The Top 100 Blues Acts of All Time

Blues: Top 100 Acts

These are the top 100 blues acts of all time as determined by aggregating 50 best-of lists focused on blues artists. Click on names to see their entries in the Dave’s Music Database Music Makers Encyclopedia. See other lists of Acts/Music Makers by Genre. 1. Robert Johnson 2. Muddy Waters 3. B.B. King 4. Howlin’ Wolf 5. John Lee Hooker 6. Stevie Ray Vaughan 7. Albert King 8. Buddy Guy 9. Eric Clapton 10. Bessie Smith Robert Johnson 11. T-Bone Walker 12. Leadbelly 13. Son House 14. Lightnin’ Hopkins 15. Freddie King 16. Etta James 17. Elmore James 18. Jimi Hendrix 19. Willie Dixon 20. Ma Rainey Muddy Waters 21. Jimmy Reed 22. Ray Charles 23. Blind Lemon Jefferson 24. Johnny Winter 25. Big Mama Thornton 26. John Mayall 27. Charley Patton 28. Big Bill Broonzy 29. Koko Taylor 30. Little Walter John Lee Hooker 31. Billie Holiday 32. Skip James 33. Sister Rosetta Tharpe 34. Albert Collins 35. Mississippi John Hurt 36. Bonnie Raitt 37. Otis Rush 38. Janis Joplin 39. Joe Bonamassa 40. Lonnie Johnson Howlin’ Wolf 41. W.C. Handy 42. Mamie Smith 43. Taj Mahal 44. Memphis Minnie 45. Bobby “Blue” Bland 46. Sonny Boy Williamson #2 (Rice Miller) 47. Rory Gallagher 48. Peter Green 49. Louis Jordan 50. Reverend Gary Davis B.B. King 51. Sonny Boy Williamson #1 (John Lee Williamson) 52. Robert Cray 53. Paul Butterfield 54. Blind Willie Johnson 55. Big Joe Turner 56. Magic Sam 57. Blind Willie McTell 58. Bukka White 59. Junior Wells 60. Tampa Red Son House 61. Professor Longhair 62. Tommy Johnson 63. Otis Spann 64. Slim Harpo 65. Charles Brown 66. Ruth Brown 67. R.L. Burnside 68. Chuck Berry 69. Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup 70. Mike Bloomfield Stevie Ray Vaughan 71. Mississippi Fred McDowell 72. Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown 73. Brownie McGhee 74. Roosevelt Sykes 75. Luther Allison 76. Blind Boy Fuller 77. Leroy Carr 78. Victoria Spivey 79. Big Joe Williams 80. Little Milton Bessie Smith 81. Arthur “Blind Blake” Phelps 82. J.B. Lenoir 83. Gary Moore 84. Duane Allman 85. John Mayer 86. Keb’ Mo’ 87. Wynonie Harris 88. Robert Nighthawk 89. Ida Cox 90. Bo Diddley Leadbelly 91. Son Seals 92. Hound Dog Taylor 93. Sonny Terry 94. J.B. Hutto 95. Susan Tedeschi 96. Shemekia Copeland 97. Roy Buchanan 98. Dinah Washington 99. Gus Cannon 100. Fats Domino Buddy Guy Resources/Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: Lists of Acts/Music Makers by Genre Dave’s Music Database: Top 50 Blues Albums of All Time Dave’s Music Database: Top 100 Blues Songs of All Time First posted 7/16/2011; last updated 3/16/2026.

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Top 100 Blues Songs of All Time

Blues: Top 100 Songs

This list was compiled by aggregating 38 lists focused on blues songs. The top 100 songs according to the aggregate of the lists were then re-ranked based on overall points in Dave’s Music Database. The aggregated list and the Dave’s Music Database rankings were then average together for the final result. In most cases, only one version of a song is listed below. Exceptions include Robert Johnson’s “I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom” and its even more iconic cover by Elmore James as well as Robert Johnson’s “Crossroads” and its classic-rock cover by Cream. Click here to see other genre-specific song lists. 1. Muddy Waters “Mannish Boy” (1955) 2. John Lee Hooker “Boogie Chillen” (1949) 3. B.B. King “The Thrill Is Gone” (1969) 4. Muddy Waters “Hoochie Coochie Man” (1954) 5. Howlin’ Wolf “Smokestack Lightning” (1956) 6. Robert Johnson “Cross Road Blues (aka ‘Crossroads’)” (1936) 7. T-Bone Walker “Call It Stormy Monday” (1948) 8. John Lee Hooker “Boom Boom” (1962) 9. Robert Johnson “Hell Hound on My Trail” (1937) 10. Elmore James “I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom” (1952) 11. Albert King “Born Under a Bad Sign” (1967) 12. Robert Johnson “Sweet Home Chicago” (1936) 13. Bessie Smith & Jimmie Cox “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” (1929) 14. Elmore James “The Sky Is Crying” (1960) 15. Little Walter “Juke” (1952) 16. Clarence “Pine Top” Smith “Pine Top’s Boogie Woogie” (1929) 17. Muddy Waters “Got My Mojo Working” (1956) 18. Big Joe Williams “Baby Please Don’t Go” (1941) 19. Sonny Boy Williamson #1 “Good Morning Little School” (1937) 20. Howlin’ Wolf “How Many More Years” (1951) 21. Guitar Slim “The Things That I Used to Do” (1954) 22. Otis Rush “I Can’t Quit You Baby” (1956) 23. Etta James “At Last” (1960) 24. Mamie Smith “Crazy Blues” (1920) 25. The Jimi Hendrix Experience “Red House” (1967) 26. Blind Willie McTell “Statesboro Blues” (1927) 27. Bo Diddley “I’m a Man” (1955) 28. Canned Heat “On the Road Again” (1968) 29. Big Bill Broonzy “Key to the Highway” (1941) 30. Robert Johnson “Come on in My Kitchen” (1937) 31. Muddy Waters “Rollin’ Stone” (1950) 32. Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble “Pride and Joy” (1983) 33. Muddy Waters “I Can’t Be Satisfied” (1948) 34. Little Walter “My Babe” (1955) 35. Robert Johnson “Love in Vain” (1937) 36. Charley Patton “Pony Blues” (1929) 37. Big Mama Thornton “Hound Dog” (1953) 38. Cream “Crossroads” (live, 1969) 39. B.B. King “Every Day I Have the Blues” (1955) 40. Gary Moore “Still Got the Blues” (1990) 41. Muddy Waters “I Just Want to Make Love to You” (1954) 42. Lowell Fulson “Reconsider Baby” (1954) 43. Roosevelt Sykes “Forty Four Blues” (1929) 44. Freddie King “Hideaway” (1961) 45. Howlin’ Wolf “Spoonful” (1960) 46. Elmore James “Shake Your Moneymaker” (1961) 47. Slim Harpo “I’m a King Bee” (1957) 48. Ma Rainey “See See Rider Blues” (1925) 49. The Mississippi Sheiks “Sitting on Top of the World” (1930) 50. Louis Jordan “Let the Good Times Roll” (1946) 51. Leroy Carr with Scrapper Blackwell “How Long, How Long Blues” (1928) 52. Blind Willie Johnson “Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground” (1928) 53. Magic Sam “All Your Love” (1957) 54. Koko Taylor “Wang Dang Doodle” (1965) 55. Blind Lemon Jefferson “Black Snake Moan” (1927) 56. Freddie King “I’m Tore Down” (1961) 57. Robert Petway “Catfish Blues” (1941) 58. Junior Wells with Buddy Guy “Messin’ with the Kid” (1970) 59. Wilson Pickett “Mustang Sally” (1966) 60. Blind Lemon Jefferson “Matchbox Blues” (1927) 61. Clarence Carter “Slip Away” (1968) 62. B.B. King “Three O’Clock Blues” (1951) 63. John Lee Hooker “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer” (1966) 64. Howlin’ Wolf “The Killing Floor” (1964) 65. Son House “Death Letter Blues” (1930) 66. Robert Johnson “I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom” (1936) 67. Big Mama Thornton “Ball and Chain” (1968) 68. Bobby “Blue” Bland “Further on Up the Road” (1957) 69. W.C. Handy “The Memphis Blues” (1912) 70. Jimmy Reed “Big Boss Man” (1960) 71. Buddy Guy “Damn Right, I’ve Got the Blues” (1991) 72. Skip James “Devil Got My Woman” (1931) 73. Fleetwood Mac “Black Magic Woman” (1968) 74. Howlin’ Wolf “The Little Red Rooster” (1961) 75. Robert Johnson “Me and the Devil Blues” (1937) 76. Canned Heat “Going Up the Country” (1968) 77. Eddie Boyd “Five Long Years” (1952) 78. Sonny Boy Williamson II “Help Me” (1963) 79. Louis Jordan “I Know What You’re Putting Down” (1946) 80. T-Bone Walker “Mean Old World” (1942) 81. John Lee Hooker “I’m in the Mood” (1951) 82. Etta James “I’d Rather Go Blind” (1968) 83. Robert Johnson “Stop Breakin’ Down” (1937) 84. Tampa Red with Georgia Tom “It’s Tight Like That” (1928) 85. Albert Collins “If Trouble Was Money” (1984) 86. Elmore James “One Way Out” (1961) 87. Big Joe Williams “Blues on Highway 49” (1935) 88. Elmore James “It Hurts Me Too” (1965) 89. Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble “Texas Flood” (1983) 90. Howlin’ Wolf “I Ain’t Superstitious” (1961) 91. The Paul Butterfield Blues Band “Born in Chicago” (1965) 92. Memphis Slim “Messin’ Around” (1948) 93. Hound Dog Taylor “Give Me Back My Wig” (1971) 94. Howlin’ Wolf “Back Door Man” (1960) 95. B.B. King “How Blue Can You Get?” (1963) 96. Sonny Boy Williamson II “Eyesight to the Blind” (1951) 97. Robert Johnson “Travelling Riverside Blues” (1937) 98. Roy Brown “Hard Luck Blues” (1950) 99. Son House “Preachin’ Blues” (1930) 100. Muddy Waters “You Shook Me” (1962) Resources/Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: “Other Genre/Category Song Lists” Dave’s Music Database: “Blues Hall of Fame: Song Inductees” First posted 8/19/2015; last updated 9/11/2023.

Blues Hall of Fame: Song Inductees, 1983-2023

Blues Hall of Fame: Song Inductees, 1983-2023

The Blues Hall of Fame, operated by the Blues Foundation, officially opened its doors in Memphis, Tennessee in 2015. However, they started in 1980 honoring performers, non-performers, literature, albums, and “Classics of Blues Recording: Singles or Album Tracks.” This page lists those songs which have been inducted since the first year in 1983 through the present. Check other lists based on charts, sales, and airplay here. Year of Induction: Performer “Song” (year released) A 2016: Billy Boy Arnold “I Wish You Would” (1955) 2014: Kokomo Arnold “Milk Cow Blues” (1934) B 2022: Baby Face Leroy Trio “Rollin’ and Tumblin’” (1950) 2022: Bobby "Blue" Bland “Further on Up the Road” (1957) 2018: Booker T. & the MG's “Green Onions” (1962) 2011: Eddie Boyd “Five Long Years” (1952) 1991: Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats “Rocket 88” (1951) 2010: Big Bill Broonzy “Key to the Highway” (1941) 1989: Charles Brown “Driftin' Blues” (1945) 2005: Charles Brown “Black Night” (1951) 2016: Charles Brown with Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers “Merry Christmas Baby” (1947) 2022: Roy Brown & His Orchestra “Good Rockin' Tonight” (1948) 2020: Ruth Brown “Mama He Treats Your Daughter Mean” (1953) 2020: Willie Brown “Future Blues” (1930) C 1988: Leroy Carr “How Long, How Long Blues” (1928) 2016: Leroy Carr & Scrapper Blackwell “Blues Before Sunrise” (1934) 2019: Ray Charles “I Gotta Woman (aka "I've Got a Woman")” (1955) 2020: Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup “That’s All Right, Mama” (1946) D-E 1994: Larry Davis “Texas Flood” (1958) 2017: Bo Diddley “Bo Diddley” (1955) 2018: Bo Diddley “I’m a Man” (1955) 2006: Bill Doggett “Honky Tonk (Parts 1 & 2)” (1956) F-G 1993: Lowell Fulson “Reconsider Baby” (1954) 2023: Lowell Fulson “Black Nights” (1965) H-I 2017: W.C. Handy “Father of the Blues” (1941) 1997: Slim Harpo “Baby Scratch My Back” (1966) 2014: Erskine Hawkins “After Hours” (1940) 2020: Bertha “Chippie” Hill “Trouble in Mind” (1926) 2000: Z.Z. Hill “Down Home Blues” (1981) 1985: John Lee Hooker “Boogie Chillen” (1949) 2009: John Lee Hooker “Boom Boom” (1962) 2023: Lightnin' Hopkins “Mojo Hand” (1960) 2007: Son House “Death Letter Blues” (1965) 2017: Son House “Preachin’ Blues” (1930) 2023: Son House “My Black Mama” (1930) 1985: Howlin' Wolf “Smokestack Lightning” (1956) 1991: Howlin' Wolf “The Killing Floor” (1964) 2010: Howlin' Wolf “Spoonful” (1960) 2013: Howlin' Wolf “How Many More Years” (1951) 2017: Howlin' Wolf “I Ain’t Superstitious” (1962) 2023: Howlin' Wolf “Little Red Rooster” (1961) J 1986: Little Walter Jacobs & His Night Cats “Juke” (1952) 2008: Little Walter Jacobs “My Babe” (1955) 1983: Elmore James “I Believe I'll Dust My Broom” (1952) 2019: Elmore James “Shake Your Moneymaker” (1961) 1991, 2019: Elmore James “The Sky Is Crying” (1960) 2006: Skip James “Devil Got My Woman” (1931) 2011: Skip James “Hard Time Killin’ Floor Blues” (1931) 2010: Blind Lemon Jefferson “Matchbox Blues” (1927) 2010: Little Willie John “Fever” (1956) 1999: Blind Willie Johnson “Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground” (1928) 1983: Robert Johnson “Hell Hound on My Trail” (1937) 1983: Robert Johnson “Sweet Home Chicago” (1936) 1986: Robert Johnson “Cross Road Blues (aka ‘Crossroads’)” (1936) 1989: Robert Johnson “Come on in My Kitchen” (1936) 1990: Robert Johnson “Terraplane Blues” (1936) 2011: Robert Johnson “A Love in Vain” (1937) 1987: Tommy Johnson “Big Road Blues” (1928) 2013: Tommy Johnson “Canned Heat Blues” (1928) 1984: Eddie "Guitar Slim" Jones “The Things That I Used to Do” (1954) 2009: Louis Jordan “Caldonia Boogie” (1945) 2013: Louis Jordan “Let the Good Times Roll” (1946) K-L 1988: Albert King “Born Under a Bad Sign” (1967) 2017: Albert King “I’ll Play the Blues for You” (1972) 2018: Albert King “Crosscut Saw” (1966) 1985: B.B. King “The Thrill Is Gone” (1969) 2019: B.B. King “Every Day I Have the Blues” (1955) 2020: B.B. King “Three O’Clock Blues” (1951) 2022: B.B. King “Rock Me Baby” (1964) 2007: Freddie King “Hideaway” (1961) 2023: Freddie King “I’m Tore Down” (1961) M-N 2012: Magic Sam “All Your Love” (1957) 1987: Percy Mayfield “Please Send Me Someone to Love” (1950) 1992: Blind Willie McTell “Statesboro Blues” (1928) 2013: Memphis Minnie “Me and My Chauffeur Blues” (1941) 1983: Big Maceo Merriweather “Worried Life Blues” (1941) 2009: The Mississippi Sheiks “Sitting on Top of the World” (1930) 2007: Robert Nighthawk “Black Angel Blues” (1949) O-P 2002: St. Louis Jimmy Oden “Goin’ Down Slow” (1941) 2013: Little Junior Parker “Mystery Train” (1953) 1988: Charley Patton “Pony Blues” (1929) 2014: Charley Patton “High Water Everywhere” (1930) 2014: Robert Petway “Catfish Blues” (1941) Q-R 2018: Ma Rainey “See See Rider Blues” (1925) 1990: Jimmy Reed “Big Boss Man” (1961) 2004: Jimmy Reed “Baby What You Want Me to Do” (1960) 2016: Jimmy Rogers “That's All Right” (1950) 1994: Otis Rush “I Can't Quit You Baby” (1956) 2008: Otis Rush “Double Trouble” (1958) 2010: Otis Rush “All Your Love (I Miss Loving)” (1958) S 2008: Bessie Smith “Back Water Blues” (1927) 2019: Bessie Smith & Louis Armstrong “St. Louis Blues” (1925) 2012: Clarence "Pine Top" Smith “Pine Top’s Boogie Woogie” (1929) 2016: Mamie Smith & Her Jazz Hounds “Crazy Blues” (1920) T-U-V 2012: Tampa Red “It Hurts Me Too (When Things Go Wrong)” (1940) 2014: Tampa Red & Georgia Tom “It's Tight Like That” (1928) 1995: Koko Taylor “Wang Dang Doodle” (1966) 2003: Little Johnny Taylor “Part Time Love” (1963) 2006: Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton “Hound Dog” (1953) 2017: Tommy Tucker “Hi-Heel Sneakers” (1964) 2001: Big Joe Turner “Shake, Rattle and Roll” (1954) 2018: Joe Turner & Pete Johnson “Roll 'Em Pete” (1938) W-X-Y-Z 1983: T-Bone Walker “Call It Stormy Monday” (1947) 1984: Muddy Waters “Hoochie Coochie Man” (1954) 1984: Muddy Waters “Got My Mojo Working” (1957) 1986: Muddy Waters “Mannish Boy” (1955) 1989: Muddy Waters “Long Distance Call” (1951) 2019: Muddy Waters “Rollin' Stone” (1950) 1998: Junior Wells “Messin' with the Kid” (1960) 1992: Big Joe Williams “Baby Please Don't Go” (1935) 1990: Sonny Boy Williamson (#1) “Good Morning Little School Girl” (1937) 1987: Sonny Boy Williamson (#2) “Help Me” (1963) 1991: Sonny Boy Williamson (#2) “Nine Below Zero” (1951) 1996: Sonny Boy Williamson (#2) “Don't Start Me Talkin'“ (1955) 2022: Sonny Boy Williamson (#2) “Eyesight to the Blind” (1951) 2011: Jimmy Witherspoon “Ain't Nobody's Business” (1949) Resources/Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: “Songs: Awards/Hall of Fames” Dave’s Music Database: “Top 100 Blues Songs of All Time” The Blues Foundation: Blues Hall of Fame Wikipedia.org: “Blues Hall of Fame: Singles/Album Tracks” First posted 5/10/2023; last updated 9/11/2023.

Dave's Music Database Hall of Fame: Song Inductees (July 2022)

Originally posted July 22, 2022. In honor of the 10th anniversary of the DMDB blog on January 22, 2019, Dave’s Music Database launched its own Hall of Fame. This is the 15th set of song inductees. These songs all appear in the Dave’s Music Database list of the Top 100 Blues Songs and have been inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.

John Lee Hooker “Boogie Chillen’” (1949) Inducted July 2022 as “Blues Songs”

John Lee Hooker “was born in 1917 at ground zero of the blues, Clarksdale, Mississippi.” TC He learned his playing style from his stepfather, Will Moore. He said of his first release, “Boogie Chillen,” that it was a guitar boogie like what his father played down south. BH It was the first “down-home electric blues record” to top the R&B charts. BH Read more.

John Lee Hooker “Boom Boom” (1962) Inducted July 2022 as “Blues Songs”

Blues great John Lee Hooker first found success with 1949’s “Boogie Chillen,” a #1 R&B hit recorded at his first recording session. However, it wasn’t until 1962’s “Boom Boom” – a song on which he was accompanied by the famed Motown session men known as the Funk Brothers – that Hooker had his sole entry on the pop charts. It would also be his final appearance on the R&B charts. It was inspired by Luilla, a bartender at the Apex Bar in Detroit where Hooker used to play. She’d say, “Boom Boom, you’re late again” when he arrived. As he said, “She gave me a song but she didn’t know it.” SF Read more.

Howlin Wolf “Smokestack Lightnin’” (1956) Inducted July 2022 as “Blues Songs”

Chester Arthur Burnett was nicknamed “Wolf” by his maternal grandmother; a title he would more than grow into with his menacing adult frame of 6’ 3” and 300 pounds and a voice which made it sound “like he subsisted on a diet of broken glass…washed down…with kerosene.” SS He first recorded “Smokestack Lightning” as “Crying at Daybreak” in 1951, but it was a song he’d performed since the early 1930s. Lightning finally struck for him when the re-recorded version hit the top 10 on the R&B charts in 1956. Read more.

Robert Johnson “Cross Road Blues” (1936) Inducted July 2022 as “Blues Songs”

Robert Johnson has often been called “The Father of the Blues.” His most important song may well be “Cross Road Blues,” not just because it became a staple for Eric Clapton but it promotes one of the greatest legends in rock and roll. According to the legend, Johnson acquired masterful guitar playing skills overnight, supposedly because he went to the crossroads (an intersection of rural roads) and sold his soul to the Devil. However, Johnson “sings nary a word about devil-dealing” BH in “Cross Road Blues;” rather he is trying unsuccessfully to hitch a ride at the crossroads. Read more.

Robert Johnson “Hell Hound on My Trail” (1937) Inducted July 2022 as “Blues Songs”

Blues historian Ted Gioia said “Hell Hound on My Trail” might be Johnson’s greatest work. WK This is a showcase for “a disturbing vision of a blues poet haunted by spirits, doomed to die before he would ever see the fruits of an alleged deal with the devil.” BH Johnson proved to be “a master synthesizer, pulling together bits and pieces of existing material and infusing them with something entirely his own.” SS Read more.

B.B. King “The Thrill Is Gone” (1969) Inducted July 2022 as “Blues Songs”

Legendary blues singer and guitarist B.B. King reached the R&B charts 76 times from 1951 to 1992, including four chart-toppers early in his career. While he had a half dozen more successful R&B chart entries than “The Thrill Is Gone” it was his biggest hit on the Billboard Hot 10. The song is a cover of a 1951 slow, blues ballad by Roy Hawkins but in King’s hands it became “a modern blues epic.” SS Rock critic Dave Marsh speculated that it might be “the last great blues record.” DM Read more.

Clarence “Pine Top” Smith “Pine Top’s Boogie Woogie” (1929) Inducted July 2022 as “Blues Songs”

This “rhythmical, driving piano tune” SS is credited “with laying the foundation for the boogie woogie craze.” BH The form is marked by “a bass melody…repeated over and over while the upper voice melody and chord structure change above it.” TY2 Clarence “Pine Top” Smith started playing “Pine Top’s Boogie Woogie” at rent-parties in the black ghettos of Chicago. TY2 He took the term “boogie woogie” from his background in dance. SS Read more.

T-Bone Walker “Call It Stormy Monday” (1947) Inducted July 2022 as “Blues Songs”

Aaron Thibeaux “T-Bone” Walker is often called “the father of electric blues.” SS He “deeply influenced virtually every guitarist during the decade following World War II” SS with his blend of blues and jazz guitar. UP It was “Call It Stormy Monday” “that made him a legend.” SS It is “one of the most influential records not only in blues history, but in guitar history.” BH “It became a song that virtually every blues band had to know; in fact, it was also required learning for countless jazz, soul, pop, and rock performers who may have had no other blues songs in their entire repertoires.” BH Read more.

Muddy Waters “Hoochie Coochie Man” (1954) Inducted July 2022 as “Blues Songs”

Music historian Steve Sullivan called Muddy Waters “the mighty rock upon which the foundation of postwar Chicago blues was constructed” SS and “Hoochie Coochie Man” was his “defining song.” SS It was the first of many Willie Dixon songs recorded by Waters. It was the biggest hit of Waters’ career, reaching #3 on the R&B chart, but “its influence on rock music in general is incalculable.” LW Read more.

Bo Diddley “I’m a Man” / Muddy Waters “Mannish Boy” (1955) Inducted July 2022 as “Blues Songs”

“I’m a Man” was the first song recorded by Bo Diddley and it became the B-side of his debut single, the eponymous “Bo Diddley” which topped the R&B chart. The song was inspired by “Hoochie Coochie Man” by Muddy Waters, who then recorded “Mannish Boy” as a remake/answer song, mocking Diddley’s younger age. “Coming from Waters, a mature adult figure with a voice that booms like God’s, virtually the same words are far more leering and imposing. Waters isn’t kidding around; he is a man and his sexual boasts and demands aren’t fantasies, they’re real.” DM Read more.

Dave's Music Database Hall of Fame: Music Maker Inductees (March 2022)

Top 10 Blues Acts Originally posted 3/22/2022. January 22, 2019 marked the 10-year anniversary of the DMDB blog! To honor that, Dave’s Music Database announced its own Hall of Fame. This thirteenth class of music maker inductees is comprised of the top 10 blues acts of all time (see the full list here). These are the top 10 from that list, minus previous inductees Eric Clapton and Bessie Smith. See the full list of music maker inductees here.

Buddy Guy (1936-) Inducted March 2022 as a “Top 10 Blues Act”

Blues guitarist born in Lettsworth, Louisiana. Blues Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee. Also a recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and a Kennedy Center Honoree. “Damn Right I’ve Got the Blues” ranks as one of the top 100 blues songs of all time and author Tom Moon features the album of the same name in his book 1000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die. Read more.

John Lee Hooker (1917-2001) Inducted March 2022 as a “Top 10 Blues Act”

Blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist born in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Blues Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee. Also a recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and Rhythm & Blues Foundation Pioneer Award . He charted nine times on the R&B chart, reaching #1 with “Boogie Chillen’” and “I’m in the Mood.” The former has been inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, Grammy Hall of Fame (as has “Boom Boom”), and National Recording Registry. His compilation The Legendary Modern Recordings ranks as one of the top 50 blues albums and The Folklore of John Lee Hooker was Mojo magazine’s Album of the Year. Read more.

Howlin’ Wolf (1910-1976) Inducted March 2022 as a “Top 10 Blues Act”

Blues singer and guitarist born in White Station, Mississippi. Blues Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee. He reached the top 10 four times on the R&B chart, including the songs “How Many More Years” and “Smokestack Lightning,” which are 2 of his 6 songs featured in the Blues Hall of Fame. His compilations Moanin’ in the Moonlight and Howlin' Wolf (aka ‘The Rockin' Chair Album’) are in the top 1000 albums of all time. Read more.

Robert Johnson (1911-1938) Inducted March 2022 as a “Top 10 Blues Act”

Blues singer and guitarist born in Hazlehurst, Mississippi. Inductee in the Blues Hall of Fame, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, R&B Hall of Fame, and Downbeat Jazz Hall of Fame. Also a recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. “Cross Road Blues” ranks in the the top 1% of all time. It’s one of six songs in the Blues Hall of Fame, including “Sweet Home Chicago” (both of which are in the Grammy Hall of Fame). Two of the others are “Hell Hound on My Trail” and “A Love in Vain.” Those four are also in the the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s top 500 songs of all time. The Complete Recordings is featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Albums of the 20th Century. Read more.

Albert King (1923-1992) Inducted March 2022 as a “Top 10 Blues Act”

Blues guitarist born in Indianola, Mississippi. Blues Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee. He reached the R&B chart 19 times. “Crosscut Saw,” “Born Under a Bad Sign,” and “I’ll Play the Blues for You” are all in the Blues Hall of Fame. His album Born Under a Bad Sign ranks in the top 1% of all time and is in the Blues Hall of Fame, Grammy Hall of Fame, and the National Recording Registry. Read more.

B.B. King (1925-2015) Inducted March 2022 as a “Top 10 Blues Act”

Blues singer and guitarist born it Itta Bena, Mississippi. Inductee in the Blues Hall of Fame, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame R&B Hall of Fame, Big Band/Jazz Hall of Fame, and Downbeat Jazz Hall of Fame. Also a recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and Kennedy Center Honoree. He reached the R&B chart 76 times, including #1 four times. One of those was “Three O’Clock Blues,” which was also inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, as was “Every Day I Have the Blues” and “The Thrill Is Gone.” The latter three are also in the Grammy Hall of Fame. Live at the Regal is one of the top 1000 albums of all time. It’s also in the Blues Hall of Fame, Grammy Hall of Fame, and the National Recording Registry. Read more.

Stevie Ray Vaugahn (1954-1990) Inducted March 2022 as a “Top 10 Blues Act”

Blues-rock guitarist and singer born in Dallas, Texas. Blues Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee. He reached the mainstream rock chart 19 times, including #1 with “Crossfire.” “Texas Flood” and “Pride and Joy” rank in the DMDB’s top 100 blues songs of all time. The latter is also in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s top 500 songs of all time. Texas Flood is one of the top 1000 albums of all time and is in the Grammy Hall of Fame. Read more.

Muddy Waters (1913-1983) Inducted March 2022 as a “Top 10 Blues Act”

Blues singer, guitarist, and harmonica player born in Rolling Fork, Mississippi. Inductee in the Blues Hall of Fame, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, R&B Hall of Fame, and Downbeat Jazz Hall of Fame. Also a recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He reached the top 10 on the R&B charts 14 times. He has six songs in the the Blues Hall of Fame and four in the Grammy Hall of Fame; “Rollin’ Stone,” “Hoochie Coochie Man,” and “Got My Mojo Working” are in both. At Newport is one of the top 1000 albums of all time. Read more.

On This Day (1962): John Lee Hooker “Boom Boom” charted

Boom Boom John Lee Hooker

Writer(s): John Lee Hooker (see lyrics here) First Charted: May 26, 1962 Peak: 60 BB, 70 HR, 16 RB, 19 CL, 16 UK, 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 41.8 video, 83.26 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Blues great John Lee Hooker had his first recording session in 1948. “Boogie Chillen,” recorded during that session, was released the following year and topped the R&B chart on its way toward selling a million copies. However, it wasn’t until 1962’s “Boom Boom” that Hooker had his one and only entry on the pop charts. It would also be his final appearance on the R&B charts. In the 1980s and ‘90s, he would have success with albums with a host of guest rock stars. Hooker achieved his first hits recording on his own in Detroit, “playing guitar and stomping his feet.” BH However, on hs “bad-man theme, ‘Boom Boom,’” BH “the stomping rhythm” BH was provided by James Jamerson (bass), Benny Benjamin (drums), and Joe Hunter (piano). The trio were none other than the famed Motown session men known as the Funk Brothers. The song was inspired by Luilla, a bartender at the Apex Bar in Detroit where Hooker used to play. As he said, “I’d always be late and whenever I’d come in she’d point at me and say, ‘Boom Boom, you’re late again. And she kept saying that. It dawned on me that that was a good name for a song. Then one night she said, ‘Boom Boom, I’m gonna shoot you down.’ She gave me a song but she didn’t know it.” SF After he recorded the song and the Animals covered it, he said, “The barmaid felt pretty good. She went around telling everybody I got John Lee to write that song. I gave her some bread for it, too, so she was pretty happy.” SF Others to record the song included Big Head Todd & the Monsters, Buddy Guy, the Oak Ridge Boys, Them, Muddy Waters, and the Yardbirds. SH Hooker performed the song in the 1980 movie The Blues Brothers. It was his only movie appearance. Resources: BH Blues Hall of Fame SH SecondHandSongs.com SF Songfacts Related Links: First posted 9/11/2023.

On This Day (1949): John Lee Hooker “Boogie Chillen” charted

Boogie Chillen John Lee Hooker

Writer(s): John Lee Hooker (see lyrics here) Recorded: November 3, 1948 First Charted: January 8, 1949 Peak: 11 RB, 4 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 36.9 video, 20.57 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: John Lee Hooker “was born in 1917 at ground zero of the blues, Clarksdale, Mississippi.” TC Will Moore, his stepfather, occasionally played with Charley Patton SS and was considered “one of the pioneering blues players in the Delta at that time.” TC Hooker said, “What I’m playing now, that’s what he taught me to play, his style.” TC Hooker left the Delta and headed for Detroit in 1943. He started as a janitor and played music on the side. It took five years, but he eventually met a local record distributor named Bernie Besman who decided to record him. He employed some unusual techniques such as putting a speaker in a toilet bowl to get an echo effect and putting a microphone by a plank board where Hooker’s foot tapped in time. SS “Boogie Chillen” was recorded at the end of that demo session. Hooker explained the inspiration for the song, saying he’d been walking down Hastings Street in Deroit and dropped into Henry’s Swing Club. He liked what he heard and shouted, “Boogie, chillen!” SS He said the resulting song was was a guitar boogie like what his father played down south. BH It was the first “down-home electric blues record” to top the R&B charts, which inspired record companies to find more of “the new electric generation of country bluesmen.” BH The music was characterized by “heavily syncopated guitar that just sits in a groove while John Lee growls over the top.” TC It “was closer to rock & roll than blues; it had the pronounced beat of the hormonally pumped white music.” TC Hooker became a favorite of British bands like the Animals in the 1960s. In America, bands like “Canned Heat and ZZ Top made careers out of essentially recycling Hooker’s boogie.” TC Resources: BH Blues Hall of Fame by Jim O’Neal TC Toby Creswell (2005). 1001 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time. Thunder’s Mouth Press: New York, NY. Pages 366-7. SS Steve Sullivan (2013). Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings (Volumes I & II). Scarecrow Press: Lanham, Maryland. Pages 609-10. Related Links: First posted 9/10/2023.