Robert Johnson
October 31st, 2007
The story of Robert Johnson meeting the devil at the crossroads has been told so many times that we are all in danger of becoming honorary Ralph Macchios. Luckily, this legend is backed up with incredible music. The truth is that Johnson became the undisputed master of Delta Blues so quickly after taking up the guitar that fellow musicians joked that ol' Scratch must have had something to do with it. Johnson was a deeply troubled man who poured his mental anguish into intoxicating music and vivid lyrics. His style, songs, tortured life and murder at the hands of a jealous woman have made him an American icon. Robert Johnson only recorded a handful of songs but has left a vast musical legacy. - Jon Pruett
The Derek Trucks Band
Child prodigy Derek Trucks is a fiery guitar slinger whose slow-burn slide style owes a lot to the legends of the blues. Like a younger version of Stevie Ray Vaughan (sans the been-at-the-bottle-too-long growl), Trucks' jams duplicate the dips and twists of Buddy Guy and Al King. A kid no more, Trucks now fronts his own band, a formidable blues unit deeply rooted in Southern Rock soil. - Chad Driscoll
Bobby "Blue" Bland
One of the few bluesmen who's solely known for his singing, Bobby "Blue" Bland has been a major player in blues since the mid-1950s. Often working with B.B. King, and always showcasing a voice that can be as smooth a silk one minute and deeply tortured the next, Bland had a string of hits in the '50s and '60s. Early on, his work was straight-up Texas country, but as he aged his music and singing style laid much of the groundwork for what's called "soul blues" today. - Mike McGuirk