Top 10 Bluesmen

Muddy Waters (born McKinley Morganfield) was one of the major forces in contemporary blues. He was instrumental in bringing the sound of the Mississippi Delta to Chicago in the 1940s, where his recordings for the Chess label exerted an enormous influence on both blues and rock musicians from the mid-'50s to the present day. Muddy made his first recordings for the Library of Congress in the early 1940s, offering a style that was highly influenced by the legendary Robert Johnson. It was after World War II that Muddy, who had relocated to Chicago, began recording electric versions of his blues. Such well-known classics as "I Can't Be Satisfied", "Hoochie Coochie Man", "Got My Mojo Workin'", "I Just Want To Make Love To You" and many more redefined the sound of blues for modern audiences. Over the years his band included such musicians as Otis Spann, Little Walter (aka Little Walter Jacobs), James Cotton, Junior Wells, Willie Dixon and numerous legends of the blues. He also inspired legions of young, white musicians to try their hand at the blues, including Mike Bloomfield, Johnny Winter, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton and Paul Butterfield, many of whom covered Muddy's music.

Howlin' Wolf was born on 10 June 1910 in White Station, Mississippi, USA. He is known for The Sopranos (1999), Upgrade (2018) and The Bay (2012). He was married to Lillie Handley. He died on 10 January 1976 in Hines, Illinois, USA.

Blues legend Willie Dixon was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi. His mother was a devoutly religious person who spent much of her time writing religious poems, which gave the young Willie exposure to rhyming and meter. At a young age he sang with a gospel group called the Union Jubilee Singers, who had a show on radio station WQBC in Vicksburg. Dixon and two friends however were arrested after they were caught stealing wood and other items from a doctor's house, and then sent to a prison farm. He briefly gave up singing for a career as a boxer, but soon returned to his first love, music.

He left Mississippi in 1936 train-hopping to Chicago, which had a vibrant music scene, but he also kept his hand in boxing; in 1937 he became the Illinois Golden Gloves Boxing Champion. He turned pro (and even sparred with heavyweight champion Joe Louis), but after just four professional fights he got into a brawl with his manager in the Illinois Boxing Commissioner's office over money he believed he was being cheated out of, and his boxing career--for all practical purposes--was over. Going back to his musical roots, he took up bass playing, and in 1939 he and guitarist Leonard Caston started a group called The Five Breezes. The group played in Chicago-area clubs and even made a few records, but in 1941 it broke up when Dixon was arrested for refusing to serve in the military, after ignoring draft notices for months. He was tried, convicted and sentenced to prison.

After finishing his sentence he formed another group, The Four Jumps of Jive, which made the rounds of Chicago's clubs, and even cut a few singles for Mercury Records. He later formed yet another group, with his old friend Caston and Bernardo Dennis, called The Big Three. At the same time Dixon was playing in the city's South Side blues clubs with such greats as Muddy Waters. He was playing one night in 1948 at the Macomba Lounge when he met brothers Phil Chess and Leonard Chess, the club's owners who had just started up Chess Records. They offered Dixon a job at the label as a songwriter and producer, and he soon went to work for them full-time. Soon Chess artists such as Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf (aka "Howlin' Wolf") and Little Walter were recording songs written by Dixon, which met with great success. Dixon also recorded some singles on his own, but he wasn't as successful a recording artist as he was a songwriter.

In 1957 Dixon left Chess for Cobra Records, and worked with such legendary guitarists as Buddy Guy and Otis Rush. Unfortunately, Cobra went out of business after two years, and Dixon returned to Chess. In addition to his songwriting and producing chores, he also formed the Chicago Blues All-Stars and toured extensively with them.

In the 1970s and 1980s he got involved in composing film soundtracks, and he wrote the score for Martin Scorsese's The Color of Money (1986). In 1980 he was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Hall of Fame. He still played clubs, festivals and toured the US and Europe, in addition to his songwriting and producing work. By 1990, however, his health began to decline and he had to cut down on his touring and scale back his performances with the Chicago Blues All-Stars. He died of a heart ailment in Burbank, California, two years later.

Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 - May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shimmering vibrato and staccato picking that influenced many later blues electric guitar players. AllMusic recognized King as "the single most important electric guitarist of the last half of the 20th century".

King was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, and is one of the most influential blues musicians of all time, earning the nickname "The King of the Blues", and is considered one of the "Three Kings of the Blues Guitar" (along with Albert King and Freddie King, none of whom are related). King performed tirelessly throughout his musical career, appearing on average at more than 200 concerts per year into his 70s. In 1956 alone, he appeared at 342 shows.

King was born on a cotton plantation in Itta Bena, Mississippi, and later worked at a cotton gin in Indianola, Mississippi. He was attracted to music and the guitar in church, and he began his career in Juke joints and local radio. He later lived in Memphis and Chicago; then, as his fame grew, toured the world extensively. King died at the age of 89 in Las Vegas on May 14, 2015.

Albert King was born on 25 April 1923 in Indianola, Mississippi, USA. He was an actor, known for Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), The Switch (2010) and 27 Dresses (2008). He died on 21 December 1992 in Memphis, Tennessee, USA.

Robert Johnson was born on 8 May 1911 in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, USA. He was a writer, known for The Skeleton Key (2005), Chocolat (2000) and Holes (2003). He was married to Calleta "Callie" Craft and Virginia Travis. He died on 13 August 1938 in Greenwood, Mississippi, USA.

Blues guitarist Blind Willie McTell was born in Thompson, GA, in 1901. His mother taught him how to play guitar when he was young (accounts differ as to how he became blind; some historians say he was born blind, others that he was blinded as a teenager). When his mother died he left home and hooked up with a succession of traveling medicine shows and carnivals. He played in Atlanta with such blues artists as Buddy Moss and Curley Weaver at various community events, such as fish fries and house parties, and his reputation as a virtuoso on the 12-string guitar grew to the point where in 1927 he recorded albums for Victor Records, and in 1928 for Columbia Records. He continued recording into the 1930s, and because of contractual disputes and obligations, he often used pseudonyms when he recorded for smaller labels. In any case, however, he had a string of respectable hits as both a performer and a songwriter (his most famous composition, "Statesboro Blues", was recorded by The Allman Brothers Band in 1969 and became their signature song when they performed in concerts).

After World War II he signed a recording contract with Atlantic Records, and in 1949 with Regal Records. Unfortunately, his albums didn't do well, as by this time his type of music was fading away. He returned to Atlanta, where he went back to his old habit of singing on street corners. In 1981 he was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Hall of Fame.

He died in Milledgeville, GA.

Freddie King was born on 3 September 1934 in Gilmer, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for Legend (2015), The D Train (2015) and Jimi Hendrix: The Guitar Hero (2010). He was married to Jessie Burnett. He died on 28 December 1976 in Dallas, Texas, USA.

Eric Clapton was born in Ripley, Surrey, England, on March 30, 1945. His real father was a Canadian pilot but he didn't find that out until he was 53. When he was 2 his mother felt she was unable to look after him, so Eric then went to live with his grandparents. When he was 14 he took up the guitar, having been influenced by blues artists such as B.B King, Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker.

In 1963, after he was chucked out of art college, he joined Paul Samwell-Smith, as he was in art school with Keith Relf. He stayed for about 18 months before beginning a stint with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. Eric became known as "god", as he impressed the whole English music scene with his amazing guitar playing.

After about a year Eric had had enough of impersonating his blues idols and decided to form a group of his own, so in 1966 he formed a band with bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker (who had the idea) that became known as Cream. This band was not a purist blues group but a hard-driving rock and blues trio. They first performed together at a jazz and blues festival in Surrey before signing a record contract. In November 1966 their debut single, "Wrapping Paper", hit UK #34, but their next single, "I Feel Free", made more of an impression, hitting UK #11 the following January. At the same time they released their debut album "Fresh Cream", which was a top-ten hit, going to UK #6 and went on to make US #39 later in the year.

Cream spent most of 1967 either touring or writing, recording and producing "Disreali Gears", which was to be one of their finest efforts. The first single that confirmed the group as a mainstream success was "Strange Brew", which went to #17 in the UK. After a hectic worldwide tour, their second album "Disreali Gears" was released and became an enormous worldwide hit, rising to UK #5 and US #4. The album's success r4esulted in one of its tracks, "Sunshine Of Your Love", a hit in the US, going to #36. In February 1968 Cream set out on a six-month US tour, the longest time that a British band ad ever been in America. The tour took in hundreds of theaters, arenas and stadiums, but in April 1968 the band was exhausted and decided to take a short break from touring. However, during their break disaster struck. While Cream was in America Eric had given an interview to the magazine "Rolling Stone" which had Eric the editor make critical points about his guitar playing. This led to an eruption within the band, which was the beginning of the end. Despite this setback, the band's US tour carried on until June, during which they had been recording their most popular project, "Wheels Of Fire", a double album that was released in August 1968; the live album shot to UK #3 and the studio effort to UK #7, but both went directly to US #1 for four weeks. Despite the fact that the band had sold so many records, had sold out nearly every concert, had made millions and even managed to boost "Sunshine Of Your Love" to hit US #5 and UK #25, they decided that after a farewell tour of America Cream would split. The band toured North America in October, played two concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in London in November and then Cream was no more - as Clapton explained, "The Cream has lost direction."

In the winter of 1969 Eric began jamming with former Traffic front man Steve Winwood, with Ginger Baker also joining in Eric's mansion in Surrey. With bassist Ric Grech added to the lineup, the band became Blind Faith and started rehearsing and recording material. In June 1969, after the band finished a recording session for their first and only album, they made their live debut in Hyde Park to a crowd of over 200,000 fans. Despite the fact that Baker and Grech felt that the concert was a triumph, Clapton and Winwood, however, were more or less convinced that Blind Faith had blown it first time round. However, despite their feelings, Blind Faith set out on a summer sellout tour of the US, playing in arenas and stadiums all over the country. The tour itself earned the band a fortune, but the band members were convinced that the music itself was unsatisfying.

After the tour was over their only album, "Blind Faith", was released, and it topped the charts worldwide. Despite the success of the album and tour Blind Faith still decided to disband, though, and Clapton went on tour with Delaney & Bonnie & Friends, who were Blind Faith's support act on the tour, and also performed at times with The Plastic Ono Band. In March 1970 Eric launched his highly successful solo career, by releasing a first solo album, which featured Delaney & Bonnie.

John Lee Hooker was born on 22 August 1917 in Clarksdale, Mississippi, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for The Blues Brothers (1980), The Colony (2013) and Kiss the Girls (1997). He was married to Maude Mathis, Alma Hopes and Sarah Jones. He died on 21 June 2001 in Los Altos, California, USA.