Buddy Guy “Damn Right I Got The Blues”
Buddy Guy, at 85, is the last man standing. And you're damn right he's still got the blues.... Read More
Hound Dog Taylor “Give Me Back My Wig” (1971)
Hound Dog Taylor brought us genuine house rocking music from the south side of Chicago, playing raw slide guitar blues that utilized five of his six fingers (yes, you read that right).... Read More
Freddie King “Going Down” (1971)
Guitar tone. It's a hard-to-pinpoint aesthetic that's challenging to define or describe. Yet it's still easy to recognize that Freddie King had some of the greatest tone of all time.... Read More
The Nighthawks “Destination” (1982)
The Nighthawks, George Thorogood, and an unexpected tag-team tandem, formed the alchemy for what I consider my greatest concert night ever.... Read More
David Lindley “Mercury Blues” (1981)
A guy you’ve heard on records a thousand times but didn’t know it was him, this maxi-instrumentalist's song became the perfect opener for a particular Playlist request.... Read More
Mike Zito “Wee Wee Hours” (2019)
Mike Zito takes an old Chuck Berry 12-bar blues tune and assails the listener with an overwhelming assault of chops that could go on until the wee wee hours. Whatever those are.... Read More
ZZ Top “Blue Jean Blues” (1975)
..This is Billy Gibbons putting on a blues guitar clinic, of restraint and intensity. He’s not exactly holding back but he’s not showing off either. It’s all tone and feel, with attention to every note and lick, and the perfect intention..... Read More
B.B. King “I’m Moving On” (1991)
..The King Of The Blues, Mr. B.B. King, resplendent in a glittery tux jacket and wincing in apparent pain at the impossibly high note he’s managed to hit on his renowned Gibson guitar “Lucille”..... Read More
Jimmy Reed “Take Out Some Insurance” (1959)
I hate paying for home insurance. Thousands and thousands of dollars, year after year, just out the window. With absolutely nothing to show for it. And for what, just in case my house gets struck by lightning and burns down? Come on, how on earth is that ever going to occur? What a colossal waste....... Read More
Barbecue Bob and The Spareribs “Swamp Thing” (1996)
They came after many months of painstaking planning, a not insubstantial expense, and more than a few sleepless nights sweating out the weather forecast, but hearing the sound of the first few notes of this song was one of the crowning moments of my life..... Read More