Mount Rushmore: Blues Musicians

[albionmoonlight]

In honor of B.B.'s passing

Lots of great ones from whom to choose.

B.B. King--One of the few artists in any genre who is both loved by the general public and revered by insiders. If you were to ask people on the street to name the greatest Blues musician, they would say B.B. And they would be right.

Robert Johnson--His influence cannot be overstated. And his stuff is still great to listen to.

John Lee Hooker--If an alien from Mars came down and asked me for an example of the Blues, I would play One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer.

Muddy Waters--I'm not as personally into him as the others on this list. But there is no denying his influence or his greatness. His connection of Blues to Rock is one of the most important developments in the genre.

Eratta:

Personally, I had a hard time omitting Son House, but I think that Robert Johnson took the "originator" spot on my mountain. And I was thisclose to putting Taj Mahal (whom I prefer) over Muddy Waters. But, leaving my personal tastes out of it, I think that Muddy Waters deserves the nod. And I contemplated putting Bessie Smith on there to get female representation, but the Blues is, for good or ill, pretty much dominated by guys. I don't think that Bessie could kick off any of the top four.

[Grover]

BB King
Robert Johnson
Son House
Rory Gallagher

[Kevin]

I can't argue with the original post at all. Picking a second team would be tricky.

My second team:
Big Mama Thornton
Stevie Ray Vaughn (because he was who got me listening to blues)
Matt Andersen (a local guy who can bring a house down) Google him and listen to his stuff from 10 years ago.
Albert King

[Umbrella]

Good list, and a tough one. I think mine would be

Robert Johnson - The George Washington of this Mount Rushmore.

Muddy Waters - If I had to pick who was the greatest of all time, I think Waters would probably be it.

Stevie Ray Vaughan - Introduced blues to a new generation.

B. B. King - A close #2 behind Waters.

Personally, I love Howling Wolf, but I don't think he could bump off any of the above four. Maybe Vaughan. John Lee Hooker, Buddy Guy, Willie Dixon, and Etta James were all considered as well.

[britrock88]

I'd include Stevie Ray Vaughan as a contender, but I have no reason to disagree with AM's quartet.