Fans voted in record numbers. All the while Fish retains the blues' storytelling power, rooting her sound in the blues tradition while imagining it anew. Song Starter Kit: Ghosts from The Fire Cosmic, Waiting for Your Love from The Fire Cosmic, John the Revelator from Island. It will inspire you to live a more full life. When all is said is done, its hard to imagine anyone getting a better introduction (or re-introduction) to the amazing sounds of blues piano at its best. A truly memorable effort. Foster soars above her own lofty standards with the big band behind her and showcases the finest female voice in todays roots music scene. If the late Frank Bey isnt familiar to you, the opening (and title) track of his final album serves as a fine introduction. Dont let the title of Jeremiah Johnsons latest album fool you. Wordfence is a security plugin installed on over 4 million WordPress sites. With three albums under her belt already, theres no doubt that Baileys a gifted songwriter and band leader, but what really sets her apart from the pack is her smoky, soul-infused vocal delivery. Among the albums best tracks are the Howling Wolf cover Smokestack Lightening and the surprisingly sensitive Honey Bee, Sail on. For the Bobby Rush fan Rawer than Raw is essential. So, what are the best blues rock bands ever? Featuring a dazzling array of talent including Jason Isbell, Steve Cropper, Christone Kingfish Ingram, Jerry Douglas, and Duane Eddy, Uncivil War is both compelling and incredibly moving. Dom Martin On El Dorado, King is backed by Gene Chrisman, Bobby Wood, and Dave Roe. Mike Zito website, Nine-time Blues Music Award winner and three-time Grammy nominee Ruthie Foster puts her big-league vocals into a brass-heavy big band setting on Live At The Paramount. Savoy Brown. Big riffs and anthemic choruses are very much the order of the day here. His work here is tasty, emotive and, at times, downright chilling. The album closer, Fathers Day, is a heartwarming song that wins the listener over completely. Peter Green (1946 - 2020) Peter Allen Greenbaum (29 October 1946 - 25 July 2020), known professionally as Peter Green, was an English blues rock singer-songwriter and guitarist. Thankfully, Fletcher is happy to remind us again and again with solos that bend that mind as deftly as he bends strings. listeners: [], One of the very finest slide guitar players the UK has to offer, Martin Harley has been releasing music for 20 years and is a virtuoso in both laid back acoustic Weissenborn and fiery electric styles. Have you Lost Your Mind Yet is not for those who prefer their music blues or otherwise performed in a more straightforward, conventional manner. British blues groups and artists are shown below along with any additional genres in which their music belongs. Great list! Struggle for Grace offers the best showcase of the bluesmans pipes, demonstrating his range, his power and his warmth. callback: cb Great guitar blues with exemplary craft. Castiglia is a dominant guitarist, a strong singer, and a compelling entertainer who is creating his own legend now, in real time. This isnt something for a listener seeking a lightweight piece of pop fluff. 41. Recorded in Memphis by the Idaho born and bred Nemeth, Stronger than Strong engages the listener for all the reasons any great blues album engage the fans. At just 17 years old, Toby Lee has already packed tonnes into his musical career. . A portrait of Peter Green, guitarist and co-founder of rock band Fleetwood Mac, c. 1968. Here are the blues players you choose as 2020's standouts. A nightmare of a virus may have given us all the blues, but as usual, our favorite genre could be relied on to help ease the pain. Review of Uncivil War If not, you may want to stay away. If its not the albums best track its a close second to her cover of the stunning Billie Holiday classic Strange Fruit. Overall, Blackbirds is a very compelling piece of work. All told, Thats What I Heard is a top notch effort. 2,625,527 listeners. Blues Artist of the Year - sponsored by Blues in the South Blues Instrumentalist of the Year - sponsored by Digital Blues Its may take me all year to sample and listen to your recommendations! Fascinating Stories From Stevie Nickss Love Life, The Best Bands & Artists That Start With Y, The Greatest Pop Groups & Artists of All Time, The Best Metal Guitarists and Guitar Teams, These Poetic Geniuses Wrote Your Favorite Songs of All Time. early 1960s the British had developed a viable national music industry and began to produce adapted forms of American music in Beat music and British blues . Thats a great thing, something we are all grateful for. And it's vital in bringing the blues to new ears and carrying the fire forwards. Huge mistake to exclude Kenny Wayne Shepperd. Altogether, it was a year of glorious surprises and traditions that havent outgrown their welcome and never will. Ordinary Madness is a strong showing from one of the best guitarists, singer-songwriters of the modern era. Who will be the new Foo Fighters drummer in the post-Taylor Hawkins line-up? Song Starter Kit: Milk Drunk from Milk Drunk, Love Divine from Chukka Chukka, This Sweet Life from Chukka Chukka. 'Girls with Guitars' -The 2011 Ruf Records Blues Caravan Tour - presents three of the scene's hottest young female guitar. Their cover of the Phil Colins 80s hit In the Air Tonight will bring a rattle to your bone, but so will almost everything here. 1. Containment Blues features Gomes whiskey soaked vocals, rock swagger, and growling guitar with more of a blues/roots flavor than previous releases. Allison is the son of blues great, Luther Allison, and is regarded as a slide guitar master. Nice List, but I think you are missing the latest from Yes, Uncle Eric encouraged the young Johns to pick up a guitar and taught him his very first riff, which was Crossroads, of course. 4,259 votes. Born Xavier Amin Dphrepaulezz in an orthodox muslim household, the eccentric artist whose stage name is Fantastic Negrito has a sound and musical approach all his own. Fatback Deluxe Style: Classic American blues Influenced by: Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker Gear: Gibson ES-335, Gibson Les Paul Pro, late 60s Ampeg AUB-1 fretless bass Robin Trower Blues With Friends boasts 12 tracks of strong songwriting, musical depth and mastery, along with Dions smooth vocals and skillful craft of blues. Charlie Musselwhite website, Alastair Greenes 2020 effort The New World Blues on Tab Benoits Whiskey Bayou Records is a stripped-down blast of live-in-the-studio blues/rock built on grit, soul, and first takes. Individuals [ edit] Ian A. Anderson Elles Bailey [1] Ginger Baker Long John Baldry [2] Chris Barber Norman Beaker [3] Jeff Beck [2] Duster Bennett [2] Graham Bond [2] Marcus Bonfanti [4] John Bonham [5] Geoff Bradford Jack Broadbent [6] Jack Bruce [2] Danny Bryant Eric Burdon event : evt, And thats very much a good thing. Contemporary rhythm and blues, rock and roll and funky rhythms weave their way through most songs on One Shot, brought to life by superb musicians and an electrifying vocalist. The albums closer, Rock and Roll for the soul is just that. Another touching example is Black Lives Matter.. Thank you. We'll put money on next year being an even bigger one. on: function(evt, cb) { MusicRadar is the number 1 website for music makers of all kinds, be they guitarists, drummers, keyboard players, djs or producers MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. To anyone concerned with the current state of the blues, Whitney Shays latest release Stand Up could have been delivered with you in mind. Cameos from time-tested veterans of the blues make the album shimmer most and the relentlessly upbeat Birmingham (featuring Robert Randolph and Keb Mo) may be the best example. Keri Leigh - Vocals and Percussion. Forced to cancel or postpone extensive touring plans before she could return with socially distanced shows, the inspirational Samatha Fish adapted, playing weekly Facebook live performances from home for fans. But it seems likely that both problems will work themselves out in time. This is an uplifting and inspirational record that will put your heart back where it needs to be. All My Dues are Paid is a truly special album. Its a bold and beautiful set of rock music full of emotional honesty and tremendous performances by band members Alan Nimmo, Stevie Nimmo, Jonny Dyke, Zander Greenshields, and Andrew Scott. Thats awesome, glad our lists are helpful and you enjoy them! Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). When Rivers Meet website, Expanding on Marcus Kings Southern soul, rock and blues sound, El Dorado is Kings first solo album, produced by Black Keyes guitarist Dan Auerbach, out on Fantasy Records. More than anything else, he lets his soul lead the way. Congratulations to all of these fine rocking blues musicians! Ordinary Madness may well be five-decade blues/rock survivor Walter Trouts finest recorded hour. } The set comes across as a tribute to and a step forward from some of the most important rock music to ever hit a microphone and proves that new, meaningful guitar music is still being made. Pulling in musicians from all over the world, this record features blues/rock, R&B, and Soul. Lincolnshires Jack Broadbent honed his craft by playing at open mic nights and busking on city streets. Also vital is Diggin Roots with Ron Artis the 2nd. As euphoric and full of joy as its title would imply, Iguanas Chicago Spectacular! Samantha Fish / Cassie Taylor / Dani Wilde. The Finnish blues supremo didn't let lockdown keep her down; she even released a Lockdown Live album from her rooftop show in Kuopio in June. Keri Leigh & The Blue Devils. The Blues Band was credited with kicking off a second blues boom in Britain, which by the 90s led to festivals all around the country, including The Swanage Blues Festival, The Burnley National Blues Festival, The Gloucester Blues and Heritage Festival and The Great British Rhythm and Blues Festival at Colne. These guys are the real thing. Wille and The Bandits Shemekia Copeland website, British blues/rock duo, When Rivers Meet is made up of husband and wife outfit, Grace and Aaron Bond. Despite its challenges 2020 was a special one for him, where the relentless touring had to stop but Joe Bonamassa certainly didn't. Photo: Jack Broadbent (Jack Fasano), When Rivers Meet (Rob Blackham, Troy Redfern (Rob Blackham), Elles Bailey (Rob Blackham), UK Blues. Another strong example is the dance track Sweep the Shack. Its a simple tale about a man whos eager to finish his day of work to get back into the arms of his beloved. The four-piece have managed to commit their on-stage vibrancy to record with great success, and whether youre hearing them through headphones or a cranked festival soundsystem, Wille and The Bandits make for fun listening every time. Think of her as a softer, more intimate Etta James. But What the Hell a challenge to current political/social polarization may be the albums standout track. Larkin Poe website, Southern rock and roll band Robert Jon & The Wreck have been releasing albums since the bands inception in 2011, collecting multiple awards along the way. If you know enough about the genre, please vote based on the quality of the band's music instead of just voting for the most popular british blues bands that you might've heard of, but not really listened to closely enough to cast an informed vote. And he went above and beyond to help other musicians too. Song Starter Kit: The Search for Happiness from Aquarius, Take The Wheel from Aquarius EP, Lie To Me from Lie To Me (Single). Nearing his 80th birthday, Smithers voice shows wear, but this isnt a bad thing. The songs that most attest to this are The high-octane Groovy Goddess and the plaintive Many Worlds.. The set is a back porch session by two of the most famous blues players ever and lets Bishop and Musselwhite do it their own raw-boned way with minimal interference to disrupt the vibe. BA1 1UA. Quarantine blues is about a good world feeling bad. Jared Leto, Thirty Seconds to Mars is an emo-inflected alternative rock group. This list is in no particular order. Castiglia gets down with special guests Mike Zito, John Ginty, and Lewis Stephens in front of a happy crowd at The Funky Biscuit in Boca Raton, Florida, reminding us all how much we have to get back to post-Covid. Greg, Mindi Abair & the Boneshakers (blues, blues-rock, R&B, funk, jazz) Saxophonist, singer-songwriter Video Website Josh Smith (blues, blues-rock, rock, funk, jazz) Guitarist, singer-songwriter, producer. Standouts include the plaintive Cant Start Over Again (with Jeff Beck) and What if I Told You (with Samantha Fish). The fierce essence of the band is still very much present and is mixed with a new maturity and high-level songwriting skills thatll keep listeners singing along and reaching for the Repeat button. Why We Love Them: "Best album since Yield " is nearly as much of a Pearl Jam clich as "best since Tattoo You " is a Stones clich, but this . Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. So awesome to see When Rivers Meet made the list!! The result is a searing collection of tunes that each carve their way into the listeners soul in a dazzlingly different way. Their new album, Electric Soul Machine, is a must listen. 109 listeners. A contemporary exploration of Southern R&B, Country-soul, blues/rock and blues, El Dorado established King as one of the most soulful voices of his generation. Sonny Landreth website, The Allman Betts Band keeps the family flame burning brightly on 2020s Bless Your Heart on BMG Records. })(); 2023. One cursory listen might lead you into thinking their sound is Southern rockthey are much more than that. 8. Brox possesses and commands a vast vocal range and is also a highly accomplished flautist which works surprisingly well in a bluesy context. The next time you lament the death of the blues due to the neglect from younger generations, just give a quick listen to Memphis Loud by Victor Wainright and the Train and rejoice. Released by Blue Corn Music, the record was captured live January 26th, 2019 at the 105-year-old Paramount Theater in Austin, Texas and is an overwhelming mix of Ruthies blues and gospel skills and fully-orchestrated big band arrangements. With guest vocalists Chris Cote and Michelle Wilson, Blues Bash is as much fun as youd expect an album called Blues Bash to be. These are truly the greatest british blues bands of all time, since the most famous british blues artists ever are listed, and the order is decided by actual fans of the best british blues music. If you like to wash your rock n roll down with just a swig of blues, then youre probably going to dig these guys. Known as The King of Slydeco, Mississippi-born, Louisiana-reared guitar legend Sonny Landreth is the rare blues musician who truly sounds like no one else. Tracked at Abbey Road Studios and released by J&R Adventures, the set features new material co-written by Bonamassa and important British musicians including former Whitesnake guitarist Bernie Marsden, ex-Cream lyricist Pete Brown, and piano man Jools Holland. Joe Bonamassa Classic guest lesson: Joe Bonamassa (Image credit: Future) Joe shares some of his finest blues licks Joe is always high in this list every year - he's the biggest blues guitarist in the world, but also the hardest working. But the albums most inspirational track may be Give God the Blues, a gospel/blues hybrid that simultaneously reminds the blues listener of the genres spiritual past and takes us to the present by asserting that the ugliness of humanity does not come from above. They are raw, unpolished and ragged. By Ed Mitchell published July 30, 2010 Keeping blues music alive in 2010 Fatback Deluxe 1. She made a big. Review of Blacktop Run Still fairly new on the scene, its possible that theyll grow more consistent as time goes by. Good Times, as its title would suggest, pines for days gone by with a wistful, gentle breeze of a sound. It was a tough year for blues its players win hearts and minds the old way, on the stage. Give him 20 more years and he might pick up the accent, too. A vintage party that evokes the kind of old-school shindig where you could picture James Dean cutting the rug with Marilyn Monroe. More likely, youll be walking down the street, headphones in, and only become alerted to the fact your gaits developed an unusual slink because people have started staring at you. Its refreshing to see these instruments sprung from the confines of folk music and given some rock n roll treatment. This is their first release together, but 100 years sounds as effortless and organic as something youd expect from friends with a decades-long history of collaboration. With his long hair, beard and straight from the heart playing style, Broadbent is sonically and visually a little rugged around the edges. Song Starter Kit: Dead Horses from Death Valley Paradise, Hail Mary from The Divine and The Dirty, Ignite (Light It Up) from Light it Up. ABOUT THE AWARDS READ THE RULES THE 2023 FINALISTS NOW LIVE Song Starter Kit: The Razors Edge from No More Worlds to Conquer, United State of Mind from United State of Mind, Tide Of Confusion from Coming Closer To The Day. The Album sizzles most when it charges at full-speed, keeping up with rock and soul, but never leaving the blues behind. Each album is just as great as the other. A British blues/rock duo and husband and wife, When Rivers Meet have the kind of frenetic sound that the blues needs. If available, you can also see information about where all british blues bands on this list got started. 1967 - by Colin Cooper, Pete Haycock, Derek Holt, Richard Jones, George Newsome and Arthur Wood. Dave Horton - Electric and Acoustic guitar . Although Wilsons voice is the albums centerpiece the finest track Strollin satisfies most when it allows his harmonica to do the singing. (HTTP response code 503). England and Wales company registration number 2008885. If you are a WordPress user with administrative privileges on this site, please enter your email address in the box below and click "Send". Not that this blues bash ever threatens to slow down. When people think of good blues rock, names of famous bands like Led Zeppelin, Cream, the Allman Brothers Band, as well as solo blues artists like the English powerhouse Eric Clapton, and American greats Stevie Ray Vaughn and B.B. 10 questions for Joanne Shaw Taylor (opens in new tab). Copelands latest release is a breathtaking journey through the past of Black America, beginning with the horror show of slavery and ending with the current days unending chaos. FANTASTIC NEGRITO - HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND YET. Daughter of cult Mancunian blues figure, Victor Brox, her musical career began when she was a teenager performing in his band. Robert Jon & The Wreck website, Slide guitar magic man Sonny Landreth lays it all on us on his 2020 record Black Top Run, a wonderful set of music released by Provogue/Mascot Label Group. British husband and wife duo When Rivers Meet have been riding high since they cleaned up at the 2021 UKBlues Awards, taking home four trophies in one night. Elvin Bishop website The most obvious example of a timely song is Blues for George Floyd. With a self-explanatory title, it pays gentle homage to a fallen citizen and victim of ignorance who has, for deeply sad reasons, been very much in the news of late. Why release one album in 2020 when you can put out two? Since 2016, there's been plenty of chart success and an overabundance of recognition from The BRITs and annual BBC Sound poll, for the likes of NAO, Mabel, Izzy Bizu, Jorja Smith, RAYE, IAMDDB and . King Size Slim, AKA Toby Barelli, delivers raw, heartfelt, acoustic roots boogie. If you buy it, enjoy at its best, but prepare for a release that doesnt always stay there. This list answers the questions "who are the best british blues bands of all time?" Huge mistake to spell his name wrong..Shepherd. On this song, Wilsons harmonica must be heard to be believed. Song Starter Kit: Good Stuff from When the World Stood Still, One Way from Paths, Keep Your Head Up from New Breed. Heavy Mama 85 listeners Formed over 10 years ago while studying at Perth College, Heavy Mama toured across Scotland for several years, serving up a potent mix of blues, Remembering Fleetwood Mac Founder Peter Green, The Soulful Voice Of British Blues. Megan and Rebecca Lovell on the endless possibilities of slide guitar and playing 21st-century blues. Fresh from scooping the awards for Acoustic Blues Artist of the Year and Blues Instrumentalist of the Year at the 2022 UKBlues awards, Northern Irelands Dom Martin is very much a musician breaking into his stride. Guitarist Aaron Bond brings the riffs usually opting for either Gibson Les Paul or a cigar box guitar for slide while Grace takes care of more of the melodic duties on lead vocals, violin and mandolin. Its often said that every blues song is basically about a good man feeling bad. Nothing complicated here, just good old fashioned blues you can shuffle to. } In terms of song quality, We Fly Free is uneven. Another home run Martine! But the musicians who stood out for you still found a way to reach people in the pandemic with standout albums and performances. We could go on, but you get the picture: the guy is scarily good. Not that sheer technical mastery is the only tool in his shed. In addition to the buoyant title track, stand outs include the inspirational One Thing Every Day and Beys stunningly poignant cover of John Lennons Imagine. The Georgia-born singer may be gone, but the music he left behind will undoubtedly inspire an army of future blues fans. The clever Phone Zombies is as brilliant and funny as the blues can get, while also commenting on the contemporary world in a way that few blues song do. Uncivil War is a staggeringly ambitious album and because Shemekia Copeland has the skills to see it home, it may be the years best blues album. Song Starter Kit: Hell Drive You Crazy from Saving Grace, Did I Break The Law from We Fly Free, Free Man from The Uprising EP. But he took up residence in London over 20 years ago and has since become far more than an honorary member of the British scene having played everything from the most iconic clubs, to muddiest festival fields, and even hosted his Soho Radio show. Just listen and let his sound wash over you. She'll be putting that back into action with live dates in her homeland next year . Joined by long-time band mates, Pat DeSalvo and Garnet Grimm, Aint Done Yet features well-crafted tracks with catchy hooks, Simmonds smooth vocals, and a band thats as tight as it can be. Please Help Keep Rock & Blues Muse Alive, Cant You See What Youre Doing To Me (Live) ft. Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Marc Broussards New Single Features Joe Bonamassa Thats What Love Will Make You Do, Review: Feed the Wolf by Miss Velvet and The Blue Wolf. Song Starter Kit: Bluesdaddy from Bluesdaddy, Never Rains from Hooks & Lines, Last Page from Something Old, Something New. A comprehensive rundown of the best guitarists of all time, featuring the trailblazers, the early innovators, the best jazz, rock, indie, blues, metal and acoustic players - and the top guitarists around today. The best rock guitarists in the world right now, as voted by you. Review of Self Made Man Heres how it works. The Allman Betts Band website, Former lead guitarist for The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Kirk Fletcher is widely considered one of the best blues guitarists in the world. For anyone who suspected they were a mere novelty, The Juice provides the most vibrant evidence to the contrary. Picking standout tracks is tricky. Overall, its pretty clear that Savoy Brown aint done yet. So it doesnt take a Gypsy soothsayer to announce this new album by guitarist and vocalist John Primer & harmonica master Bob Corritore is a top notch effort. Its recent Grammy nomination will hopefully see more people catching on. ); G Loves sound isnt for everyone, but those who want their blues to go down with a side order of fun would have a hard time finding a better album than The Juice. With a voice like hers, she rocks it with soul on One Shot, produced by Jamie Evans. 2020 Blues Albums Spotify Playlist If 2020 will be forever remembered as the year of a deadly pandemic, it can also be thought of as a year that demonstrated the undying spirit of the blues. This is very much the case with Elvin Bishop and Charlie Musselwhites deeply satisfying 100 Years of the Blues. All told, Royal Tea, is exactly what a fan of Bonamassa has come to expect. A strong opening track has a way of steamrolling the listener into submission. Until then, this effort will serve as a solid building block for what may someday become a brilliant career. When Rivers Meet You make it easier to keep track of all the new music by established and new artists. forms: { All Rights Reserved, Top 20 Blues, Rock And Roots Albums of 2020. Tackling the legendary works of Jimmy Rogers, Larry Williams and Jimmy Nolan is no easy undertaking, but Grammy nominated vocalist and blues harpist Kim Wilson is up for the task. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); (function() { } He spent many years backing up classic rock legend Alan Parsons but Greenes time to shine on his own has most definitely arrived. This list of the top british blues bands in the world includes all musicians who have released recordings that have gotten distribution, and is an up-to-date list. You introduced me to Larkin Poe and Marcus King off your list, this year, which were two great adds. Dion website, British singer-songwriter Lynne Jackaman, former frontwoman of rock band, Saint Jude, released One Shot, recorded at Fame Studios, Muscle Shoals. All rights reserved. Ryan Perry, I always look forward to your year end list and your recommendations during the year. Have you lost your Mind contains elements of rock, funk, hip-hop and jazz. And the albums other highlight is the soft, slow Rambling Blues. Much more than a platform of musical skills, this album reminds us how dark, dangerous and reckless the genre can become when done right. Blues infused Southern rock, the band self-produced this 11 track, all-original album that's fresh with contemporary, expansive sounds and pristine production.