in his collection at our house. For some reason, I never got past "How Blue Can You Get?" I listened to it over and over and over again - trying to learn BB's more modern style of playing the blues. Later, I learned that the rest of the LP is pretty good too!
This 2-lp set was my introduction to Elmore James and his music. It includes most, but not all, of his best known songs.
I had this LP on cassette tape in the 90s - found it on EBay recently for about $15. It includes the title track plus most of his best known recordings from the fifties and early sixties.
When people talk about Albert King, they almost always start with his "Born Under a Bad Sign" LP - which is one of the greatest. However, I prefer this one! It includes the title track plus "I Walked All Night Long," and several other classics.
Another great Albert King LP. I bought a copy at a book store in Bloomington, IN while in school there. I recently sold my copy on EBay and now wish I hadn't! As a young player, it took me a while to figure out that he was using a different tuning - frustrating my attempts to duplicate his sound. I plan on doing a lesson on his style eventually!
This is a great compilation of sixties, Texas blues guitar tracks. A friend of mine put this on a cassette for me - which I nearly wore out listening to trying to figure out the licks in the original version of "Texas Flood."
My brother had this LP in his collection and it served as my introduction to Fenton Robinson. The title track, "I Hear Some Blues Downstairs," is still my favorite of his many great songs.
Another LP that I had on cassette - courtesy of my brother's friend with an amazing record collection. I started listening to this in high school and have never stopped. It includes, what I believe to be, the best version on "Something To Remember You By," where he plays a lot more fills and plays an epic solo.
My brother had this LP in his collection - another great LP with Wolf and Hubert Sumlin on Guitar!