List of country blues musicians

The following is a list of country blues musicians.

A

*Alger "Texas" Alexander - (September 12, 1900 – April 16, 1954) Born in Jowett, Texas, Alexander was a country blues singer who was one of the original forebearers of Texas blues music. He never did learn to play guitar, though he was backed by such artists as Lonnie Johnson and Lightnin' Hopkins. He also did singing gigs for King Oliver. Over his impressive career, he recorded for Okeh Records and Freedom Records, among others.

*Howard "Louie Bluie" Armstrong (1909-2003) - early songster and country blues musician who played fiddle, mandolin, guitar and sang. He also performed Vaudeville blues music for the T.O.B.A..

*Pink Anderson - (February 12, 1900 – October 12, 1974) Born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, Anderson was an early country blues guitarist and singer who performed Piedmont blues. Many of his recordings have been released by Prestige Records.

B

*DeFord Bailey (1899-1982) An early country blues harmonica player from Tennessee.

*Etta Baker - (March 31, 1913 – September 23, 2006) Born in Caldwell County, North Carolina, Baker a country blues guitarist, banjo player and singer who performed Piedmont blues. In the 1990s she released two solo albums, one for Rounder Records. In 2004 Music Maker Records released some recording she did with Taj Mahal in 1956 and 1998.

*John Henry Barbee - (November 14, 1905 – November 3, 1964) Born in Henning, Tennessee, Barbee was an exponent of early country blues and Delta blues, a fine guitarist and blues singer. He performed early in his career with Sunnyland Slim.

*Robert Belfour - Born September 11, 1940 in Holly Springs, Mississippi, Belfour is a country blues and Delta blues guitarist and singer and fellow collaborator with Mose Vinson. Belfour started recording late in his career, beginning in the 1990s. His latest album, called "Pushin' My Luck", was released on the Fat Possum Records label.

*Barbecue Bob (1902-1931), born Robert Hicks, was an acoustic guitar performer of early country blues.

*Scrapper Blackwell - (February 21, 1903 – October 27, 1962) Born in Syracuse, North Carolina as Francis Hillman Blackwell, Scrapper Blackwell performed acoustic Piedmont blues and was an early exponent of Chicago blues who worked closely with pianist Leroy Carr. He also backed singer Black Bottom McPhail. Document Records has issued most of his work in three volumes.

*Blind Blake - (c. 1895 – 1937) Born in Jacksonville, Florida, guitarist and singer Blind Blake played almost every form of music imaginable. He performed early ragtime on guitar, Piedmont blues, country blues, Delta blues and Chicago blues. A musician of great importance, he recorded frequently for Paramount Records.

*Lucille Bogan - (April 1, 1897 – August 10, 1948) Born in Amory, Mississippi, Bogan was a classic female blues singer who performed early country blues. Because many of her songs were sexually suggestive, she might be considered to have been a dirty blues musician, also. Document Records has issued her complete recordings in a series of releases.

*Ishman Bracey - (January 9, 1901 - February 12, 1970) Born in Byram, Mississippi, Bracey was an early country blues and Delta blues guitarist and vocalist who recorded many sessions for Paramount Records.

*Big Bill Broonzy - "Big Bill" was born William Lee Conley Broonzy in Scott County, Mississippi on June 26, 1893 or 1898 (the exact year is unclear). Broonzy was an acoustic country blues musician who performed Chicago blues, playing guitar and mandolin accompanied by his own singing. Broonzy recorded over 350 compositions over his career.

*Bob Brozman - Born March 8, 1954 in New York, New York, Brozman is a slide guitarist who performs in various blues music mediums, including electric blues, country blues and even some traditional folk music. He has recorded at least fifteen albums to date for labels like Kicking Mule, and has worked with a variety of musicians performing not just in the blues medium.

*Bumble Bee Slim
*Butterbeans and Susie

C

*Gus Cannon
*Cannon's Jug Stompers

*Bo Carter - (March 21, 1893 – September 21, 1964) Born in Bolton, Mississippi, Carter was one of the first dirty blues musicians with songs like "Banana in Your Fruit Basket", among several others. A country blues multi-instrumentalist who performed mostly early Delta blues, Carter played guitar, banjo, string bass, clarinet and sang. Document Records has an impressive series of issues devoted to his complete recordings.

*John Cephas - Born September 4, 1930 in Washington, D.C. but raised in Bowling Green, Virginia, contemporary blues musician Cephas plays country blues guitar, harmonica and sings, performing in the Piedmont blues vein. He has recorded a number of albums to date, notably for the Alligator Records label.

*Jaybird Coleman - (May 20, 1896 – January 28, 1950) Born in Gainesville, Alabama, Coleman was a country blues harmonica player, guitarist and singer who performed early Piedmont blues and harmonica blues active most in the 1930s. His career fizzled out and he was left to perform as a street act in Alabama. Document Records has issued a compilation of all of his recordings.

*Ida Cox

D

*Reverend Gary Davis

E

*Sleepy John Estes

F

*Eli Framer
*Blind Boy Fuller
*Jesse Fuller

G

*Jazz Gillum

H

*Hattie Hart

*Lightnin' Hopkins - (March 15, 1912 – January 30, 1982) Born Sam Hopkins in Centerville, Texas, Hopkins was an acoustic and electric guitarist and a major exponent of Texas blues and country blues. During his late career he performed mostly on electric guitar, though in the same manner that he would perform on an acoustic one. Like John Lee Hooker, Hopkins is one the better known blues musicians of history.

*Son House

*Peg Leg Howell - (March 5, 1888 – August 11, 1968) Born in Eatonton, Georgia as Joshua Barnes Howell, Howell was an amputee missing one leg who taught himself to play guitar and sing. He performed acoustic country blues in the Piedmont blues style, spending most of his career in Atlanta, Georgia. From 1926 or so until 1929 he recorded for Columbia Records, then fell off into obscurity shortly after (eventually losing his other leg to diabetes).

*Mississippi John Hurt

J

*Melvin "Lil' Son" Jackson - (August 16, 1915 – May 30, 1976) Born in Tyler, Texas, Jackson was a regular of the Texas blues scene, an acoustic and electric country blues guitarist and singer who seemed most comfortable performing acoustic. He cut a few records for Arhoolie Records over the years.

*Papa Charlie Jackson
*Skip James
*Blind Lemon Jefferson
*Lonnie Johnson
*Robert Johnson (musician)

*Blind Willie Johnson - (c. 1897 – 1945) Born in Marlin, Texas was first and foremost a gospel blues guitarist and singer, an early innovator of the slide guitar (using a pocketknife). His birthdate and place of birth are somewhat mysterious. Johnson mixed his evangelical lyrics with country blues and early Texas blues, and is most remembered for some studio recording he did for Columbia Records in 1927.

*Luke Jordan - (January 28, 1892 – June 25, 1952) Born in Bluefield, West Virginia, Jordan was a country blues guitarist of the Piedmont blues and East Coast blues variety who spent most of his career in Lynchburg, Virginia. Though not many recordings survive of his, Jordan was undeniably a major early influence on musicians in the Piedmont style.

K

*Junior Kimbrough - (July 28, 1930 – January 17, 1998) Born in Hudsonville, Mississippi with the first name of David, Kimbrough was a guitarist and singer of country blues, Delta blues and juke joint blues. He performed both acoustic and electric guitar, and recorded several albums for the Fat Possum Records label.

*Lottie Kimbrough

L

*Leadbelly
*Furry Lewis
*Noah Lewis

*Charley Lincoln - March 11, 1900 – September 28, 1963 Born in Lithonia, Georgia, Lincoln was an acoustic country and Piedmont blues guitarist and vocalist. He was the brother of Barbecue Bob, with whom he performed from the 1920s on into the 1950s. He made several recording, some for Columbia Records.

*Robert Lockwood, Jr.
*John Long (musician)

M

*Eddie Mapp
*Carl Martin
*Memphis Jug Band
*Mississippi Sheiks
*Charlie McCoy
*Mississippi Fred McDowell
*Brownie McGhee
*Blind Willie McTell
*Al Miller (musician)
*Memphis Minnie
*Thomas Morris (musician)

N

*Sonny Boy Nelson

P

*Charley Patton
*Peg Leg Sam (1911-1977) - harmonica, vocals

R

*Yank Rachell
*Tampa Red

*Doctor Ross - (October 21, 1925 – May 28, 1993) Born in Tunica, Mississippi as Charles Isaiah Ross, Ross was a harmonica player, guitarist and singer of country blues, Delta blues and juke joint blues. He recorded several albums from the 1960s to 1990s for a variety of labels, including Fortune Records and JSP Records.

*J.D. Short
*Victoria Spivey
*Frank Stokes

T

*Baby Tate (1916 – 1972)
*Sonny Terry
*Bessie Tucker

*TV Slim - (February 10, 1916 – October 21, 1969) Born in Houston, Texas, Oscar "TV Slim" Wills began his career playing guitar and singing country blues, later venturing into the use of an electric guitar. All of his albums are still available on vinyl record only, and he is most known for his "Flat Foot Sam" which was released on a variety of records, the most popular one being for Argo Records.

W

*Sippie Wallace
*Curley Weaver
*Bill "Boogie Bill" Webb
*Peetie Wheatstraw
*Bukka White
*Big Joe Williams
*Sonny Boy Williamson

References

*Allmusic