Music - The Blues

Unlike a lot of people, I don't proclaim that I like all sorts of music.  I'm unapologetically a fan of blues and rock.  Sure, I like bits and pieces of other styles, but blues and rock are what I keep coming back to.

I'm rarely without my music.  Because I've ripped my entire CD collection to MP3s, I enjoy it at home, in the car, at work, and anywhere I take my MP3 player.

Let's start with the Blues.  There's many varieties.  My preference is guitar-based blues that display musical virtuosity.   Some of my favorites:

Stevie Ray Vaughn
Favorite Album: Couldn't Stand The Weather

Stevie Ray Vaughn was one of my very first concerts.  I was speechless for at least an hour afterwards.  I was lucky enough to see him four times before he died.   The most phenomenal blues player ever.  I still get chills listening to some of his solos.

Kenny Wayne Shepherd
Favorite Album: Ledbetter Heights

Kenny took a lot of flack early on for being a Stevie Ray Vaughn rip-off.  There are far worse fates than that comparison at age 18.   Kenny's also a mind-blowing guitarist, and he's branched out beyond the influences of his first album.  I've seen Kenny twice, and both times were stunning.  The second show was awesome because Double Trouble (Stevie Ray's band) opened the show, and later did an hour encore with him. 

Chris Duarte
Favorite Album: Texas Sugar Strat Magic

Like Stevie Ray, Chris hails from the Austin music scene.  His first album (Texas Sugar) is the most bluesy.  When I first heard the lead song, I thought it was some long lost SRV song.  His second album didn't do so well, but his comeback third album is really great, and expands beyond the SRV sound. 

Buddy Guy
Favorite Album: Damn Right, I've Got the Blues

I came to Buddy from the back way.  In all my reading about Stevie, Buddy Guy kept popping up as an influence.   This album won a grammy, and there's not a bad song on it.

Some other favorite blues artists:

Eric Clapton
George Thorogood
Storyville
Arc Angels
The Hoax

  

 

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