- B. B. King
Riley B. King, better known as B. B. King or "The King of Blues" (born September 16 1925 in Itta Bena, Mississippi), is an American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter, widely considered one of the best and most respected blues musicians of all time. He was also ranked 3<sup>rd</sup> on the Rolling Stone's list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. - Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton CBE (born 30 March 1945), nicknamed "Slowhand", is a Grammy Award winning English guitarist, singer and composer, who is one of the most successful musicians of the 20th century, garnering an unprecedented three inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Often viewed as one of the greatest guitarists of all time among critics and fans alike, … - Muddy Waters
McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1915 - April 30, 1983), better known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician and is generally considered "the Father of Chicago blues". He is also the actual father of blues musician Big Bill Morganfield. Muddy Waters is generally considered one of the greatest bluesmen of all time, and in 2004 he was ranked #17 in Rolling Stone Magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". - Buddy Guy
George "Buddy" Guy (born July 30, 1936) is an American blues and rock guitarist and singer. Known as an inspiration to Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and other 1960s blues and rock legends, Guy is considered an important exponent of Chicago blues. He is the father of female rapper Shawnna. Guy is known for his showmanship; for example, he plays his guitar with drumsticks, or strolls into the audience while jamming and trailing a long guitar cord. - Stevie Ray Vaughan
Stephen "Stevie" Ray Vaughan (October 3, 1954 - August 27, 1990), born in Dallas, Texas, was an American blues guitarist. His broad appeal made him one of the world's most influential electric blues guitarists. In 2003, "Rolling Stone" magazine ranked Stevie Ray Vaughan #7 in their list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. He was the younger brother of Jimmie Vaughan. - Robert Johnson
Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911 - August 16, 1938) is among the most famous Delta Blues musicians. His exceptional guitar skills and his death at the age of 27 have given rise to much legend. Considered by some to be the "Grandfather of Rock-and-Roll," his vocal phrasing, original songs, and guitar style influenced a range of musicians, including Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, The Allman Brothers Band, The Rolling Stones, The White Stripes and Eric Clapton, … - John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker (August 22, 1917 - June 21, 2001) was an influential American post-war blues singer, guitarist, and songwriter born in Coahoma County near Clarksdale, Mississippi. From a musical family, he was a cousin of Earl Hooker. John was also influenced by his stepfather, a local blues guitarist, who learned in Shreveport, Louisiana to play a droning, one-chord blues that was strikingly different from the Delta blues of the time. - Howlin' Wolf
Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910 - January 10, 1976), better known as Howlin' Wolf or sometimes, The Howlin' Wolf, was an influential blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player. - Albert King
Albert King (April 25, 1923 - December 21, 1992) was an influential American blues guitarist and singer. - Johnny Winter
John Dawson "Johnny" Winter III (born on 23 February, 1944 in Beaumont, Texas) is an American blues guitarist, singer, and producer. He is the first son of John and Edwina Winter who were very much responsible for Johnny's and his younger brother's, Edgar Winter's, early musical awareness. Both Johnny and Edgar have albinism. - Albert Collins
Albert Collins (October 1, 1932 - November 24, 1993) was a blues guitarist, singer and musician. He had many nicknames from fans, such as "The Ice Man" and "The Master of the Telecaster". - Jeff Beck
Geoffrey Arnold ("Jeff") Beck (born June 24, 1944 to Arnold and Ethel Beck in Wallington, Greater London, England) is an English guitar virtuoso and songwriter. Though he played in several influential bands in the 1960s and 1970s (notably in The Yardbirds) Beck has maintained a sporadic solo career over the last 25 years. Despite never attaining the commercial viability of his contemporaries, Beck has gained widespread critical acclaim, … - Freddie King
Freddie King (September 3 1934 - December 28 1976) was an influential American blues guitarist and singer, best known for his recordings "Hide Away", "Have You Ever Loved A Woman" and "Going Down". - Robert Cray
Robert Cray (born 1 August, 1953, in Columbus, Georgia) is a blues musician, guitarist and singer. - T-Bone Walker
Aaron Thibeaux Walker or T-Bone Walker or Oak Cliff T-Bone (May 28, 1910 - March 16, 1975) was an American blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter, who is believed to have been the first bluesman to use an amplified acoustic guitar. - Bo Diddley
Bo Diddley (born December 30, 1928) aka "The Originator" of Rock 'N' Roll, is an influential American rock and roll singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is often cited as the key figure in the transition of blues into rock and roll, by introducing more insistent, driving rhythms and a hard edged guitar sound. He is also remembered for his characteristic rectangular-shaped guitar. - Kenny Wayne Shepherd
Kenny Wayne Shepherd (Kenny Wayne Brobst, Jr) (born June 12, 1977) is an American Blues musician. Shepherd was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, where he attended Caddo Magnet High School. Self-taught, he began playing at age 7, learning Muddy Waters licks from his father's record collection. At the age of 13, he was invited onstage by the New Orleans bluesman Bryan Lee. After proving his abilities, he decided on music as a career. - Jimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE (born 9 January 1944) is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds, from late 1966 to 1968, before founding English rock band Led Zeppelin. Page is credited as a forefather of heavy metal by not only turning up the accepted volume of the electric guitar but also with his anthemic riffs and meticulous studio production. - Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Lynn Raitt (born November 8, 1949) is a nine-time Grammy award-winning American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist who was born in Burbank, California, the daughter of Broadway musical star John Raitt. - Son House
Eddie James House, Jr. (March 21, 1902 – October 19, 1988), better known as Son House, was an influential American blues singer and guitarist. - Taj Mahal
Henry Saint Clair Fredericks, better known by the stage name Taj Mahal (born May 17, 1942), is an American blues musician. - Jeff Healey
Norman Jeffrey Healey (born 25 March 1966), known professionally as Jeff Healey, is a Canadian blues-rock guitarist. - Elmore James
Elmore James (January 27, 1918 - May 24, 1963) was an American blues singer and guitarist. He was known as The King of the Slide Guitar. - Peter Green
Peter Green (born Peter Allen Greenbaum, October 29 1946, in Bethnal Green, London) is a British blues-rock guitarist and founding member of the band Fleetwood Mac. A highly regarded figure in the British blues movement, Green inspired B. B. King to say, "He has the sweetest tone I ever heard; he was the only one who gave me the cold sweats." Green's playing was marked with a distinctive keen vibrato and economy of style, … - Otis Rush
Otis Rush (born April 29, 1934 in Philadelphia, Mississippi) is a blues musician, singer and guitarist. His distinctive guitar style features a slow burning sound, jazz-style arpeggios and long bent notes. With similar qualities to Luther Allison, Magic Sam, Buddy Guy and Albert King, his sound became known as West Side Chicago blues and became an influence on Michael Bloomfield, Eric Clapton, Peter Green and Stevie Ray Vaughan. - Jonny Lang
Jonny Lang (born Jon Gordon Langseth, Jr. on January 29, 1981, in Fargo, North Dakota) is a Grammy-winning American blues guitarist and singer. - Hubert Sumlin
Hubert Sumlin (born November 16, 1931) is a blues guitar player known as a both a solo artist and central element in Howlin' Wolf's backup band. Listed in "Rolling Stone"'s "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". Sumlin continues to tour and play blues guitar. He is cited as a major influence by many artists, including Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimmy Page, and Jimi Hendrix. - Keb' Mo'
Keb' Mo' came from a divorced family, which gave him an early appreciation for blues and gospel. "The Blues is my history, my culture," said Keb' Mo' in an interview. His uncle gave him his first guitar. By adolescence he was already an accomplished guitarist. He also played the trumpet and the French horn. - Rory Gallagher
Rory Gallagher was an Irish blues/rock guitarist, born in Ballyshannon, County Donegal, grew up in Cork City in the south of Ireland. He is best known for his tenure in Taste and his solo work. - Lightnin' Hopkins
Sam "Lightnin'" Hopkins (March 15, 1912 - January 30, 1982) was a country blues guitar musician, from Houston, Texas. - Jimmie Vaughan
Jimmie Lawrence Vaughan (born in March 20, 1951 in Dallas, Texas) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He is the older brother of Stevie Ray Vaughan. Jimmie Vaughan's style was influenced by Freddie King who gave him personal advice. Also two other blues guitarists, Albert King and B. B. King, were important influences. - Susan Tedeschi
Susan Tedeschi (pronounced te-DES-ki) (November 9, 1970 in Boston, Massachusetts) is an American blues and soul artist. - Derek Trucks
Derek Trucks (born June 8, 1979) is an American guitarist. Born in Jacksonville, Florida, Trucks took up the guitar at age 9, and it was quickly apparent that he was a child prodigy. He was playing with a band and touring within two years. His early repertoire was heavily blues-based, obviously inspired by The Allman Brothers Band slide guitarist, Duane Allman (his uncle, drummer Butch Trucks, … - Robben Ford
Robben Ford (born December 16, 1951) is a blues, jazz and rock guitarist. He was born in Woodlake, California and raised in Ukiah, and began playing the saxophone at age 10, picking up the guitar at age 13. Robben and his brothers Mark (mouthharp) and Patrick (drums) had a blues band they named the Charles Ford Blues Band in honor of their father. Robben began playing professionally at age 18 when the Ford Blues Band got a gig backing Charlie Musselwhite. - Luther Allison
Luther Allison (August 17, 1939 - August 12, 1997) was an American blues guitarist. He was born in Widener, Arkansas and moved with his family, at age twelve, to Chicago, Illinois in 1951. He had taught himself guitar while in Arkansas and began listening to blues extensively. Three years later he began hanging outside blues clubs with the hopes of being invited to perform. He played with Howlin' Wolf's band and backed up James Cotton. - Mississippi John Hurt
"Mississippi" John Smith Hurt (July 2, 1892, Teoc, Carroll County, Mississippi - November 2, 1966, Grenada, Mississippi) was an influential blues singer and guitarist. Raised in Avalon, Mississippi, he learned to play guitar at age 9. He spent much of his youth playing old time music for friends and dances, earning a living as a farm hand into the 1920s. - Magic Sam
Sam "Magic Sam" Maghett was a blues guitarist and singer. Magic Sam was born in Grenada, Mississippi. After moving to Chicago, Illinois in 1950, his brilliant guitar playing earned bookings at blues clubs in Chicago's West Side. He recorded for the Cobra label from 1957 to 1959, recording singles, including the noteworthy "All Your Love" and "Easy Baby," and gaining a following before being drafted into the Army. - Tommy Castro
Tommy Castro (born in 1955 in San Jose, California) is a blues guitarist and singer. He began playing guitar at a young age and was influenced and inspired by electric blues, Chicago blues, west coast blues, soul music, '60's rock and roll and Southern rock. His style has always been a hybrid of all his favorite genres. Since the late 1980s he has lead bands featuring a drummer, … - Mike Bloomfield
Michael Bernard Bloomfield (July 28 1943 - February 15 1981) was an American musician, guitarist and composer, born in Chicago, Illinois, into a well-off Jewish family on Chicago's North Side. The Bloomfield fortune was built on the back of his father's invention, the sugar dispenser ("shaker") with a flapper lid, which the family also manufactured and distributed, along with salt & pepper shakers, and the classic revolving pie display, developed by his uncle. - Big Bill Broonzy
Big Bill Broonzy (June 26, 1893 or 1898 - August 15, 1958) was a prolific United States composer, recorder and performer of blues songs. "Big Bill" was born William Lee Conley Broonzy in Scott County, Mississippi on June 26, 1893 or 1898 (the exact year is unclear). While Broonzy himself claimed to be born in 1893, another source claims that Broonzy had a twin sister named Lannie Broonzy who had proof they were born on June 26, 1898.
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