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Featured Blues Icon Music - BB King
I have a great picture somewhere of B.B. King as a young fella', playin' the blues in shorts in some ancient smoky bar - It's an old sepia/black and white photo and I think it was in an old magazine. I'll have to dig it out.
I just remembered it was a Guitar Player mag! I'm talkin' about one with a free plastic soundsheet with it - yuk yuk. (My fave soundsheet has 2b Eric Johnson's Cliffs of Dover Live). They're still goin' strong I have loads of 'em. I always find Guitar Player Mag a good learning source ... the likes of Steves - Morse and Vai, Eric Johnson and the incredible Jeff Berlin, plus many other greats have contributed over the years.
Talk about a true Blues icon music hero, and no doubt this particular King will be in there somewhere - legendary pedigree, B.B was doin' it way back when!
- Blues Icon Music Tips Great songs AND superb guitar work featuring the man, his greatest toons, and "Lucille". - Howiya JC. (Great guitarist friend of mine, who never misses a gig when BB comes to town!).
- Blues Icon Music Tips BB is a great man for micro-tone type bends. Listen carefully as he slowly bends up a note and creates tension and resolution. A great player to study if you want to get into serious micro bends and arpeggio based Blues lead.
- Blues Icon Music Tips Try to see him live or on video - very original performer and well worth seeing what he's doing ... Watch out for that famous sideways Butterfly Vibrato.
If you want to hear a few more masters of the blues using some of our Blues-Lesson Techniques and more, try one of mine and many's faves - Albert King. Many old blues recordings are inconsistent in the quality department as there are tons of releases and reissues out there in it just for the money.
So for the real McCoy try...
Blues Icon Music - Albert King King of the Blues Guitar by Albert King. Great for listeners AND guitar players - A true classic this CD. He played a Gibson Flying V and he strung it hi E nearest to face and bent a lot of notes away from himself. He achieved some serious wide bends. These type of CDs containing a master at work are like the ultimate free guitar lessons! Study them and pick up endless tips.
Blues Icon Music - Fleetwood Mac
Here's a few more acknowledged masters well worth investigating -
Best of Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac Tons of fillers and reissues available here too, but this IS the very best collection. Includes some crucial Green tracks and more.
I have this version with a different cover so it took me ages to track it down.
Be aware that this is not the later Fleetwood Mac with the girl singers and so on, but the original band line-up who were totally Blues orientated.
Featuring no less than three guitar players at certain stages. Btw two of them went a bit loo-lah believe it or not. Ragardless of that, some serious "less is more" school of guitar on display here.
Another great learning source and guitar lesson on CD.
Blues Icon Music - Stevie Ray Vaughn
Stevie Ray Vaughn Texas Flood For me, the original and best album from this blues master.
Drenched in Texas vibes, guitar and vocals that blows the room away... love that cover ;-).
Stevie Ray Vaughn is one of the hottest Blues guitar players ever to emerge from the healthy Texas scene and is seriously worth studying for any player into learning emotionally driven guitar.
From heavy Blues to Jazzy Blues to Rock Blues, SRV covered them all with style. Even made an appearance on David Bowie's "Let's Dance".
Sadly he was lost to the world in an aeroplane crash - sorely missed by many.
A true Blues legend who has left behind him a legacy of recorded works. which are great for studying vibrato, note choice, riffs and anything else you could throw in the pot. He used 13s on an electric to fatten up his tone!
Not to mention an absolutely awesome singer with a fantastic voice. Not yer average "chancey" Blues crooner, but a man with a voice to match his brilliant guitar playing. And what a performer to boot! Check out his brother Jimmy Ray Vaughn too - excellent player, plays mostly in the Blues genre too.
- Jazzy-Blues Style Tip For a lighter bluesy/jazzy touch try Robin Ford's excellent album - Talk to Your Daughter a great mix of jazz/blues/pop styles, and very fluid playing.
These Albums not only contain great guitar work worth studying, but are enjoyable to listen too aswell. Some blues albums don't keep it interesting enough in terms of songs I reckon. To be Continued...
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