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- Robert Johnson. King of the Delta Blues Singers, The Complete Recordings, King of the Delta Blues. 5,041 votes. Considered one of the most important pioneers of blues music, his poignant lyrics and expressive playing style have influenced countless musicians.
- John Lee Hooker. I'll Play the Blues for You, Live at the Fox Venice Theatre, Collection. 4,555 votes. See: The Best John Lee Hooker Albums. A unique sound that consists of a dark, pulsating rhythm and raw electric guitar made this individual an integral figure in the development of electric blues.
- Howlin' Wolf. The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions, The Genuine Article, Howlin' Wolf. 4,369 votes. With a deep, gravelly voice perfectly suited for the blues, this influential artist became a driving force behind the genre's development and popularization.
- B.B. King. Let the Good Times Roll, Live at the Regal, Ladies and Gentleman... Mr. B.B. 7,737 votes. See: The Best Albums Of B.B. Synonymous with the blues, this powerhouse performer captivated audiences for decades with his unmatched charisma and fluid, intricate guitar work.
Blues musicians are musical artists who are primarily recognized as writing, performing, and recording blues music. They come from different eras and include styles such as ragtime-vaudeville, Delta and country blues, and urban styles from Chicago and the West Coast.
NameBirth YearDeath YearOrigin19041994Ohio19001954Texasc.1909UnknownAlabama19071949Illinois- 5 min
- B.B. King. Born Riley B. King, singer and guitarist B.B. King got his start in Mississippi on a plantation near Indianola. At twenty-two, King hitched a ride to Memphis to launch his musical career.
- Muddy Waters. Singer and legendary blues guitarist McKinley Morganfield was born in 1915 in Issaquena, Mississippi. By the early 1940s, he was a semi-successful traveling musician.
- Billie Holiday. Born in Baltimore in 1915, Eleanora Fagan knew from an early age that she wanted to be a singer. By 1929, she was playing jazz clubs in New York, where she adopted the stage name Billie Holiday.
- Ray Charles. The legendary Ray Charles was born in Albany, Georgia in 1930. When he was only six years old, Charles was rendered blind due to glaucoma.
- Illinois Jacquet
- Sam Lay
- Bessie Smith
- John Lee Hooker
- Robert Johnson
- Koko Taylor
- Son House
- R.L. Burnside
- Jimi Hendrix
- Eric Clapton
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Rising to fame for his solo on Lionel Hampton’s “Flying Home”, which is widely regarded as the first R&B saxophone solo, Illinois Jacquet was a pioneer of the “honking” tenor that became a primary feature of jazz, blues and early rock and roll. Although known for this honking sound, he also possessed great melodic and improvisational skills. Also k...
As both a blues drummerand vocalist, Sam Lay performed during the 1950s alongside some of the blues greats, including Howlin’ Wolf, Paul Butterfield, and Little Walter to name just a few. After a spell with the great harmonica playerLittle Walter, he joined up with Muddy Waters in 1960 and became a regular drummer for the blues legend. Lay remained...
Nicknamed the “Empress of the Blues“ Bessie Smith was born all the way back in 1894 and reached the peak of her success during the Jazz Age of the 1920s and 30s as one of the era’s most popular female blues singers. She had a tough childhood; her parents died when she was very young and she was raised by her older sister in a life of poverty, durin...
Being the son of a sharecropper likely left Hooker with little to do, especially as he and his siblings were homeschooled and only allowed to listen to church songs. That changed when Hooker’s parents separated, and his father figure was replaced with a blues singer, who introduced Hooker to the guitar. Hooker soon developed a unique style, a combi...
Supposedly trading his soul for his musical talent, and as legend has it, meeting his end to a poisoned bottle of whiskey, Robert Johnson is a bona fide blues legend. Johnson’s 1936 and 1937 recordings, which later helped to inspire the British Blues Revival, are the only recordings Johnson ever made. The recordings, comprised entirely of an acoust...
Koko Taylor incorporated elements from several sub-genres in her music, ranging from Chicago blues all the way to soul, despite her iconic rough-and-ready voice. Taylor was known for her gritty yet powerful vocal style, which was full of raw emotion, but her vocal performances were rarely senseless screaming, and instead laden with quirky and talen...
Son House began as a preacher and church pastor. A surprise, then, that the common hostility toward the ‘devil’s music’ didn’t stop House from turning to the blues at the age of 25. House picked up the guitar and took the vocal skillshe had developed from preaching and applied them to the blues, resulting in an intense and tenacious vocal style. Af...
Burnside lived quietly for most of his early life, dabbling in guitar from the age of 16 and learning how to play the harmonica. He has reportedly said that the first time he played publicly was between the ages of 21 and 22. Burnside tried to make it in Chicago, where his father’s side of the family resided, even striking up a friendship with Mudd...
Described by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as “arguably the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music”, it’s news to nobody that Hendrix was a hugely influential figure during his short but prominent career. Hendrix took influence from electric blues and old school rock and roll, and combined those influences with highly overdriven amp...
Described by London in the famous graffiti, “Clapton is God”, Eric Clapton began his career with the Yardbirds in 1963 after playing in various local bands. He only remained with them until 1965 after they changed their sound from blues-rock to a more radio-friendly pop direction. As a guitarist, Clapton took heavy influence from Chicago blues, whi...
Learn about 11 of the best blues musicians of all time, from the original pioneers to the modern specialists. Discover their stories, styles, influences and essential albums in this article.
- 9 min
- Muddy Waters. McKinley Morganfield, more famously knowns as Muddy Waters, taught himself how to play harmonica as a child. He also took guitar lessons at 17.
- Eric Clapton. A more modern British blues singer and guitarist is Eric Clapton, who rose to fame during his time with a band called Cream in 1966. Clapton eventually went on to pursue a successful career and eventually became a household name all over the world.
- Robert Johnson. Robert Johnson spent his earlier life as a traveling musician until he was scouted by H.C. Speir in 1936. He proceeded to record his songs which easily became the biggest hits at that time.
- Jimi Hendrix. Jimi Hendrix, initially called Johnny Allen Hendrix and James Marshall Hendrix, had an early interest in music and taught himself to play only by ear.
Mar 25, 2016 · So here it is, a celebration of the 100 greatest blues singers, from the founders of the genre to the 60s blue-rock revolution, right up to the new voices keeping the scene alive… Words: Mark Blake, Alice Clark, Jamie Hailstone, Jon Harrington, Emma Johnston, Ed Mitchell, David West, Henry Yates
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Learn about 70 of the most influential and iconic blues musicians in history, from Muddy Waters to Etta James. Discover their stories, styles, and songs that shaped the genre and influenced rock, soul, and R&B.
