Recommended for rock fans too! — A classic album of modern blues
The birth of the blues, often called the root of rock ’n’ roll and jazz, dates back to the late 19th century.
Its forms are diverse and can’t be summed up in a single phrase: from Delta blues and country blues—often referred to as prewar blues—to Chicago blues and modern blues, which developed after the war in Chicago and incorporated electric instruments.
In this article, we introduce classic blues albums whose style and spirit continue to be carried on by many musicians even in the 2020s.
The lineup focuses mainly on modern blues that’s easy for beginners to enjoy, so even those who usually listen to rock will find it accessible.
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Recommended for rock fans too! — Classic Albums of Modern Blues (’71–’80)
Ain’t going to worry, about tomorrowRoosevelt ”Booba” Barnes
A bluesman from the Deep South.
This richly earthy, intoxicating Delta blues has a flavor that only someone born and raised in the South can convey.
He’s a craftsman who took 30 years from debuting in clubs to releasing an album.
The fact that such a cool, genuinely skilled bluesman remains unknown shows just how vast America is.
It Hurts Me TooTampa Red
Tampa Red, a U.S.
musician and a wizard of single-string slide-style guitar.
He was a versatile type who wrote his own songs and both played and sang.
This track, too, has been covered many times by later musicians.
DOWN HOME BLUESZZ Hill
This is a classic song by ZZ Hill, a blues singer from Texas in the United States who was active from the 1970s to the 1980s.
It was included on his 1982 album “Down Home,” released by Malaco Records, a label that handled many excellent blues releases at the time.
Till Your Lovin’ Makes Me BlueAynsley Dunbar Retaliation
An original song from the period when Ainsley Dunbar, known as a session drummer, was performing under a band name.
The highlight is a slow blues so heavy it can wear you out.
It never achieved commercial success in the end, but if you’re a fan, this is something you’ll want to have covered at least to this extent.
Have You Ever Loved A WomanEric Clapton
Blues, which originated as Black music, caught the attention of young people in the UK and inspired followers.
Blues performed by white musicians is sometimes called white blues, and Eric Clapton was one of its finest players.
I’ll Play The Blues For YouAlbert King
Albert King, born in 1923 in Indianola, Mississippi, was a guitarist, blues singer, and drummer.
While working in the cotton fields, he taught himself to play the guitar and began performing the blues.
Alongside B.B.
King, he is considered one of the most influential figures on rock artists; his simple, powerful guitar style—heavy on string bending—was emulated by musicians such as Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton.
Standing 195 cm tall and weighing 110 kg, he was left-handed and famously played a Gibson Flying V upside down, keeping it strung for right-handed players.
His 1961 hit “Don’t Throw Your Love on Me So Strong” reached No.
14 on the R&B chart, and “Born Under a Bad Sign” became widely known after being covered by Cream.
“I’ll Play the Blues for You,” released in 1972, became one of his signature songs.
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013.
Key to the HighwayBig Bill Broozy
Big Bill Broonzy, born in 1893 in Scott County, Mississippi, was an American blues singer, guitarist, and songwriter who composed nearly 300 blues songs over his lifetime and is regarded as a pioneer of the Chicago blues style.
In 1924, he left Mississippi for Chicago, where he met Papa Charlie Jackson, learned guitar from him, and in 1929 made his first recordings as a solo singer.
Later, in 1936, he became one of the first blues singers to use a small group.
“Key to the Highway” is one of his best-known songs and was released by Columbia Records.