Of the British blues acts of the late 60s, it's Fleetwood Mac and The Groundhogs for me. Both moved into more adventurous territory fairly early on.
Of the British blues acts of the late 60s, it's Fleetwood Mac and The Groundhogs for me. Both moved into more adventurous territory fairly early on.
Love Mato:
No, I simply replied to your bold statement. That's all.Originally Posted by Fracktured
And, to be honest, I probably shouldn't have listed Trower, since he doesn't fit the category very well. So, replace him with Duane Allmann. Personally, I think Johnny Winter is the greatest because of his body of work. But, I could be convinced otherwise. Maybe even Robert Johnson.
Greatness, IMO, is about what they bring to the table. I don't think SRV brought anything but popularity after it had waned for several years.
Last edited by ronmac; 02-13-2016 at 09:24 AM.
"The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you got to load or unload go to the White Zone!"
No argument here. I posted this thread so that members not familiar with some artists could get a chance to branch out.
I'll re-emphasize, SVR was a better "Blues guitarist" than any on your list. If you pigeonhole Hendrix as solely a "Blues guitarist" than you are selling him short, as his abilities went far beyond just playing the blues both in style, technique and, obviously tone.
I saw Hendrix live in Philadelphia in 1968, and thought that he was the greatest and most influential electric guitar player in the world. And 45 years later, I still do, but I don't limit him to the blues simply because he didn't and, with his talented abilities, couldn't. And SVR's playing had a more natural blues feel due to him being a student and fan of the electric blues genre which is where Hendrix, to best of my knowledge as I'm a super Hendrix fan, wasn't.
Last edited by StevegSr; 02-13-2016 at 10:44 AM.
To be or not to be? That is the point. - Harry Nilsson.
With all due respect Ron, I think you're still selling SRV a little short. He only had a handful of studio albums and just one after he got cleaned up. We were just getting a clear picture of what he was capable of. The old guard (BB, Buddy, Albert) all loved him like a son and none of those guys tolerate a poseur. Was SRV the greatest ever? Nah. But he was good enough to trade licks with Albert and Buddy and the real tragedy is we never got to see where he was going to go after In Step.
The more live Stones stuff I hear the more I appreciate Mick Taylor's playing.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
^Mick Taylor is flat-out amazing on things like the live 'Love In Vain'- their live work generally was at an all-time peak then. I've read with some disappointment Keith Richards' rather backhanded comments towards him over the years- by contrast I've seen some rather misty eyed quotes from Mick Jagger about just what was lost when Taylor left. The mention of 'Love In Vain' brings me to...
This cropped up in another thread a few months ago, remarkable how so many of his songs became standards. Most of them have received notable covers over the years.
Last edited by JJ88; 02-13-2016 at 11:02 AM.
I concur with you. I saw Stevie Ray twice (once with B.B. King - what a show!), and the dude could flat out jam - one of the greatest guitarists I've ever seen live going back to my first concert in '72. And as you inferred, he was taken in by Albert King as a teenager, and jammed with the greats as an equal. I think the main critique of SRV is that he was a follower, not an innovator. You could literally hear his influences on many songs: Hendrix, Albert King, Buddy Guy, etc. So, maybe not top ten of all time, but top 20 certainly.
Oh, and as far as I'm concerned, the Rolling Stones went to hell after Mick Taylor left.
"And your little sister's immaculate virginity wings away on the bony shoulders of a young horse named George who stole surreptitiously into her geography revision."
Occasional musical musings on https://darkelffile.blogspot.com/
Pat O'Brien and The Priests of Love
I agree that SVR was a follower and not an innovator but he took the licks and styles of Buddy Guy and Albert king and supercharged them. These old black cats were in awe of him and rightly so. Few of these old cats could keep up with him in a live jam and I always felt that SVR held back in order not too outshine his heroes.
To be or not to be? That is the point. - Harry Nilsson.
Ry Cooder and Captain Beefheart, underrated blues beyond belief from '67:
"And your little sister's immaculate virginity wings away on the bony shoulders of a young horse named George who stole surreptitiously into her geography revision."
Occasional musical musings on https://darkelffile.blogspot.com/
Yeah! Another great old album! And what a difference from Trout Mask that followed a short time later.
To be or not to be? That is the point. - Harry Nilsson.
Never was a fan of Trout Mask, even on acid. Safe as Milk was much more cohesive and the playing better.
"And your little sister's immaculate virginity wings away on the bony shoulders of a young horse named George who stole surreptitiously into her geography revision."
Occasional musical musings on https://darkelffile.blogspot.com/
Trout Mask on acid! Now that's a scary thought!
To be or not to be? That is the point. - Harry Nilsson.
Yes, I would suggest In the Court of the Crimson King or In Search of the Lost Chord as better alternatives.Trout Mask on acid! Now that's a scary thought!
"And your little sister's immaculate virginity wings away on the bony shoulders of a young horse named George who stole surreptitiously into her geography revision."
Occasional musical musings on https://darkelffile.blogspot.com/
"Blues" is a broad enough genre that it's easy to experience wildly different tracks back to back.
Blind Willie McTell followed by Taj Mahal followed by Debbie Davies followed by Coco Montoya followed by Earl Hooker..... You never need get tired of the blues.
Have not seen any mention of one my personal favorites Walter Trout:
SRV was my gateway drug upon watching his Austin City Limits performance around 1984. The next year, Robert Jr. Lockwood opened my ears to the traditional blues. From that point on, I started collecting vintage artists' CD reissues. From '85 forward, I've seen a fair number of shows, nowhere comparable to some of you - here's a nearly complete list (with * = multiple concerts) - I'm sure more will come to mind after I post:
Robert Jr. Lockwood* (Robert Johnson's stepson)(opening for Rick Wakeman(!))
SRV (Live Alive tour, w/Blackfoot opening)
Debbie Davies* (she had a killer guitarist with her for her Ft Lauderdale '92 show by the name of "Smokin' Opie" - anyone else know anything about this guy?)
Mick Taylor
John Mayall / Bluesbreakers* (w/Coco Montoya on guitar around '91 or so)
Coco Montoya solo
Eric Clapton* (incl. the From the Cradle Tour w/Clarence Gatemoth Brown opening)
Clarence Gatemouth Brown (another criminally underrattended show, in West Palm Beach - sat with him for dinner and conversation before the show)
Junior Wells & Buddy Guy
Koko Taylor*
BB King* (w/Jeff Beck on encore on one date, with Galactic and Guitar Shop opening)
James Cotton
John Lee Hooker
Dave Hole (Australian slide guitarist - Michael Jeter lookalike)
Tinsley Ellis*
Matt Guitar Murphy (though more light jazz than blues)
A.C. Reed (what a racist asshat HE was)
Reverend Gary Davis
Buddy Guy* (once with Derek Trucks opening)
Pinetop Perkins (touring in his 90's!!!)
R.L. Burnside
Bonnie Raitt (half blues, half her Nick of Time stuff)
Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson
Roy Rogers* (shaddap PE trolls, NOT the cowboy)
Kenny Wayne Shepherd (w/G3 on Fripp-as-opener tour)
Eric Johnson (blues set in Miami Blues Fest lineup)
Robin Trower* (with Jim Dandy and black Oak Arkansas opening for one show!)
George Thorogood & the Destroyers
Elvin Bishop (more like a hybrid stand-up comedy/blues show - hilarious!)
Washboard Bill Cooke
Jeff Beck*
Robert Cray
(honorable mention to Steve Hackett performing Freddy King's "The Stumble" as the encore at his 1991 Detroit Marquee showwe'll just pretend Blues With a Feeling doesn't exist... )
Last edited by -=RTFR666=-; 02-14-2016 at 09:05 PM.
-=Will you stand by me against the cold night, or are you afraid of the ice?=-
I was never a big fan of SRW (own 2 early albums)
But if you like his style check this out - much more happening on Scotts blues albums
Pat O'Brien is the fenomenal harp player here.
The first two are all you need from SRV, really
my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.
For fun, I've always joyed seeing Jonathan Edwards around bars in Michigan:
"And your little sister's immaculate virginity wings away on the bony shoulders of a young horse named George who stole surreptitiously into her geography revision."
Occasional musical musings on https://darkelffile.blogspot.com/
We got a whole thread devoted to that. Mick Taylor left at the same time as Keith's songwriting well ran low. Heroin is one helluva drug.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
Charlie or Charley Patton, anyone? Been gravitating more and more to acoustic Delta blues over the past couple decades, particularly with mastering enhancements on recent releases. It used to be very difficult to hear these forefathers over the scratches (although I do recall owning a few Mississippi John Hurt and Skip James albums in the 70s).
"And your little sister's immaculate virginity wings away on the bony shoulders of a young horse named George who stole surreptitiously into her geography revision."
Occasional musical musings on https://darkelffile.blogspot.com/
The problem with Charley Patton's body of work for me is that the sound quality is particularly poor. You can barely make out a word he's singing.
I didn't realize that the "list" needed to be players who played solely the blues. Still, if you think SRV was better than Johnny Winter, you really need to school up on Johnny.
Hendrix helped define electric blues. He was a huge fan of his predecessors, as well, and played with many of them. He brought so much to the table and many of the legends who were still alive at the time compared some of his originals, like "Hear My Train A-Comin'," to the masters.
I haven't sold him high or short. I merely stated that he wasn't the greatest ever, with which any objective person would concur. Yes, he was a great player. Personally, he does nothing for me, because there was nothing new that I ever heard. Great singer, too. And, I also never cared for the whole hat-and-strat thing, which was about 15 years too late. Seemed kinda phony to me.
This.
But, don't get me wrong. I'd kill to be able to play like him. But, I think he benefited a whole lot from timing and promotion. The work that Johnny Winter was doing for Alligator at the same time, IMO, blows his away.
"The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you got to load or unload go to the White Zone!"
Poor Bob Dylan. Wrote great songs, hall-of-fame songs, all-time songs of social import. Unfortunately, his versions often got owned by other artists. You have Hendrix bringing "All Along the Watchtower" to an alternate universe, The Byrds stealing "Mr. Tamborine Man", and Johnny Fucking Winter slaughtering bodies all along Highway 61:
"And your little sister's immaculate virginity wings away on the bony shoulders of a young horse named George who stole surreptitiously into her geography revision."
Occasional musical musings on https://darkelffile.blogspot.com/
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