my most recent find in life is blues rock, at least i think thats the genre it is, im lying in bed one night & i live one block from a night life spot & these two guys are parked right outside my building jammin to what i would guess is blues rock & i wish to god i had gotten out of bed to ask who it was they were listening to cause i cant get it out of my system. so thats why im here & thats my question, can you recommend any good blues rock...with an emphasis on modern day & also a slant toward rock rather than jazz (i mention the last part cause some other blues rock that was referred to me kind of sounded like jazz or something or didnt have enough guitar or i dont know what) i appreciate the help. Robert cray some good Memphis stuff Kenny Wayne Sheppard. Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Johnny Lang's old stuff, Wes Jeans! I don't listen to a lot of this stuff any more, but check out Projections (1966) by the Blues Project. This is where Al Kooper (piano/keyboards) got his start. There is a lot of Coltrane here, especially on "I Can't Keep From Crying," and "Two Trains Running." Also some tasty originals ("Cheryl's Going Home," "Danny's Tune"). Blues rock ehh...Stevie Ray Vaughan comes to mind right away. He has a lot of great blues songs too. Most are blues rock though. North Missississippi Allstars
For good delta blues sound couple with Rock
Black Keys - Blues Rock, more rock than blues Definitely White Stripes. The Black Keys.
Awesome stuff. Nice to know you discovered blues-rock. There are many fine players within the genre.
I'd begin with Gary Moore, only because he's played in so many styles....metal, blues, rock fusion, and blues-rock. He's a great guitarist, no matter which way you look at it.
Robin Trower is often overlooked, maybe because of his work in Procol Harum, but knows how to rock AND play blues simultameously. He's been killing audiences as a solo act sice 1973.
Rory Gallagher was another player, who took blues as his base and widened it with hellacious rock riffs.
Peter Green, one of the founders of Fleetwood Mac earned his place here over 30 years ago, and the early F.M. albums still sound fresh.
Johnny Winter has always played blues-infused rock, but it's been more evident since his signing with Alligator Records in 1985. He's sounding as fresh as ever since his 2006 tours, and is defininitely not to be missed......totally reborn!!
Guitar Shorty is another long time blues fixture, who's been getting his due props for the last few years......he's got the blues, but plays with volume and ferocity to please all.
The N. Mississippi All Stars are an amazing group of younger cats paying homage to the music they were raised on, and they know how to play, no matter the situation.
Little Jimmy King was a guitar monster, took his last name from Albert King, and his first name from Jimi Hendrix. He released 4 albums for Bullseye Blues, but died suddenly, ending his career just as he was breaking big. He also was the older brother of Memphis guitarist Eric Gales, who's played lots of Hendrix tribute gigs, and recorded several solo albums of all originals.
Dave Hole, Aussie slide monster.....as powerful as anyone else he was namechecked against. Another great signing by Alligator Records.
Last, but certainly not least, would be any Polydor recording
by Roy Buchanan. His death in 1988, under controversial circumstances, couldn't diminish the awesome technique and feel this man had for all guitar music, especially blues. I saw him at a 1000 seat club months before his death, and will swear until my dying day that the show was better than any of the 5 Hendrix shows I saw between 1968 and 1970.....and Jimi was my musical giant, so Buchanan must've been doing something right.
There's another dozen or so I could name, but these few should really let you know if blues-rock is worth pursuing...I skipped the obvious (SRV, K W Shepherd, Johnny Lang, Chris Duarte) just to save space. The list is long and deep. Keep rocking, and enjoy the music!! Lokomotiv eddie martin! the man is a blues genius! Stevie Ray Vaughan (get the double CD "The Essential Stevie Ray Vaughan"), Elvin Bishop (try CD "Rock My Soul"), Johnny Winter, Coco Montoya, Dave Hole, Roy Buchanan, Guitar Shorty, Shane Dwight, Joe Louis Walker & the Boss Talkers, Luther Allison, Buddy Guy, Michael Burks. And another guy who's pretty straight blues but can really sing & play the guitar - Chris Cain.
Alligator Records, one of the top blues recorders, has a series of blues compilations of their artists, that's mostly rockin' stuff: The "Crucial" series - Crucial Guitar Blues, Crucial Slide Guitar Blues, Crucial Rockin' Blues, Crucial Chicago Blues, etc. Nine total that I know of.
Stuff that's basically rock, but very blues influenced, from the 60s & 70s includes: the original Fleetwood Mac with guitarist Peter Green (try CD "The Best of Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac"), Cream (esp. Spoonful, Born Under a Bad Sign, Crossroads, White Room), Ten Years After (try the live album/CD "Undead," also Alvin Lee's later 2 CD "Anthology," esp. The Bluest Blues, Real Life Blues & Help Me Baby), the Allman Brothers (things like Statesboro Blues). More recently, Aerosmith did a pretty fair cover of the blues in CD "Honkin' On Bobo."
And try the 1st 2 albums by the original Paul Butterfield Blues Band, which included both Elvin Bishop and Mike Bloomfield - The Paul Butterfield Blues Band & East-West. Its basically blues, but they really rock. It was the group that turned me on to the blues as a rock-n-roll kid in the 60s. Couple others not mentioned are Chris Duarte and "Monster" Mike Welch. Stevie Ray Vaughn!!! Welcome to the blues! :D Try listening to " 1.FM Blues " on iTunes internet radio. Its a free download for PCs. I listen to it all the time - I'm a blues-rock guitarist.
Btw: a lot of the artists mentioned here are played on this station, and I wish I was on it too! I didn't see anyone mention Walter Trout. He is a scorching guitar master that has played with John Lee Hooker and John Mayall. SRV is always good. Eric Sardinas is another guy that a lot of people haven't heard of. He plays a lot of slide stuff and uses a dobro to do it. I've seen him live twice and he tore it up both times. The second time he opened for Steve Vai. Another axeman to check out is Eric Johnson. He plays some sweet jazzy stuff, some fast rocking stuff and some cool bluesy tunes. Have an open mind when you listen to blues, there is a lot really great music out there north mississippi all-stars
anthony gomes
harper
depends on your location, but go to blues festivals (memphis, clarksdale,ms, fayetteville, ar). great opportunity to hear the latest blues artists most answers so far seem to mention artists pretty much set in the classic blues style. for artists that have implemented blues into more modern rock, like you asked, try these:
-kenny wayne sheppard
-bon scott era AC/DC- "the jack" "'jailbreak" "whole lotta rosie" "let there be rock" etc etc
-early danzig- "the one" "777" etc
-early cult- "lil devil" "love removal machine" etc
for more contemporary blues influenced rock, try the band "days of the new" particularly "touch peel and stand"
it is rumored that danzig and jerry cantrell (alice in chains) are going to release a blues alblum. I have to agree with most of the above but I'll see if I can help.
Stevie Ray Vaughn.....Kenny Wayne Sheppard.....Doyle Brahmal II....Chris Duarte (these guys pretty much got Texas blues rock covered.)
John Popper (from Blues Traveler) can do some serious stompin' on a harmonica and still provide a modern sound.
Black Crowes are pretty much a blues rock act.
Cinderlla did an album called Heart Break Station with a couple of tracks that will fit the bill.
John Mayall still puts out recordings in Europe (this guy gave Clapton his first shot at the title) Try finding of copy of his album Spinning Coin.
Colin James can grind really well, but stay away from anything he did with "the little big band" it will come across as that jazz thing you mentioned.
Jeff Healy can play something fierce and he is a really nice guy to boot.
Robben Ford is good but it is instrumental music so might not suit your personal tastes.
Jeff Beck should get a listen. Album titled Guitar Shop works for me.
Although they are considered 'southern rock" check out Molly Hatchet they're a little closer to the rock side of the spectrum but get that thump going pretty good.
One album you have to check out is "Live at The Ritz". Probably find it under Bo Didley. He and Ronnie Wood (from the stones) tore the roof of the joint while celebrating Bo's birthday. They Don't Make Outlaws Like They Used To is a great track of that one.
Chris Rea did an album back in the 80's called The Road To Hell. He's a slide player with some serious feel.
More to the straight blues end of this question you want to check out..... Robert Cray...Buddy Guy...Albert Collins...Ry Cooder...and of course B.B King. and John Lee Hooker....
From the sounds of your question I think Chris Duarte is the vibe you are looking for. I'm going to answer only because blues is not something I'll normally listen to, but I heard Robben Ford and Bill Frisell's "Billie's Bounce" and it totally blew me away! It's much more jazz than rock, though, so that's probably not it; but it's awesome anyway. I played drums with this guy that loved Robin Trower, that was rock; that is, the bass and I laying down a heavy behind-the-beat blues feel while he's rocking all over the place. Kenny Wayne Shepherd,(pronounced "sheppard") is one of the more modern ones I remember, (oh, yea, and Chris Duarte), apart from this fifteen year old I heard in San Antonio last year, I forget his name; but I'm pretty sure he hasn't recorded yet. Maybe I'm wrong, I don't listen to that stuff too much. |
