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With the renewed interest in blues sparked by the film Sinners, I thought it’d be helpful to start a thread focused on foundational and essential American blues artists—especially for newcomers discovering the genre through the movie. Ideally this becomes a collaborative, high-effort thread to help folks around the world dig deeper into the origins and evolution of blues.

Google might even reward us for making this a solid reference, which helps the sub grow too.

If you'd like to contribute, please do your best to follow the format I’ve laid out (artist – key songs/albums – short description) to keep things clear and valuable. The focus here is on the core of American blues history, from pre-war country and Delta blues through the 1950s and 60s electric era (though I do welcome additions of artists that may have peaked later, 70s, even 80s - kind of like Albert Collins. This isn’t a thread for British blues or modern blues-rock (I fully encourage separate guides for those)—this list is for those tracing the styles and players that more directly inspired Sinners.

I especially welcome help with Delta and country blues, as well as harp/harmonica and piano blues where I’m lean on knowledge. Let's build something useful and lasting for anyone starting their blues journey.

Note: I will port contributions into the main post to keep things tidy! Please remember to assist with song and album suggestions plus any notes about the artist. Will help keep the post high effort.

Guitar Blues (Electric & Chicago)

Defining figures in the electrification and evolution of blues guitar.

• Muddy Waters Songs: “Hoochie Coochie Man,” “Mannish Boy” Albums: Hard Again, Folk Singer Bio: Transformed Delta blues into the electric Chicago sound.
• Sister Rosetta Tharpe Songs: “Strange Things Happening Every Day,” “Didn’t It Rain” Albums: Gospel Train, Up Above My Head: The Complete Mercury Singles Bio: Gospel-blues innovator and electric guitar pioneer; bridged sacred music and rock ‘n’ roll long before anyone else.
• B.B. King Songs: “The Thrill Is Gone,” “Sweet Little Angel” Albums: Live at the Regal, Completely Well Bio: Known for his expressive vibrato and single-string phrasing.
• Albert King Songs: “Born Under a Bad Sign,” “Laundromat Blues” Albums: Born Under a Bad Sign Bio: Left-handed titan with heavy bends and raw tone.
• Freddie King Songs: “Hide Away,” “Have You Ever Loved a Woman” Albums: Texas Cannonball, Getting Ready... Bio: Merged Texas fire with Chicago grit; fierce instrumentals.
• Buddy Guy Songs: “Stone Crazy,” “First Time I Met The Blues” Albums: Stone Crazy!, This is Buddy Guy! Bio: Wild, high-energy player who bridged classic and modern blues.
• Otis Rush Songs: “I Can’t Quit You Baby,” “Double Trouble” Albums: Right Place, Wrong Time Bio: Emotional vocals, minor-key mastery. West Side Chicago icon.
• Magic Sam Songs: “All Your Love,” “That’s All I Need” Albums: West Side Soul Bio: Soul-inflected Chicago blues with shimmering tremolo.
• Luther Allison Songs: “Cherry Red Wine,” “Bad Love” Albums: Soul Fixin’ Man, Reckless Bio: Electrifying performer with political lyrics and European acclaim.
• T-Bone Walker Songs: “Call It Stormy Monday,” “T-Bone Shuffle” Albums: T-Bone Blues Bio: Jazz-inflected electric pioneer; inspired B.B. and Chuck Berry.
• Albert Collins Songs: “Honey Hush,” “If Trouble Was Money” Albums: Ice Pickin’, Cold Snap Bio: “The Iceman” with a capoed Telecaster and sharp tone.
• Earl Hooker Songs: “Two Bugs and a Roach,” “Blue Guitar” Albums: Two Bugs and a Roach Bio: Technically gifted slide guitarist and cousin of John Lee Hooker.
• Fenton Robinson Songs: “Somebody Loan Me a Dime” Albums: Somebody Loan Me a Dime Bio: Smooth, jazzy bluesman with deep vocals and lyrical leads.
• Jimmy Dawkins Songs: “Fast Fingers,” “Feel the Blues” Albums: Fast Fingers Bio: Fiery West Side Chicago guitarist with an aggressive tone.
• Son Seals Songs: “Funky Bitch,” “Bad Axe” Albums: Live and Burning, Midnight Son Bio: Gritty vocals and bold guitar from the Alligator Records scene.
• Lowell Fulson Songs: “Reconsider Baby,” “Tramp” Albums: Hung Down Head Bio: West Coast bluesman with R&B crossover appeal.
• Jimmy Rogers Songs: “Walking By Myself,” “That’s All Right” Albums: Chicago Bound Bio: Muddy Waters sideman and classic Chicago blues stylist.
• Guitar Slim Songs: “The Things That I Used to Do” Albums: Sufferin’ Mind Bio: Early user of distortion and wild showmanship.
• Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown Songs: “Okie Dokie Stomp,” “Boogie Uproar” Albums: Gate Swings Bio: Blended Texas blues with jazz, Cajun, and country.
• Willie Dixon Songs: “Spoonful,” “I Just Want to Make Love to You,” “Back Door Man” Albums: Willie’s Blues, I Am the Blues Bio: The architect behind many Chicago blues’ greatest hits. A prolific bassist, songwriter, and producer whose songs powered the catalogs of Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, and countless others. His influence runs from Delta roots to Led Zeppelin.

Acoustic / Country Blues

Prewar and revival-era legends who shaped the blues solo tradition.

• Robert Johnson Songs: “Cross Road Blues,” “Hellhound on My Trail” Bio: Delta legend whose 1936–37 recordings laid the groundwork for blues and rock.
• Mississippi John Hurt Songs: “Candy Man,” “Stack O’Lee” Albums: Today! Bio: Soft-spoken fingerpicker who charmed the folk-blues revival.
• Lightnin’ Hopkins Songs: “Mojo Hand,” “Katie Mae” Albums: Lightnin’!, Blues in My Bottle Bio: Free-form Texas storyteller with rhythmic guitar style.
• Son House Songs: “Death Letter,” “Grinnin’ in Your Face” Albums: Father of the Delta Blues Bio: Bottleneck slide preacher with fierce vocals and fire.
• Skip James Songs: “Devil Got My Woman,” “Hard Time Killing Floor Blues” Albums: Today! Bio: Falsetto vocals and minor-key guitar made him hauntingly unique.
• Blind Lemon Jefferson Songs: “Matchbox Blues,” “See That My Grave Is Kept Clean” Bio: One of the first country blues stars; complex and lyrical.
• Blind Willie Johnson Songs: “Dark Was the Night,” “Nobody’s Fault But Mine” Bio: Spiritual slide blues; a raw, sacred voice in early recording.
• Lead Belly Songs: “Goodnight, Irene,” “Midnight Special” Albums: Lead Belly’s Last Sessions Bio: 12-string virtuoso and folk-blues icon with a political edge.
• Blind Blake Songs: “Diddy Wah Diddy,” “Southern Rag” Bio: Ragtime fingerpicking king with rhythmic brilliance.
• Reverend Gary Davis Songs: “Death Don’t Have No Mercy,” “Samson and Delilah” Bio: Gospel-blues preacher with unmatched guitar technique.
• Blind Willie McTell Songs: “Statesboro Blues,” “Broke Down Engine”, "Delia" Bio: Elegant 12-string Piedmont stylist with narrative lyrics.
• Bukka White Songs: “Fixin’ to Die Blues,” “Parchman Farm Blues” Albums: Mississippi Blues Bio: Resonator slide beast and cousin of B.B. King.
• Taj Mahal Songs: “Fishing Blues,” “Queen Bee” Albums: Taj Mahal, Giant Step Bio: Global roots revivalist who infused blues with Caribbean and African flavors.

Community Picks - Read Comments for More Info!

• R.L. Burnside Songs: “Jumper on the Line,” “Goin’ Down South”
• Junior Kimbrough Songs: “You Better Run,” “All Night Long”
• Jessie Mae Hemphill Songs: (not listed)
• Otha Turner Songs: (not listed) Bio: Plays an ancient kind of fife and drum blues; only gained wider attention after being featured in Gangs of New York.
• Mississippi Fred McDowell Songs: “Red Cross Store,” “You Gotta Move,” “Shake 'Em on Down,” “61 Highway,” “Good Morning Little Schoolgirl” Bio: Covered by the Rolling Stones. Though Lomax recorded him earlier, his 1970s live recordings are especially notable.
• T-Model Ford Songs: (not listed) Note: Mentioned as optional—"not a must-listen by any means" per contributor.
• Rev. Robert Wilkins Songs: “Prodigal Son Blues” Bio: From a church tradition, but originally a secular musician in the 1920s. His 9-minute version of “Prodigal Son” (covered by the Stones) is praised as a masterful performance.
• J.B. Lenoir Songs: “Shot on James Meredith,” “Alabama March,” “Vietnam Blues,” “(Every Child in Mississippi is) Born Dead” Bio: Mississippi-born, outspoken protest folk/blues musician. Died young; wrote fierce, poignant, politically charged songs.
• Elmore James Songs: “Dust My Broom,” “The Sky Is Crying,” “Shake Your Moneymaker” Albums: Blues After Hours, The Sky Is Crying: The History of Elmore James Bio: Massively influential slide player. His amped-up version of “Dust My Broom” set the standard for electric Delta blues. Raw, emotional, and endlessly imitated—his riffs echo through rock and blues alike.
• Howlin’ Wolf Songs: “Smokestack Lightning,” “How Many More Years,” “Moanin’ at Midnight” Albums: Moanin’ in the Moonlight, The Howlin’ Wolf London Sessions) Bio: A towering presence with a voice like gravel and thunder. Born in the Delta, electrified in Chicago, Wolf’s vocal delivery and primal sound made him one of blues’ biggest figures.
• John Lee Hooker Songs: “Boom Boom,” “Dimples,” “Boogie Chillen" Albums: The Ultimate Collection (1948–1990) [Rhino Records, 2-CD] Bio: The king of the one-chord groove. His hypnotic, foot-stomping blues defied convention and defined cool. Best experienced through compilations, as much of his work predates the album era. A droning voice of the Delta, modernized with grit and swing.

Piano Blues

• Otis Spann Songs: “It Must Have Been the Devil,” “Spann’s Boogie” Albums: Otis Spann Is the Blues Bio: Muddy Waters' pianist; expressive, fluid, and central to Chicago sound.
• Pinetop Perkins Songs: “Pinetop’s Boogie Woogie,” “Down in Mississippi” Albums: Born in the Delta, After Hours Bio: Boogie-woogie legend and beloved elder statesman of the blues.
• Ray Charles Songs: “What’d I Say,” “I Got a Woman” Albums: The Genius of Ray Charles, Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music Bio: Soul and gospel innovator whose roots ran deep in the blues.

Vocalists

• Ma Rainey Songs: “Bo-Weavil Blues,” “See See Rider” Albums: Ma Rainey: Mother of the Blues (Complete Recordings) Bio: Known as the “Mother of the Blues,” she was among the first to record blues and shaped its early stage presence and vocal style.
• Bessie Smith Songs: “Downhearted Blues,” “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” Albums: The Essential Bessie Smith, Empress of the Blues Vol. 1 & 2 Bio: The “Empress of the Blues,” her commanding voice and phrasing became the gold standard for early blues vocalists.
• Memphis Minnie Songs: “Bumble Bee,” “Me and My Chauffeur Blues” Albums: Queen of the Country Blues, Hoodoo Lady: 1933–1937 Bio: Prolific guitarist and vocalist who stood toe-to-toe with male contemporaries; gritty, witty, and respected on every juke joint circuit.
• Victoria Spivey Songs: “Black Snake Blues,” “TB Blues” Albums: Complete Recorded Works Vol. 1 (1926–1927), Woman Blues! (Document) Bio: Vocal powerhouse who also ran her own label; known for mixing suggestive lyrics with social realism.
• Bertha Lee Songs: “Mind Reader Blues,” “Yellow Bee” Albums: Charley Patton: Complete Recordings 1929–1934 (includes Bertha Lee duets) Bio: Partner and duet vocalist of Charley Patton; emotive and fiery delivery that stood out even on primitive recordings.
• Geeshie Wiley Songs: “Last Kind Words Blues,” “Skinny Leg Blues” Albums: Mississippi Masters: Early American Blues Classics 1927–1935, Paramount Recordings (assorted) Bio: Deeply mysterious figure with only a few surviving tracks—haunting voice and sparse guitar made her an underground legend.
• Lucille Bogan Songs: “Shave 'Em Dry,” “Till the Cows Come Home” Albums: Shave 'Em Dry: The Best of Lucille Bogan, Complete Recorded Works Vol. 1–3 (Document) Bio: One of the most explicit and bold voices in blues; her raw lyrical style pushed every boundary.
• Sippie Wallace Songs: “Women Be Wise,” “Special Delivery Blues” Albums: Sippie Wallace 1925–1945 (Document), Sippie (1970s comeback album with Bonnie Raitt) Bio: Known for her tough advice and confident delivery; later mentored Bonnie Raitt.
• Alberta Hunter Songs: “My Castle’s Rockin’,” “You Can’t Tell the Difference After Dark” Albums: Amtrak Blues, The Alberta Hunter Collection 1921–1940 Bio: Classy and versatile blues/jazz vocalist who had a long, stylish career both on and off stage.