Robert Plant begs her to “squeeze my lemon […] till the juice runs down my leg.” The Delaware Destroyer orders “one bourbon, one scotch, and one beer.” Janis Joplin screams about that “ball ’ n’ chain.” Elvis sneers that “you ain’t nothin but a hound dog.”
If you listen — really listen — to just about any rock music that has a six- or 12-string guitar or R&B vocal with knee-buckling vocals, you’ll hear echoes of original blues musicians and their Delta, Texas, Chicago, and Piedmont blues. The Stones, Clapton, Beatles, Aretha, The Dead, Hendrix, on up to Stevie Ray Vaughan, Tedeschi Trucks, Bonnie Raitt, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Joe Bonamassa, Nina Simone, and more — they all pay homage to the legacy of the blues.
Licks and lyrics, born of struggle, loss, celebration, freedom, and crossroads. Genuine, gritty, unflinching, gutbucket, and original storytelling played with a bottleneck slide, sung into a can, pressed into singles, and eventually “discovered” by a ’50s and ’60s music scene here and in Europe that was busy defining itself and hungry for its own sound.
The blues, like many of the early musicians who played it, has a history that runs the risk of dying way too young. The music and musicians deserve more love than they get. It’s a tangled family tree, there’s no denying, and there are hundreds of blues musicians who can claim fruit on its branches. But here are 15 of the most influential original blues musicians that you should know — the roots of the blues — along with an essential album from their discography. If you want to geek out further, a Spotify playlist at the bottom includes some of the most recognizable tracks.
Meet the musicians
Lead Belly (born 1888)
King of the 12-String Guitar
Charley Patton (born 1891)
Complete Recordings: 1929-1934
Blind Lemon Jefferson (born 1893)
Blind Lemon Jefferson, Vol. 2 (1927)
Bessie Smith (born 1894)
The Essential Bessie Smith
Ma Rainey (born 1899)
The Complete 1928 Sessions
Son House (born 1902)
The Complete Library of Congress Sessions (1941-1942)
Big Bill Broonzy (born 1903)
Big Bill Broonzy, Vol. 1 (1927-1932)
Howlin’ Wolf (born 1910)
The Real Folk Blues
Robert Johnson (born 1911)
King of the Delta Blues Singers
Lightnin’ Hopkins (born 1912)
Mojo Hand
Muddy Waters (born 1913)
Folk Singer
Sonny Boy Williamson (born 1914)
Vol. 1 (1937-1938), Vol. 2 (1938-1939)
John Lee Hooker (born 1917)
His Best Chess Sides
B.B. King (born 1925)
Live in Cook County Jail
Big Mama Thornton (born 1926)
Ball N’ Chain
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