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! — Masterpieces of Modern Blues (31–40)
She’s Only A WomanLonnie Johnson
Before the war, many bluesmen performed solo with a guitar in bars—similar to itinerant street musicians in Japan—but Lonnie Johnson had musical training and could play piano, guitar, and violin, and he performed a refined style of blues.
Walkin’ BluesPaul Butterfield
One of the foremost harmonica players in white blues is Paul Butterfield.
The Butterfield Blues Band he formed included outstanding players such as Mike Bloomfield.
“Walkin’ Blues” is a classic of band-style blues.
Born in the ChicagoThe Paul Butterfield Blues Band
A masterpiece that can be said to be the most standard among songs written by a white bluesman.
Born in Chicago and raised with Chicago blues as lullabies, Paul Butterfield was uniquely able to create such a work.
He also died at 44 and became a saint of the blues.
Stormy mundayAllman Brothers Band
The pinnacle of white American blues guitarists is Duane Allman.
He was especially a master of slide guitar, and there’s even an anecdote that he gave Eric Clapton some lessons.
Although he died young at 24 in a traffic accident, his divine playing remains legendary, and people still lament how incredible a guitarist he might have become had he lived.
Got My Mojo WorkingJames Cotton
James Cotton is also an outstanding harmonica player.
Although he later played music beyond the blues, such as soul, during his time with Muddy Waters’s band he delivered performances that could be considered among the greatest in blues harp history.
Recommended for Rock Fans Too! — Modern Blues Masterpieces (41–50)
Kind of blueMiles Davis
Miles Davis, who left the famous quote, “The blues isn’t something you’re taught to play.
You play it freely,” lets you savor his own take on the blues that goes beyond the realm of a jazz trumpeter.
From the 1959 album of the same title, Kind of Blue.
Hoochie Coochie ManMuddy Waters
Born in the American South, including Mississippi, the blues spread to Chicago along with Black laborers moving north in search of work.
Muddy Waters was a musician who moved from Mississippi to Chicago and is also a representative figure of Chicago blues.