Electric Blues Artist List
Electric blues grew out of the larger blues tradition during the 1940s, with the advent of the electric guitar and the spread of African-American artists to northern cities like Chicago, Detroit and St. Louis. Its origins in the Deep South spawned seminal artists like Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker, who set the standard for electric blues and influenced countless other artists, including British blues and rock and roll groups. Stevie Ray Vaughan merged the blues with blues-influenced rock and roll to craft a style all his own, helping to renew interest in electric blues in the 1980s.
Muddy Waters
According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, "Aside from Robert Johnson, no single figure is more important in the history and development of the blues than Waters." He was born on April 4, 1915 in Rolling Fork, Mississippi. Waters moved to Chicago in 1943, merging the Delta blues with the sound of the city via amplified electric guitar. His slide guitar style and backing band of guitar, bass, drums, harmonica and piano was a force to be reckoned with and helped launch a string of hits in the 1940s and 1950s, including: "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man, "I Just Want to Make Love to You," "I'm Ready, "Got My Mojo Working," and "Rolling Stone." The Rolling Stones actually took their name from this song, as Muddy's breed of electric blues had become a huge influence on British blues and rock when he moved to England in 1958. He enjoyed a slight comeback in the 1970s with records produced by longtime fan Johnny Winter, before dying in his sleep in 1983.
John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker, "The Hook," was born on August 22, 1917 near Clarksdale, Mississippi. According to JohnLeeHooker.com, "Hooker was one of the last links to the blues of the deep south." His stepfather, Will Moore, a friend of artists like Blind Lemon Jefferson, Charley Patton, and Blind Blake Blind Lemon Jefferson, instilled the blues into Hooker in his teens. He went on to be a staple in Detroit blues. His distinct and rambling non-metric electric blues style helped catapult his first single, "Boogie Chillen," to #1, selling a million copies in 1948. Other hits like "Hobo Blues," "Hoogie Boogie" and "Crawling King Snake Blues" followed. Like Muddy Waters, Hooker's electric blues was popular with white and British audiences. He was idolized by groups like The Animals and The Yardbirds. His comeback album, The Healer, won a Grammy in 1990. "The Hook" died on June 21, 2001.
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Stevie Ray Vaughan was integral in the electric blues revival of the 1980s. Born in Dallas Texas on October 3, 1954, Vaughan began his career playing in several garage bands before forming Triple Threat (later known as Double Trouble) in 1975. During the 1980s, he released platinum albums and scored chart hits with songs like "Pride and Joy," "Crossfire," and a cover of Stevie Wonder's "Superstition." His best-selling album, In Step, won a Grammy in 1989. According to AllMusic.com, Vaughan bridged the gap between blues and rock, borrowing equally from blues guitarists like Albert King and Muddy Waters and rock guitarists like Jimi Hendrix and Lonnie Mack. He died in a tragic helicopter crash on August 27, 1990.
