Favorite Blues Tunes

[TeleConvert]

Hey Y'all, tell me your favorite blues songs (with artist).
I've been hitting the blues jams here in town, and I want to learn some more songs, so I don't have to keep playing "Red House" and "Mustang Sally" for the rest of my life!

[Filthy McNasty]

Trying to stay away from the usual suspects

"Stop & Listen" Mississippi Sheiks
"I'll Take Care Of You" Bobby Bland
"My Woman Has Got A Black Cat Bone" Hop Wilson

[Telarkaster]

Off the top of my head, I'll say Stormy Monday by the Allmans...

But if I think more than 2 seconds I can come up with dozens of others!

[garytelecastor]

Perennial Faves:

Tore Down-Eric Clapton
Black Magic Woman-Santana
Confidence Man-Jeff Healy
Mercury Blues-Ry Cooder
Man into a Monkey-Delbert McClinton

[markothefish]

1) Born Under A Bad Sign - Albert King
2) Hoochie Coochie Man - Muddy Waters
3) I'm Tore Down - Freddie King
4) Messin' With The Kid - Junior Wells
5) Three O'Clock Blues - B.B. King
6) The Little Red Rooster - Willie Dixon
7) Sweet Home Chicago - Robert Johnson
8) Shake Your Moneymaker - Elmore James
9) Five Long Years - B.B. King
10) Statesboro Blues - Taj Mahal

[Tremo]

Originally Posted by Telarkaster

Off the top of my head, I'll say Stormy Monday by the Allmans...

But if I think more than 2 seconds I can come up with dozens of others!

In addition to Red House, Mustang Sally, and Pride and Joy, Stormy Monday has got to be one of the most overplayed ad-nauseum tunes at blues jams. Blech.....

Fer Crissakes learn your Freddy King instrumentals, they are basically Blues 101: Hideaway, The Stumble, Sidetracked, San-Ho-Zay and Heads-Up.

If you wanna play a T-Bone Walker tune, learn T-Bone Shuffle, 2 Bones and a Pick or Strollin' With the Bone and skip the overplayed Stormy Monday.

How about some BB King? Woke Up This Morning, Everyday I Have the Blues, How Blue Can You Get are good 'uns. Any of the Louis Jordan tunes that BB covered are also fair game.

Can't go wrong with Albert King, how about Crosscut Saw and Walked All Night Long.

Albert Collins - Travellin' South, I Ain't Drunk, Don't Lose Your Cool

Some Johnny Guitar Watson perhaps, Hot Little Mama, I Was Lookin' Back,

If you really want to throw a curve, learn some very early Peter Green era Fleetwood Mac like Albatross and Black Magic Woman.

How about some Howlin' Wolf.... Sittin' On Top of the World, I Didn't Know

The double-shuffles are your friend.

That will get you started and out of the rut of the playing the same old crap over and over till you're ready to puke. Watch out though, a lot of guys coming to blues jams don't know squat beyond SRV, Hendrix, SRV, Allmans, and SRV.

[TeleConvert]

Thanks, all. The youngsters do tend towards blues as interpreted by the usual suspects (Clapton, SRV, etc). But there's some cats my age and older (I'm 43) who are delving into some of the Chicago stuff as well as delta stuff (dude did Catfish Blues the other night), so I think that I can get in better with that kind of thing than the more recent things. The soulful stuff which has been suggested will help a lot!

[shades]

How's about All of Your Love or Thats All I Need by Magic Sam?
Maybe It Takes Time by Mike Bloomfield would work for ya.

[Jim W]

You don't love me (Willie Cobbs song) done by Willie Cobb, John Hammond, Mayall, Allman Brothers, Booker T. and the MGs, Kooper and Still (Super Session).

I want to go (J.B. Lenoir) and John Mayall

Double trouble (Otis Rush)

All the songs on the first 2 Butterfield Blues Band Lps

[dsharman]

Another B.B. King tune to throw in is "Ask Me No Questions" It is also fun to throw in some Ray Charles tunes to add to the mix. Maybe not pure blues, but certainly blues infused.

[whodatpat]

Payin the Cost to be the Boss, BB King.

Wife got me tickets to finally see him in March. :-)

[Hockey Rocker]

These are ten of my faves sing & play, for what that's worth. Guilty is my overall favorite, I guess.

"Sweet Sixteen" - BB King
"Matchbox/Goin' Up the Country medley" - Blind Lemon Jefferson/Canned Heat
"Love in Vain" - Robert Johnson
"Moonchild Blues" - Robben Ford
"Hideaway" - Freddy King
"Steppin' Out" - Bluesbreakers via James Bracken
"Mary Had a Little Lamb" - Buddy Guy
"Guilty" - Randy Newman
"Please Come Home for Christmas" - Charles Brown
"Hoochie Coochie Man" - Muddy Waters

[wilkat1]

Mean Town Blues - Johnny Winter
Cake Walk - Taj Mahal
The Same Thing - Muddy
You Can't Lose What You Never Had - Muddy
It Hurts Me Too - Elmore James
Shake Your Moneymaker - Elmore James
BB King - All Over Again ["I've got a mind to give up living and go shopping instead...."]
Albert King - Crosscut Saw, Laundromat Blues

For jams, learn Muddy's "Bus Driver." Great lyrical turn in the first verse: "He used to give her rides in the daytime, now she's giving him rides at night."

[wilkat1]

Originally Posted by dsharman

Another B.B. King tune to throw in is "Ask Me No Questions" It is also fun to throw in some Ray Charles tunes to add to the mix. Maybe not pure blues, but certainly blues infused.

Anyone who hasn't heard Johnny Winter's take of "Drown In My Own Tears" should check it out post haste. For that matter, make sure you have it by Ray too.

[rand z]

1 - double trouble (otis rush)

2 - have you ever loved a woman (freddy king)

3 - nobody knows you when you're down and out (bessie smith)

4 - big road blues (tommy johnson)

5 - dark was the night, cold was the ground (willie johnson)

6 - same ol blues (jj cale)

7 - burnin' hell (john lee hooker)

8 - write me a few of your lines (fred mcdowell)

9 - corina corina (john hurt)

10 - forty days, forty nights (mckinley morganfield)

and, many, many, many more...

imho.

rand z tropicalsoul.net

[Durtdog]

I like the older delta style of blues.

A couple:
Spoonful--Charlie Patton
Aberdeen Mississippi Blues--Bukka White

I also love Leadbelly, but lots of folks don't consider his music blues.

[mildwild]

Still Got The Blues For You
bt Gary Moore.

Damn Your Eyes
by Etta James

[Telemarkman]

"Austin City Blues" (12:09) Roy Buchanan 1972-12-16 Heinz Hall, Pittsburg

Mostly instrumental, Roy manages to vary his playing to the degree that he doesn't repeat himself once. And the band is explosive, especially the bass player, Junior Gill. One of Roy's greatest performances ever!

[Pete Galati]

Junior Wells - Messin' With The Kid

[Alpino_321]

"Evil On My Mind" - Johnny Winters
"My Eyes (Keep Me In Trouble) - Muddy Waters
"These Arms Of Mine" - Roy Buchanan
"Killing Floor" - Howlin' Wolf

[mistermullens]

Sooo many. I'll just post some of my favs

Muddy Waters

1. Champgne & Reefer
2. She's Nineteen Years Old
3. Hoochie Coochie Man
4. Mannish Boy

Cream

1. Outside Women Blues
2. Steppin' Out

Howlin' Wolf

1. Killin' Floor
2. Goin' Down Slow
3. Spoonful

I've also found that the album Jimmy Rodgers Allstars is an exceptional blues set.

[Tremo]

Originally Posted by TeleConvert

Thanks, all. The youngsters do tend towards blues as interpreted by the usual suspects (Clapton, SRV, etc). But there's some cats my age and older (I'm 43) who are delving into some of the Chicago stuff as well as delta stuff (dude did Catfish Blues the other night), so I think that I can get in better with that kind of thing than the more recent things. The soulful stuff which has been suggested will help a lot!

Can't go wrong with the Chicago stuff or the swamp stuff. Try to steer clear of the kids and their SRV, Clapper, Hendrix, Gary Moore and Walter Trout noodlings.

For Chicago, look into: Muddy, Little Walter, Wolf, Willie Dixon, Jr. Lockwood, Magic Sam, Sonny Boy Williamson 1 and 2. Lowell Fulsom?? Reconsider Baby!

For swamp blues, learn some Slim Harpo like Scratch My Back and I'm Gonna Keep What I Got.

[howlin]

Too many to name but here's a few . . .

Born Under a Bad Sign - Albert King
Life Is Hard - Johnny Winter
44 Blues - J. Winter And
Mean Town Blues - J.Winter
I Pity the Fool - J.J. Jones, et. al [www.myspace.com/jjbadboyjones]
Blues in the Night - the Matteson Allstars [http://profile.myspace.com/liveatbananas]
Live the Life I love and Love the Life I live - Mose Allison
Pretty much anything by Howlin' Wolf
I Can't Quit You Baby - Otis Rush
All Your Love - Magic Sam
Howlin' on My Darlin' - Albert King [Door to Door]
I'm Ready - Muddy Waters
Pretty much anything written, produced or played on by Willie Dixon
Play the Blues[album] - Buddy Guy & Junior Wells
Etc., etc., etc . . .