Lucille Bogan
To say that Bogan was ahead of her time is a tremendous understatement. Given the adversity she...
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Category: Musician Profiles
Bob Log III
Utilizing super low tunings his slide playing sounds monstrous, the loose strings combined with his powerful finger picking let him snap and pluck and slide his dirty electric blues in a way that probably shouldn’t be possible.
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Lightnin’ Hopkins
Sam ‘Lightning’ Hopkins was a very influential Texas Blues musician whose songs have inspired everyone from the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughn to The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and many points in between.
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Charlie Patton
Charlie Patton became the epitome of the rough and tumble bluesman, his heavy drinking, smoking, womanizing and hell-raising became almost as legendary as his music. As the first blues star he would be booked in advance to play instead of rambling from town to town looking for gigs, and because of his reputation he’d always pack them in.
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Floyd Council
Floyd Council was an American blues guitarist and singer who played blues in the East Coast / Piedmont style.
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Elizabeth Cotten
She taught herself how to play the instrument, but with no conventional knowledge of tunings or techniques she developed her own unique style known as ‘Cotton Style.’
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Willie Brown
Born in Clarkdale, Mississippi, Willie Brown (not to be confused with William Brown from Arkansas) was among the earliest blues musicians, a talented guitarist and singer whose playing had a tremendous influence on the development of Delta Blues.
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Mississippi Fred McDowell
Mississippi Fred McDowell’s music is urgent and commanding. His playing is hugely rhythmic and dynamic, sparse and overflowing, passionate and heartfelt.
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Blind Blake
Arthur Blake, a.k.a. Blind Blake, was a prolific and talented guitarist who is often referred to as ‘King of the Ragtime Guitar.’ His complex and intricate fingerstyle techniques and diverse repertoire have influenced and inspired generations of players, including Reverend Gary Davis and Blind Willie McTell.
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Blind Willie Johnson
Blind Willie Johnson combined the passion of gospel music with the intensity of the blues unlike any other artist. His deep, gravelly vocals soared mightily over his haunted, burning slide guitar, creating a hard-hitting spiritual experience which remains unparalleled.
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Blind Willie McTell
Willie McTell was a Piedmont musician, remarkable not only for his powerful, clean and crisp 12-string fingerstyle technique and the ability to jump between ragtime, blues, slide, gospel, country and popular music; but also for his vocals, which sing through clear as a bell.
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Reverend Gary Davis
Reverend Gary Davis was a towering figure in the world of fingerstyle guitar. Not only was he an incredibly powerful and diverse player, but was also blessed with a voice that could shake you to your soul.
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