The Most Influential Blues Songs of All Time | uDiscover (2023)

The great blues artists spoke, the most talented rockers listened. Rock 'n' roll wouldn't exist without the blues, but certain tracks were particularly central. They were famous, or the licks were borrowed, or they taught the rockers in style and attitude. Many of the most influential blues songs still linger today, and some were probably covered by a local band in your town this past weekend. Just say ifRobert Johnsonhad never reached a crossroads, or if BB King still felt an emotion, the world would be a poorer place.

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BB King - The thrill is gone

Producer Bill Szymczyk - yes, the same one who would make millions with the Eagles a few years later - caused a bit of a stir when he added a string section to this track, otherwise one of many smooth balladsbb kingrecorded in the 1960s. The producer had no qualms about polishing King's sound, recording it with top-notch studio musicians (instead of his road band) and, in this case, teasing one of his strongest vocals. Thrill Is Gone wasn't the first album to fuse blues with pop, but it was their smoothest and most successful to date (#15 as a pop album) and set the stage for many crossovers to come. – Brett Milan

Robert Johnson - Me and the Devil Blues

One of the last recordings he made, released on the Vocalion label in 1938, this classic fable about Satan collecting debts helped fuel the long-held myth that Johnson made a Faustian deal with the devil at a crossroads and traded his soul for musicals. success. The fact that Johnson died under mysterious circumstances not long afterward made the record seem prophetic. It typifies Johnson's soulful wails and skeletal guitar accompaniment and became a touchstone for later blues players; Those who covered it included the Peter Green Splinter Group, Eric Clapton and Gil Scott-Heron. -Karl Waring

John Lee Hooker - Boogie Chilling

Hooker's greatest commercial success came in 1949-51, when he was in his thirties; it charted six singles on the US R&B chart, the first of which was "Boogie Chillen", which peaked at #1. An original song recorded in 1948, the song represented the minimalist aesthetic that was Hooker's trademark; The only instrument on the record was Hooker's guitar, on which he strummed guitar chords hypnotically, looped behind his raspy, barking voice. The record is considered a Delta Blues classic and also incorporated the "boogie" style with its rhythmic syncopation. The song has been a favorite with other bluesmen (Slim Harpo, Buddy Guy and Freddy King have recorded them) and even rock bands; Led Zeppelin once included it in a medley they recorded for BBC radio in 1969. – Charles Waring

Little Walter e seus Jukes - My Babe

Marion Jacobs, a harmonica player and singer from Louisiana, is best known by his blues nickname "Little Walter" and rose to fame in the 1950s when he amassed 15 hits for Chess Records' Checker label, including "My Babe," which reached five. weeks at the top of the US R&B singles chart in 1955. The song was written by Chicago Blues Poet Laureate Willie Dixon, but was loosely based on a gospel song called "This Train (Is Bound). For glory". of catchy, danceable R&B, it anticipated the style of rock 'n' roll that would emerge two years later. The song was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in 2008 and has inspired over 150 different interpretations; from Bo Diddley to Elvis Presley to Dr. feel good Willie Dixon recorded his own version in 1973. – Charles Waring

Howlin' Wolf - Mal

Don't waste time debating whether Led Zeppelin or Black Sabbath were inventedheavy metal, as far as we are concernedhowling wolfplayed in 1954. Of course, "Evil" is essentially slow blues, but the sheer ferocity with which the band attacks it — not to mention the delicious menace in Wolf's voice — explains its influence. About that,Willie Dixonfinds the best metaphor ever for being betrayed ("Looks like another mule is kicking in your stable"). Unlike many of Wolf's numbers ("Back Door Man" for The Doors and "Smokestack Lightnin'" for The Yardbirds), "Evil" was never given an iconic rock 'n' roll cover (although Cactus did a perfectly solid cover). and little known). a 1971). But the weight of hard rock, not to mention its fascination with the dark side, wouldn't exist without it. – Brett Milan

Robert Johnson—Crossroads

On a purely musical level, the power of this cannot be overlooked. Johnson's slide guitar intensity has been recognized by Duane Allman, Winter,Rory Gallagherand virtually every major slide player of the blues-rock era. The track also attests to the mysterious mysteries of the blues. Whether you think Johnson really sold his soul or just tried to hitch a ride, he still convinces you how much was at stake. the music was too muchfamous electrifiedby Eric Clapton with Cream on their third album,wheels of fire. – Brett Milan

Blind Lemon Jefferson - Matchbox blues

Although his life was short - he died of heart problems in 1929 at the age of 36 - Lemon Henry Jefferson (to give him his full name) had a far-reaching influence on the development of the blues; his melancholy, high-pitched vocal style and intricate synthesized guitar accompaniment for "Matchbox Blues" influenced everyone from Robert Johnson to Robert Plant. In 1927, Jefferson recorded three versions of this seminal song, whose title was inspired by a line from an earlier song, "Lost Wandering Blues" by Ma Rainey. In 1958, rock 'n' roll Carl Perkins adapted the song to create a new number called "Matchbox", which was covered by the Beatles six years later. -Karl Waring

Muddy Waters - My mojo works

Why is this classic at the top of most of these lists? On the one hand, few songs embody the swagger and mystery of the blues better than this one. The singer is in love with his pocketbook despite hoodoo's unfailing charm. And as a million garage bands can tell you, the music is great to play. It has the same 1-4-5 progression as "Louie Louie" and you can't play it without showing off a little. Recorded bymuddy waterIn 1957, it wasn't his first voodoo song (he had done "Hoochie Coochie Man" three years earlier), but it became his trademark from then on. Interestingly, the song's author, Preston Foster - apparently a mild-mannered man who turned up at Chess with a few tunes in his pocket - never achieved fame and had to take Waters to court for his authorship. But it doesn't matter because "Mojo" is one of those songs that really belongs to everyone. – Brett Milan

Etta James - I'd Rather Be Blind

Nicknamed "Miss Peaches", Jamesetta Hawkins is better known to blues and soul fans than Etta James. James amassed an impressive 30 hits on the US R&B singles chart between 1955 and 1978. Surprisingly, this song, considered one of the singer's signature songs, did not disrupt the charts, as it did not receive a single release; Instead, it was relegated to the B-side of the 1967 single "Tell Mama". A song about heartbreak, loss and the addictive nature of love and commitment. Written by Billy Foster and Ellington Jordan, it inspired artists as diverse as Paul Weller, Beyoncé, Rod Stewart and Dua Lipa to record it. -Karl Waring

Big Joe Williams - Baby Please Don't Go

Famous for playing an unorthodox nine-string guitar, this Mississippi bluesman recorded "Baby Please Don't Go" (under the name Joe Williams' Washboard Blues Singers) in 1935, which became one of the most popular blues songs of Everytime. Williams backed up his vocals with a guitar while Dad Tracy played a one-string fiddle and Casey "Kokomo" Collins hammered out the rhythms on a washboard. Although the melody has been attributed to Williams, musicologists believe that the song is based on an African-American folk song called Long John and the song "Alabamy Bound" by Tin Pan Alley. Lightnin' Hopkins and Muddy Waters recorded in the 40s and 50s, respectively, and was played 36 times in the 1960s; The most notable versions are by Mose Allison, Them and Paul Revere & The Raiders. -Karl Waring

Leroy Carr - How long, how long Blues

As a singer, the Nashville-born Carr, who also played piano, was not an archetypal bluesman; He didn't roar or scream, but hummed in a velvet-smooth voice, later influencing figures like Charles Brown. Released on the Vocalion label, this popular 1928 song featured a variation on Ida Cox's 1926 single "How Long Daddy, How Long" and found Carr alongside guitarist and longtime musical collaborator Scrapper Blackwell. Carr brought a metropolitan urbanity and a soulful sense of sophistication to the blues, and this, his greatest melody, has inspired over 100 covers; from pop singers (Johnnie Ray) to jazz singers (Ella Fitzgerald) to blues rockers (Eric Clapton). -Karl Waring

Junior Kimbrough - Do the ass

In the 1990s, blues scientists at Fat Possum Records ventured to the Mississippi Delta and found a band of bluesmen playing raw, elemental grooves in jukerooms every night. These records, particularly those by Junior Kimbrough and RL Burnside, influenced a handful of young rockers who appropriated not just raw energy, but stripped down guitar, drums and nothing else, and imbibed that juke joint sound in rock-Arenas. Heavily inspired by Fat Possum, the Black Keys' first album began with back-to-back songs by Burnside and Kimbrough while Jack White was also a student. The original version of the Kimbrough song is the original sound these hipsters wanted. – Brett Milan

Robert Johnson - Sweet Home Chicago

Considered the anthem of the Windy City, this perennial blues about migrating to a better place was recorded by Johnson in a Texas hotel in late 1936 and featured a synthesis of melodic and lyrical elements drawn from several earlier blues songs: including "Kokomo Blues", "Honeydripper Blues" and "Red Cross Blues". Johnson's chord progression combined with the song's structure and its strong rhythms formed a signature template for blues songs that endures to this day. Junior Parker reached the US R&B Top 20 with the song in 1958, and it has since spawned a plethora of covers from the Taj Mahal to Eric Clapton. -Karl Waring

Bobby 'Blue' Bland - Stormy Monday Blues

A hit for Bland in 1961 - it reached No. 5 on the R&B chart and No. 43 on The Hot 100 - this immortal blues song is not the song of the same name first recorded by pianist/bandleader Earl Hines in 1942; It's a reworking of guitarist T-Bone Walker's 1947 single "Call It Stormy Monday But Tuesday Is Just As Bad." Walker's version sounded positively upbeat compared to Bland's unique approach; He slowed down to a funereal pace and used his velvety voice to create a narrative dialogue with guitarist Wayne Bennett. It was featured on Bland's 1962 albumHere's the man!and among those who later cut the song were Little Milton and The Allman Brothers Band. -Karl Waring

John Lee Hooker – Boom Boom

After his second US #1 R&B single, 1951's "I'm In The Mood", Hooker's career went into a commercial decline, only to be revived in the early 1960s with the help of the British blues explosion, to put him back in the spotlight and bring his music to a wider audience. Recorded in Chicago for Vee-Jay Records, "Boom Boom", a 1962 US pop and R&B hit, crystallized the Mississippi bluesman's distinctive boogie style; his raspy, barking voice, accompanied by a thumping guitar and foot stomp. The song was an American hit for British group The Animals in 1965 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of the 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll 30 years later. -Karl Waring

Koko Taylor – Wang Dang Doodle

The Chicago blueswoman had to be persuaded to trademark her signature number (formerly by Howlin' Wolf) as Taylor wasn't sure she could relate to this tale of a wild party with characters like Automatic Slim and Razor-Toting Jim. The world is lucky to have changed its mind. Not only is this one of the best blues party songs, the sheer weight of its performance has inspired artists likeBonnie Raittand Janis Joplin. – Brett Milan

Albert King - Born under a Bad Sign

Born Albert Nelson, Mississippi bluesman Albert King was nicknamed "The Velvet Bulldozer" in reference to his smooth, soulful voice that seemed at odds with his imposing 6'4" and 250lb body. commercially, King is best remembered for this 1967 US Top 50 R&B hit, which was recorded for Stax Records and performed by soul singers William Bell and Booker T. Washington (of Booker T. & The MGs fame). . . Featuring horns and driven by a steady mid-tempo groove, it anticipated the smoother crossover blues style of the late '60s and early '70s. influence on Jimi Hendrix (who covered 1969's "Born Under A Bad Sign"), Mike Bloomfield, Joe Walsh and Stevie Ray Vaughan. -Karl Waring

Robert Petway - Catfish Blues

Not much is known about this mysterious Delta bluesman, but what is certain is that he recorded only 16 songs, one of which, "Catfish Blues", achieved immortality and a place in the pantheon of the best blues songs. He recorded for the Bluebird label in 1941, accompanying his declamatory vocals with an acoustic guitar; The song later influenced Mississippi blues musician Muddy Waters, who was inspired by its lyrics and adapted them into his 1950 song "Rollin' Stone". Lightnin' Hopkins, Jimi Hendrix and Buddy Guy with Junior Wells put their own spin on "Catfish Blues". -Karl Waring

Otis Rush - Worker

Famous for his energetic guitar tone and the distinctive way he bent notes to squeeze every emotion out of the strings, this left-handed master of the Mississippi blues found fame in the clubs of Chicago's West Side. After stints on the Windy City Cobra and Chess labels, Rush ended up on the Atlantic Cotillion subsidiary in 1969 and edited the album,I fight in the morning. Its centerpiece was "Working Man," a variation on the archetypal twelve-bar blues format co-written by the album's co-producer, Chicago blues expert Mike Bloomfield. Backed by a top-notch band - featuring Duane Allman on guitar - backed by a horn section, the song underscores the soulful sophistication Rush brought to the blues idiom. -Karl Waring

T-Bone Walker - Stormy Monday

Played by hundreds of bands for a reason, this is one of the songs that made the electric guitar book.T-Bone-WalkerThe original 1947 version doesn't even have a big solo; The magic is in the flowing runs he plays after each line of verse, along with the plucked chords to emphasize his "Lord, have mercy." The Allman Brothers only managed to improve on it by extending it to 10 minutes. Hendrix also did this on a dodgy bootleg, but it was probably the prototype for his slow blues signature, Red House. – Brett Milan

Blinder Willie McTell – Statesboro Blues

Blind Willie McTell of Thomson, Georgia pioneered a fluid, strumming guitar technique that defined the ragtime-influenced Piedmont blues style that developed in the 1920s. Victor label in 1929 as the B-side to "Three Woman Blues", but it grew in popularity over the years; backed by covers of 1960s Tom Rush and Taj Mahal and an iconic version by Southern rock band The Allman Brothers Band, whose supercharged live version opens their classic 1970 album,Die Allman Brothers Band em Fillmore East. -Karl Waring

Big Bill Broonzy - Volte

A folk-blues troubadour whose career took him from the cotton fields of Mississippi to the concert halls of Europe, Broonzy was a singer/songwriter whose music was a perfect synthesis of work songs, spirituals and ragtime. He combined a softly contoured, expressive vocal timbre with deft guitar work and, as 'Get Back', recorded in 1951, shows, he was not afraid to express social concerns in his songs. An insightful observation on racial discrimination in America with a memorable refrain: "If you're white that's fine, if you're brown you can stay, but if you're black oh brother - come back." -Karl Waring

Muddy Waters – Rollin’ and Tumblin’

Despite being born in the Mississippi Delta - the birthplace of the blues - Muddy Waters has become synonymous with the electric sound of Chicago blues. Before joining, Waters recorded the single "Rollin' and Tumblin'" in 1950 for the Windy City Aristocrat label (soon to become Chess Records). A witty retelling of a 1929 song by Tennessee country blueser Hambone Willie Newbern, the record finds Waters punctuating his soulful growl with searing slide guitar licks backed by Ernest "Big" Crawford's bassline. The song was previously recorded by Robert Johnson (1936) and revived by the blues-influenced British supergroup Cream on their debut LP in 1966.Cena. -Karl Waring

Albert Collins - Sno-Cone, Parts 1 and 2

Speaking of great guitar playing, the piercing sound of Collins' Telecaster on this groundbreaking single (the two parts were entirely different songs) became a touchstone for Texas blues, drawing particular attention to brothers Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughan. East Coasters like J. Geils and George Thorogood also enjoyed it, and the "master of Telecasters" graced several rock stages before his death in 1993. – Brett Milano

Taj Mahal - Sair do Tronco

Henry St. Claire Fredericks is the birth name of Harlem-born blues missionary Taj Mahal, who honored blues tradition while expanding the music's horizons by fusing it with elements of world music. "Leaving Trunk" is the opener to Mahal's 1968 self-titled debut LP and features a young Ry Cooder on rhythm guitar. The song is a high-energy blues-rock reworking of Sleepy John Este's 1930s song "Milk Cow Blues", with Mahal punctuating his impassioned vocals with howling harmonica lines. In the 2000s, American blues-influenced groups The Black Keys and The Derek Trucks Band incorporated the song into their repertoire. -Karl Waring

Big Mama Thornton - Hound

Legendary songwriters and producers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller were responsible for this rhythm and blues hit, which has been recorded by over 300 different artists. Elvis Presley's 1957 version is probably the most famous, but the first recording came from Alabama's powerful-voiced singer and one-hit wonder Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton, who topped the US R&B chart in 1953, where stayed for seven weeks. A groundbreaking record, "Hound Dog" helped spark the rock 'n' roll tsunami that soon followed. In 2013, the importance of the song was recognized by the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame, which included it in a list of the 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. -Karl Waring

Bessie Smith - Nobody Knows You When You're Down

She has rightly been called the "Empress of the Blues", and although she died in 1937 at the age of 43, Bessie Smith's influence continued to permeate popular music for many years to come. Dinah Washington, Esther Phillips and Billie Holiday were among the many female singers who were cast under her spell. One of her signature numbers, Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out is a moving reflection on loss, hard times and the changing of fortunes, written by Jimmy Cox in 1923 and recorded by the Tennessee Band. born Smith six years later. Blind Bobby Baker first recorded the song in 1927, but Smith quickly took ownership of it and helped turn it into an evergreen blues folk that has been covered more than 200 times since its recording. -Karl Waring

Robert Johnson - Hellhound on My Trail

First recorded in 1937 by its writer, Delta blues pioneer Robert Johnson, "Hellhound On My Trail" has an eerie quality thanks to the Mississippi blueser's haunting, melancholy voice backed by skeletal acoustic guitar chords. The song was forgotten and neglected for 30 years until the English band Fleetwood Mac revived it in 1968 during a period of blues revival that revived interest in Johnson's work. Since then, there have been over 20 renditions, mostly by jazz singer Cassandra Wilson and blues rock guitarist Eric Clapton. -Karl Waring

Freddy King - I've been tricked

There were three famous blues kings: B.B., Albert and Freddy King, none of whom were related. The youngest of this royal trinity is Freddie King, a Texas native who pioneered a distinctive style that was a blend of the dark, electric sound of Chicago and the softer blues-rock approach of the Lone Star State bluesmen. A Top 5 US R&B hit in 1961, Sonny Thompson's "I'm Tore Down" is a blues shuffle that combines King's soulful voice and expressive fretboard style with his piercing, bittersweet tone. King had a profound impact on British blues, with "I'm Tore Down" by Alexis Korner, Dr. Feelgood and Eric Clapton were covered. -Karl Waring

Sonny Boy Williamson II - Ajude-me

Unrelated to an earlier blues singer of the same name, Williamson was a harmonica expert born Aleck Ford of Mississippi and rose to fame during the rise of the electric blues movement in Chicago in the 1950s. Between 1955 and 1968 he enjoyed a productive association with the Windy City Chess seal; One of his most popular sides was "Help Me", an infectious groove he co-wrote with Willie Dixon, which was the lead track on Williamson's 1966 LP.More real folk blues, a collection of singles. Notable covers of the song are by Canned Heat, Ten Years After, Van Morrison and Walter Trout. -Karl Waring

Lucille Bogan - Depilé-a a seco

It's not the best-known album on this list, but it's certainly the most innovative. In one fell swoop, Lucille Bogan recorded one of the most sexually explicit songs in history and broke all boundaries of what a woman could sing - and she did in 1935. Bogan's lyrics broke many taboos: "Grocories On The Shelf" did not this around prostitution as a viable profession, while "BD Woman Blues" (the initials mean "bull dyke") was quite leaning towards this belief. The originally released version of "Shave 'Em Dry" was just full of innuendo, but she also created an under-the-table alternative version that is better known to blues lovers today. This version leaves no doubt about her intentions and includes the line: "I've got something between my legs that would make a dead man come." No prizes to find out who it later inspired... - Brett Milano

Stevie Ray Vaughan - Texas Flood

Vaughan, an agile Dallas shooter who channeled the fretboard extravagance of Hendrix and the dexterity of Lonnie Mack, was already familiar to blues lovers when he starred with David Bowie.let's Dancealbum put him on the mainstream radar in 1983. That same year, Vaughan released this slow-burning twelve-bar blues ballad, the title track of his 1983 debut LP with his band Double Trouble. The song is a reworking of a song first recorded by Lone Star State bluesman Larry Davis in 1958. Vaughan's version was nominated for a Grammy. -Karl Waring

Elmore James - Dust My Broom

Written by Robert Johnson in 1936 and titled "I Think I'll Dust My Broom", this groundbreaking blues number is a metaphor for sexual frustration. It was a Top 10 R&B hit on the Trumpet label for Mississippi singer and axeman Elmore (or Elmo) James in 1952, who electrified the song with searing (and much imitated today) slide guitar fills welded to a driving random beat. . James' haunting, amplified blues style had a profound influence on many young British bands in the 1960s, including the Rolling Stones and Fleetwood Mac (who covered Dust My Broom on their 1968 albummister wonderful). -Karl Waring

Jimi Hendrix – Voodoo Chile

Anyone who has listened to swaggering blues musicians like Muddy Waters ("Hoochie Coochie Man") and Howlin' Wolf ("Smoke Stack Lightnin'") will recognize the genre's occasional games of preternatural self-aggrandizement. In 1968, Jimi Hendrix took this aspect to the extreme with the 15-minute epic Voodoo Chile, in which he describes himself as a mystical child with extraordinary superpowers. The song that appeared on the albumElectric Ladyland, was supposedly built on a foundation of Muddy Waters' "Catfish Blues", which Hendrix developed into an episodic piece that offers a stylistic summary of blues history. The shorter, overtly psychedelic version of the song – "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)" – became one of Hendrix's signature songs. The song exemplifies the blues tradition of cannibalizing old songs to make new ones. -Karl Waring

Bo Diddley - I'm a Man

Bo Diddley was the alter ego of Elias McDaniel, the influential Mississippi-born songwriter and performer who started out playing violin but switched to guitar after meeting John Lee Hooker. He became a major artist in the 1950s as part of the Chicago electro-blues scene, and in 1955 he recorded "I'm A Man" as the B-side of his debut single "Bo Diddley". (Both sides of the record were popular and together reached #1 on the US R&B chart.) The track's swaggering monolithic guitar riff and wailing harmonica over a pulsing backbeat were inspired by an earlier Muddy Waters hit, "Hoochie Coochie Man"; in response to Diddley, Waters reconfigured "I'm A Man" into a new song, "Mannish Boy", although the two songs were musically identical. Diddley's melody was particularly influential in British rock bands; The Yardbirds, The Who and Dr. Everyone felt good. -Karl Waring

Professor Long Hair - Big Boss

Originally released in 1964, this is a mainstay of New Orleans music. The pianist's incorporation of Caribbean rumba and drummer Smokey Johnson's syncopation define the city's unique approach to rhythm and lay the groundwork for its funk and R&B. Written by bluesman Earl King (who also sang lead on the original record), "Big Chief" lyrically references the street rituals of Mardi Gras Indians. Professor Longhair, who died in 1980, is still very much alive.Nova OrleansCulture. The city's most famous club, Tipitina's, is named after another of his songs. And if you're in town during Mardi Gras or Jazz Fest, "Big Chief" is a song you're sure to hear. – Brett Milan

Jimmy Reed - Bright Lights, Big City

If one song epitomizes easy-rolling country blues, this might be it, thanks to Jimmy Reed's laid-back Mississippi rhythm and lyrics that warn of a bleak future for the girl who ran away to town. The song made a name for Reed big enough to perform at Carnegie Hall in 1961 (leading to a "live" album that was actually recreated in the studio). The Sonny James cover was the #1 country song, while other notable covers came from the Stones and Neil Young. – Brett Milan

Willie Dixon - The Seventh Son

A blues savant when there was one, Willie Dixon created great songs from voodoo mythology ("Hoochie Coochie Man") and southern folklore, where he absorbed the idea that the seventh child in a family would be uniquely gifted. This classic song flopped when it was first released in 1955 (by Willie Mabon, for whom Dixon wrote it); Perpetual hipster Mose Allison then took it. But it wasn't a hit until 1964, thanks to Johnny Rivers, always a man with great taste in covers, who forever recast "Seventh Son" as a rock 'n' roll song. – Brett Milan

Howlin Wolf - By the Spoon

More lyrical wizardry from Willie Dixon, who took a snippet of old Charley Patton lyrics and turned them into an eternal plea for just one spoonful of sweet love. Howlin' Wolf's original 1960 recording had a profound influence on later blues-rock bands, thanks to his original vocals and Hubert Sumlin's guitar playing. The Lovin' Spoonful even took the name off the song, and Cream turned it into a 16-minute masterpiece. – Brett Milan

Muddy Waters - I Just Want To Make Love To You

The story goes that someone dared Willie Dixon to write a song about being in the mood for love. Of course he delivered, but with signature humor, including a long list of things the singer doesn't want to do. But the underlying lust is unmistakable in Waters' version, aided by Dixon and other Chess Session greats. Whether reverently played by the Rolling Stones or enlivened by Foghat, the lust remains the same. – Brett Milan

Otis Rush - Can't Leave You Baby

Another Willie Dixon composition that ventures into tricky emotional territory, seemingly inspired by Rush's own circumstances. The singer can't get away from the woman he loves, but has to "put her aside for a while" to get his personal life in order. Rush recorded this song a few times, but the 1966 version (from the Vanguard albumChicago: The Blues Today) is probably the hottest. It's the one that Led Zeppelin covered and retains many of Rush's solo licks, as well as the impassioned a cappella opening. – Brett Milan

Buddy Guy - rock freak

One of the flagships of Buddy Guy's early career, this was a true demonstration of his typical intensity: his voice is a howl of romantic anguish and his guitar responds to each line, leading to a solo full of tension. Originally a three-minute single in 1961, the unedited recording appeared on a later compilation album and is now deservedly the standard version. – Brett Milan

Muddy Water - Hoochie Coochie Man

Few songs have defined an artist as clearly as this song by Willie Dixon for Muddy Waters. Its stop-time arrangement was groundbreaking for a 1954 blues song, but it's the lyrical's enduring arrogance that really gets the attention: the singer is so forceful, especially with the opposite sex, that a "gypsy" has to warn his mother with advance. The song was also a good example of blues tradition in action: Bo Diddley rewrote it and got the timeless "I'm a Man"; In turn, Waters responded with a third classic: "Mannish Boy". – Brett Milan

Howlin' Wolf - Lightning in the Chimney

Wolf's composition is a beautiful testament to the poetry of a blues lyric that takes the image of a train passing through town and transforms it into something otherworldly with the help of Wolf's wails. Hubert Sumlin provided the indelible guitar line that endeared the song to a host of young blues rockers, most notably Eric Clapton, whose version with the Yardbirds was admired by Wolf himself. – Brett Milan

Elmore James – Hurts Me Too

One of the strongest blues ballads, "It Hurts Me Too" has also become synonymous with slide guitar. Tampa Red played some tasty acoustic slides on the original 1940 version. But it was James' electric lead on their 1957 cover that inspired a large cast of guitar masters to try their hand at "It Hurts Me Too," including Jerry Garcia. with the dead, Eric Clapton in his early solo days and Ry Cooder onwards. the Stones spin-off albumPlaying with Edward. – Brett Milan

Otis Rush - Amor

This 1959 classic stands out from most songs on its roster for being an upbeat love song, complete with some great twists ("All your lovin' is lovn', all your kissin' is kissin'.") that is rhythmically inventive. too, with drummer Billy Gayles adding a Latin groove in the first half of the song, only to switch to a heavy four-four when Rush plays his guitar solo. Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac admitted that he borrowed heavily from the latter when writing Black Magic Woman, in which Carlos Santana restored the Latin rhythm. – Brett Milan

John Lee Hooker - covinhas

One of Hooker's trademarks, "Dimples," is a marvel of bluesy minimalism and a bit of unbridled lust for the way a woman walks and "changes." The 1959 original was one of his first singles for Vee Jay, who got him into the studio with Jimmy Reed's band and ended up with a record that didn't sound like Jimmy Reed. It's one of Hooker's most covered songs - Los Lobos and Van Morrison even re-recorded it with him - but none can match the distorted rhythmic sense of the original. – Brett Milan

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