Blues Music & Pool

[Aaron_S]

Another huge blues fan here, and someone who feels that every proper pool hall should have a nice collection. All good suggestions so far, but since you named Hooker specifically, here are some of the traditional and acoustic artists I have in my collection:

Robert Johnson
Son House
Blind Lemon Jefferson
Leadbelly
Bukka White
Bessie Smith
Elmore James
Sleepy John Estes
Mississippi John Hurt
Robert Jr. Lockwood
Muddy Waters
Howlin' Wolf
Willie Dixon
Magic Slim
Memphis Slim
Lightnin' Hopkins
Earl Hooker
Blind Sonny Terry
Pinetop Perkins
Brownie McGhee
Jimmy Rogers
Hound Dog Taylor
Big Mama Thornton
Sonny Boy Williamson II
Guitar Slim
Keb Mo
John Hammond
Lazy Lester
Anybody with the last name King
Anybody named Buddy Guy

Aaron

 

[Dunnn51]

Many Thanks to all who replied so far, A lot of you knew what I was looking for. There are many who inspired others. Those "inspirational" blues artists are the ones I was primarily seeking,(not taking away from the talent of those inspired, for they are talented as well).

[B My aside: ][/B]
Played a set (race to 7) with a very good opponent before matches other day. He was up 4-2, no-one was getting the rolls, so I figured it was "talent night" He left me open/easy and I broke it out. I caught a gear, and realized my play was in time to a blues melody that one of the older players had put on.That got me up 4-5, and we swapped the next 4 games for a close win! I don't listen to blues often, only when the mood strikes me.

Last time it struck I was dating a Latina. She drove a lt brown Crown Vic, and it had the (bose?) premium sound system.She played nothing but Blues. I like some of it,..... but honestly it was better "background" music !

Check out Chris Whitely. Unbelievable talent and he died way too young and recorded some great down to earth music. I have all of his albums including the Dirt Floor album which I have on 180 gram vinyl. That album was recorded on a 2 track and a ribbon mike in his dad's shop and is consistently in the top 100 best albums for audiophiles in Stereophile magazine.

Other than that, check out the classic guys like Bobby Bland, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Howlin Wolf, B.B., Junior Wells, Little Walker, etc.

If you want to get into some jazz/blues, one of my favorites is Jimmy Smith's album "Back at the Chicken Shack".

As a side note, my vinyl collection is approaching 4,000 albums and are all in pristine condition and are cleaned on a VPI cleaner and played on a setup including a fantastic Music Hall turntable. My cd collection is approaching 3,000.

I also have a bachelors in jazz performance from University of North Texas and went most of my through my Masters at Northern Illinois University before I left to play professional trumpet for 10 years.

If you want some more music recommendations, send me a PM and we can chat forever.[/QUOTE] Thanks! I just may. My daughter was 1st trumpet in any band she played. Some great sound ! (no bias!) :smile:

Rack 'em Up by Jonny Lang is a new/old standard. I know you said no SRV or ZZTop but Dirty Pool by SRV is fun and LaGrange is about as old school as you can get. Cheatin' & Stealin' by Texas Johnny Brown is one of my favorites even though it's got nothing to do with pool (it's a "jump blues" written for dance halls; not gritty blues). Bad, Bad LeRoy Brown by Jim Croce is almost a cliche, but fun anyway. Well, I didn't say noSRV,ZZ Top,etc., I am just looking for a particular sound. They are all great IMO.

If you're looking for old school I'd recommend Howlin' Wolf, John Lee Hooker, Albert King, Elmore James and Buddy Guy (although Buddy does a lot of newer blues too, since he's still among the living).

Totally agree, blues and pool is like bacon and anything. Personally, I like BB King in the background. I like the analogy ! :thumbup:

John Mayall (older stuff, look up 'Broken Wings')
Taj Mahal (again, older stuff, look up 'Leavin' Trunk')
RL Burnside...any and all of it, the older stuff will be closer to what you are seeking.
Junior Kimbrough
Bobby Bland
Mississippi John Hurt
Muddy Waters
Son House
Albert King
Billie Holliday
Charles Caldwell

Not exactly blues, but I'll throw in:
Steve Earle's newer stuff
Dave Alvin

DD,... truly appreciate your post, TY ! I will be checking these out.

All good, but why no women blues singers so far?

Dinah Washington- Birth of the Blues/ I Don't Hurt Anymore and Big Long Slidin' Thing

Koko Taylor- That's Why I'm Crying and I'd Rather Go Blind

Etta James- I'll Drown In My Own Tears and I Sing the Blues

Ruth Brown- Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean and If I Can't Sell It

Big Mama Thornton- Ain't Nothing You Can Do and Everything Gonna Be Alright and Little Red Rooster

Esther Phillips- No Headstone On My Grave and Set Me Free

Billie Holliday- Ain't Nobody's Business

(ok- just saw DoubleD mentioned Billie)

She's the only one I know,.....

I'll second and third Robert Cray.

Eric Clapton, and with BB King are good choices.

Hell, even Led Zeppelin 1 is worthy of your time.

Check out the CDs of a band named the Delgado Brothers. They're from East LA. Very smooth and polished. Great sound.

Joe Cocker is a real good listen, anytime.

A band called Delta Blues, featuring Brandon Santini on lead vocals... great singer. He's since gone solo so google him as well as the band. ""Devil Had a Woman" is the name of the band's album. Fantastic song. The rest of the line is "Devil Had a Woman that Looked a Lot like You".

One of my all time favorites... Donald Ray Johnson, an old black, blind Canadian from Calgary with a deep rich voice that you could sit on it's so solid. Also listed under Don Johnson. Google both. My favorite song... "Last Two Dollars".

And my last solid recommendation... Karen Lovely. This lady is Etta James reincarnated. Her voice is so pure and she pours her heart into every song. She is a "must listen to". Every song on her "Still the Rain" album is gold.

Check her, Donald Ray and Brandon Santini out and get back to me with your thoughts/reactions.

I listen to all regularly in my garage while hitting balls. I play them on my Bose SoundLink, which connects to my android smart phone via Bluetooth technology.

Cheers brother.

I will check them out , Thanx !

 

[Chip Roberson]

Duane Allman rules in my book--most of all the players today try to get back to just where this one cat was coming from. I had a master cut of the Layla album that included all of the tracks that Duane laid down for that masterpeice--amazing how much that was cut out of his work to make Eric Clapton look good--not alot of people knew who D.A. was back then. The stuff the A.B . did after Duanes tragic death...42 years latter and his vision of music holds true as it did back then--transends time and is still strong.
Check out his slow blues work--the best blues guitarist I have ever heard to this day.
Somebody lone me a dime with Boz Scaggs--set that one on and turn it up a little and see what ya think---as for slide work,,.....wish he hadn't died so young--at age 24, he was just getting started.

 

[dakraljic]

Luther Allison
Cherry Red Wine

 

[Ghosst]

Tab Benoit
Colin James
Clapton

 

[Maniac]

John Mayall (older stuff, look up 'Broken Wings')
Taj Mahal (again, older stuff, look up 'Leavin' Trunk')
RL Burnside...any and all of it, the older stuff will be closer to what you are seeking.
Junior Kimbrough
Bobby Bland
Mississippi John Hurt
Muddy Waters
Son House
Albert King
Billie Holliday
Charles Caldwell

Not exactly blues, but I'll throw in:

Steve Earle's newer stuff
Dave Alvin

Oh, if you want to hear amazing guitar, look up Sonny Landreth. Plays slide like nobody else.

Another huge blues fan here, and someone who feels that every proper pool hall should have a nice collection. All good suggestions so far, but since you named Hooker specifically, here are some of the traditional and acoustic artists I have in my collection:

Robert Johnson
Son House
Blind Lemon Jefferson
Leadbelly
Bukka White
Bessie Smith
Elmore James
Sleepy John Estes
Mississippi John Hurt
Robert Jr. Lockwood
Muddy Waters
Howlin' Wolf
Willie Dixon
Magic Slim
Memphis Slim
Lightnin' Hopkins
Earl Hooker
Blind Sonny Terry
Pinetop Perkins
Brownie McGhee
Jimmy Rogers
Hound Dog Taylor
Big Mama Thornton
Sonny Boy Williamson II
Guitar Slim
Keb Mo
John Hammond
Lazy Lester
Anybody with the last name King
Anybody named Buddy Guy

Aaron

Lots of good lists on this thread. I have close to 400 CD's that are of the Blues genre. Delta Blues, Chicago Blues, Texas Blues, West Coast Blues, St. Louis Blues, New Orleans Blues, etc. They all have their distinct sound. Personally, I prefer Texas, Chicago, and Delta (Memphis sound) Blues in that order when I'm playing pool.

DoubleD, you got that right, Sonny Landreth can sho' nuff tear it up on that slide guitar. Seen him live and just waiting for him to come back through this way again. Dave Hole can flat-out play the slide guitar too!!!

Maniac

 

[dakraljic]

Shemekia Copeland

 

[stan shuffett]

A GREAT blues artist and CD:
Jimmy Rogers -- Blue Bird

The MAN from Texas
Delbert McClinton
Cost of Living
Delbert McClinton Live

Stan Shuffett

 

[Hungarian]

Do you know Adolfo Acosta? Another trumpet player who went to North Texas and he also played a while with Maynard Ferguson. He's been the lead trumpet for Tower of Power since the early 2000's.

I also have a bachelors in jazz performance from University of North Texas

 

[Aaron_S]

Lots of good lists on this thread. I have close to 400 CD's that are of the Blues genre. Delta Blues, Chicago Blues, Texas Blues, West Coast Blues, St. Louis Blues, New Orleans Blues, etc. They all have their distinct sound. Personally, I prefer Texas, Chicago, and Delta (Memphis sound) Blues in that order when I'm playing pool.

DoubleD, you got that right, Sonny Landreth can sho' nuff tear it up on that slide guitar. Seen him live and just waiting for him to come back through this way again. Dave Hole can flat-out play the slide guitar too!!!

Maniac

Dave Hole is one of the greats for sure. Warren Haynes can play a lil slide too!

Aaron

 

[Hungarian]

Electric blues, soul, funk and real rhythm and blues music is great.

Some of my favs:

1.) Bobby Blue Bland - RIP. BBB passed away a few weeks ago at the age of 83. No one comes close. He wasn't a song writer, he was a song singer and boy was he great. His body of work spans 6 decades. Too many classics to name. But like many great black artists of his time, he never got the recognition and rewards he deserved. Creeps and criminals like Don Robey made sure of that. But ask any blues singer who the best was and Bobby will be at the very top of the list when it comes to the voice.

2.) Freddie King - Freddie made love to the guitar. And his vocals were unique and solid. He played with a fierceness style, pressing really hard on the fret board and wore metal pics on his fingers. He was a bad mother f*cker.

3.) Tower of Power - Not really straight blues but more like the worlds best rhythm and blues live performance with killer horns. Lots of great music to listen to while playing pool.

4.) Albert Collins - Another great live performer.

5.) Bobby Rush - Funny as hell. Check out his youtubes - I Ain't Studdin Ya and Night Fishing

6.) Johnny Guitar Watson - Gansta. Real Mother For Ya - Superman Lover - Three Hours Past Midnight -

7.) Tab Benoit - from Houma, LA. Cajun Blues. He's a bad finger picker.

8.) Johnny Taylor - Smooth and soulful singer.

9.) Luther Allison - Was solid.

10.) Lucky Peterson - Check him out. Plays every instrument. Excels on keys and guitar.

11.) T-Bone Walker, Wayne Bennett, Texas Johnny Brown, Johnny Clyde Copeland, Joe Guitar Hughes, Mel Brown

 

[Hungarian]

Yes Sir...Tab deserves to be on the list for sure

Tab Benoit
Colin James
Clapton

 

[Hungarian]

No one said ZZ Hill -- Cheating in the Next Room and Down Home Blues

 

[Jdale]

Jimmy Reed, the essential boss man
This is a three CD set about 75 songs all together.

encludes
Big Boss Man
Bright Lights Big City
Honest I Do
Ain't that Loving you
and many more

Dale

 

[cashin]

Otis Redding , Percy Sledge,and Michael Bolton works for me...

Believe it or not, my BF enjoys Barry White when he shoots pool ---> HERE.

He even has that as his ring tone on his cell phone. LOL

 

[chevybob20]

Here's the list of blues albums currently on my ipod. This is about half of them but they are my favorite half.

The blues beat is perfect for pool and the best beat is by Luther Allison.

Robin Trower, Bridge of Sighs, Victims of the Fury, For Earth Below, Long Misty Days

Luther Allison, Live in Chicago

Buddy Guy, Feels Like Rain

Fleetwood Mac, Mr Wonderful and the self titled album.(most don't realize they were a blues band)

Jimmy Thackery, Solid Ice (kinda rock edgy)

Matt "Guitar" Murphy, Way Down South

Tab Beniot, Medicine, Fever for the Bayou, Nice and Warm

Robert Cray, Strong Persuader, Nothing but Love

Eric Clapton, I have all his stuff but you could just get Complete Clapton to start with

Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters, Spread the love

The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Girls Go Wild

Gov't Mule, Mulennium

Jeff Healey, Cover to Cover, See the Light

Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Trouble Is....

 

[Dunnn51]

Really likin' the Blues !

This stuff is G-R-E-A-T !! :thumbup:

Still checking out all these Artists......

Landon Shuffett I really like that "Beano" Album I can really get into that tone of Blues.

Liking Muddy Waters - "Mannish Boy"
Buddy Guy - "Five Long Years"

Listening to this now --------->>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEmvBdRLg4k

 

[Dunnn51]

Nobody mentioned it, and I'm surprised.

Hopefully everybody simply expected that it didn't need to be said, but everybody should know all of the songs recorded by the man who sold his soul to the devil in exchange for learning to play guitar.

Eric Clapton's best work is arguably his covers of that man's songs in two albums, 'Me and Mr. Johnson' and 'Sessions for Robert J'.

That's right, I'm referring to the 29 songs of the great Robert Johnson.

dld

DD I think someone may have mentioned him

I will have to continue this late tonight when my bandwidth is better.

This is all fantastic stuff !

 

[Aaron_S]

Nobody mentioned it, and I'm surprised.

Hopefully everybody simply expected that it didn't need to be said, but everybody should know all of the songs recorded by the man who sold his soul to the devil in exchange for learning to play guitar.

Eric Clapton's best work is arguably his covers of that man's songs in two albums, 'Me and Mr. Johnson' and 'Sessions for Robert J'.

That's right, I'm referring to the 29 songs of the great Robert Johnson.

dld

He's #1 on my list, and not by accident.

And my favorite Robert Johnson story, told by Keith Richards:

"Brian Jones had the first album, and that's where I first heard it. I'd just met Brian, and I went around to his apartment-crash pad, actually, all he had in it was a chair, a record player, and a few records. One of which was Robert Johnson. He put it on, and it was just-you know-astounding stuff. When I first heard it, I said to Brian, "Who's that?" "Robert Johnson". I said, "Yeah, but who's the other guy playing with him?" Because I was hearing two guitars, and it took me a long time to realize he was actually doing it all by himself.
I've never heard anybody before or since use the form and bend it quite so much to make it work for himself. The quality of the songs themselves-I mean, he came out with such compelling themes, they were actual songs as well as just being the blues. The songs and the subject matter, just the way they were treated, apart from the music and the performance. And the guitar playing-it was almost like listening to Bach. You know, you think you're getting a handle on playing the blues, and then you hear Robert Johnson-some of the rhythms he's doing and playing and singing at the same time, you think, "This guy must have three brains!"
To me Robert Johnson's influence-he was like a comet or a meteor that came along and, BOOM, suddenly he raised the ante, suddenly you just had to aim that much higher. You can put the record on now, and it's as fresh and interesting as the first day you heard it. Everybody should know about Robert Johnson. When you know about something, and comperatively few other people know about it, that's a crime in a way; you've got to do what you can to tell people, "Hey, check this cat out. Because you're in for something extra in your life." You want to know how good the blues can get? Well, this is it."

Aaron

 

[Fatboy]

I turn Pandora on to "Waylon Jennings" radio. It plays Hank Sr, Jr, III. Johnny Cash, Waylon, Outlaw Country from the 70's. Real country music(not todays fake shit). Thats my favorite to play pool and listen to. George Jones, Conway Twitty, Willie Nelson, David Allen Coe, Jerry Reed, Roseanne Cash, Merle Haggard etc.




this is a great thread, i forgot about a few people like Robert Cray for example, how did that happen I like Blues too (i love 99% of it) when i play, also Reggae too.

and some old school Rap too,

and house ,techno, dance if im sleepy i listen to that.


i'm diverse,


what i dont like anymore is Eagles Hotel Ca, I know its a great song but one pool room it played 20 times a day in for years, i cant stand it any longer. played out. sad to say im burned out on Pink Floyd too, i have listened to them for 30 years 1000's of times. its just over for me with them now, sucks too.