Category: The Greats

  • Stevie Ray Vaughan – The Pride and Joy of Texas Blues

    On August 27, 1990, Texan blues-rocker Stevie Ray Vaughan, better known to his fans as SRV, passed away in a helicopter crash.  This was a man who had conquered his demons just a few years prior to his tragic death, coming back stronger than ever and becoming well-known to fans of different musical genres.  And…

  • Otis Rush – The Unlucky Lefty of the Chicago Blues Scene

    Despite influencing blues-rock legends in waiting like Eric Clapton and Michael Bloomfield, Otis Rush hasn’t gotten the accolades and success many other ‘50s-‘60s Chicago blues mainstays have.  That hasn’t made him any less influential, though.  He recorded some definite blues classics in the ‘50s, such as “I Can’t Quit You, Baby” and “Double Trouble”, and…

  • Eric Clapton – All About Slowhand

    Whether performing solo or in a band setting, Eric Clapton has never failed to make an impact as a musician.  The man they call “Slowhand” has always been considered one of the world’s finest guitarists, dating back to his emergence with the Yardbirds and the infamous “Clapton is God” graffiti on the walls of the…

  • Jeff Healey – unconventional to say the least

    Blindness need not be a hindrance for a musician to succeed.  Two of the best examples are Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder, both primarily known as singers, but equally capable on their instruments of choice – the piano and harmonica, respectively.  In 1988, a young man from Toronto, Canada named Jeff Healey rose to stardom…

  • Buddy Guy – Proof that Patience Pays Off in the Music Scene

    As a younger man, George “Buddy” Guy went through some of the worst things a musician could go through.  His talents were misused in several ways by record label executives, and as a result, Guy didn’t achieve the same level of recognition many other Chicago blues contemporaries did.  But as is often the case, good…

  • Billy Gibbons – ZZ Top and Beyond

    There are few things so undeniably Texas than ZZ Top, the long-running blues-rock band featuring two men with extremely long beards (guitarist/vocalist Billy Gibbons and bassist Dusty Hill) and the ironically-named, relatively clean-shaven drummer Frank Beard.  But if one were to select a driving force behind the band’s success, it would have to be Gibbons,…

  • Freddie King – Blues Royalty Gone Too Soon

    Compared to unrelated contemporaries B.B. and Albert King, Freddie King has received considerably less recognition, especially among newer blues fans.  That said, the “Texas Cannonball” is still mentioned in many Best Guitarist lists, and his body of work served as a great template for some of the ‘60s and ‘70s’ leading rock and blues musicians.…

  • Albert King – The Weight of the Velvet Bulldozer’s Influence

    He’s one of the “Three Kings of the Blues Guitar” – not as well-known as B.B., but slightly more so than Freddie.  As one of several Mississippi-born musicians who moved north to make a name in the blues scene, Albert King is still one of the most influential of them all.  Up to now, it’s…

  • B.B. King – Truly the King of the Blues

    B.B. King is one of those names one would recognize even if you aren’t a fan of the blues.  After all, he’s won numerous Grammy awards, been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and recorded several unforgettable tracks, not the least his 1969 hit “The Thrill is Gone.” In fact, even non-blues…

  • What is a 16 bar blues?

    Let’s start with the easy bit, what is a 12 bar blues? From here it’s easier to show the difference with a 16 bar blues. Typically the 12 bar pattern is 1 1 1 1 4 4 1 1 5 4 1 1 If you are wondering what these numbers mean the simplest way to…