Top 10 Greatest Blues Musicians of All Time

Crowned the King of the Blues, Riley B. King spent six decades mastering the electric guitar, earning 15 Grammy Awards and influencing virtually every rock and blues guitarist alive. His Gibson guitar Lucille became iconic, and his vibrato-heavy single-note solos on recordings like Live at the Regal (1965) and The Thrill Is Gone (1969) set the standard for electric blues guitar worldwide.

McKinley Morganfield, known as Muddy Waters, transplanted Delta blues to Chicago and electrified it, creating the template for modern rock and roll. The Rolling Stones took their name from his 1950 song Rollin Stone. His Chess Records output including Hoochie Coochie Man (1954) and Mannish Boy (1955) defined the Chicago blues sound that ignited British Invasion bands worldwide.

Chester Arthur Burnett -- Howlin Wolf -- was a towering presence on the Chicago blues scene, weighing over 300 pounds and delivering one of the most powerful voices in blues history. His Chess Records classics Smokestack Lightning (1956) and Spoonful (1960) were covered obsessively by the Rolling Stones and Cream, cementing his influence on hard rock and blues rock for generations.

Eddie James House Jr. pioneered the Delta blues tradition and was a direct mentor to Robert Johnson and Willie Brown. His raw, emotionally devastating bottleneck slide guitar style on Death Letter Blues and Preachin Blues established the sacred-secular tension at the heart of the blues. Rediscovered in 1964 after years of obscurity, he influenced a new generation of rock musicians through his authenticity.

George Guy is the last surviving Chicago blues giant of his generation, a 8-time Grammy Award winner whose electrifying stage presence and stinging Stratocaster tone became a direct template for Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton. His 1993 comeback album Damn Right I Got the Blues introduced him to a new generation, while Legends club in Chicago remains a mecca for blues fans worldwide.

The King of the Slide Guitar, Elmore James transformed Robert Johnson's Dust My Broom into the most covered blues song of all time when he recorded it in 1951. His electrified, buzzing slide guitar tone and intense delivery on Shake Your Moneymaker and The Sky Is Crying influenced Fleetwood Mac, the Rolling Stones, and Jimi Hendrix before his early death at age 45 in 1963.

The Father of the Boogie Blues, John Lee Hooker created a hypnotic one-chord groove style unlike any other musician. His Boogie Chillen (1948) sold over a million copies and established a career spanning seven decades. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991, Hooker collaborated with Carlos Santana, Van Morrison, and Bonnie Raitt, winning his first Grammy Award at age 72 in 1989.

Born Under a Bad Sign (1967) remains one of the most influential blues albums ever recorded, and Albert King's left-handed Flying V guitar style -- with his upside-down, upward bends -- created a sound that Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, and Jimi Hendrix all cited as transformational. King's session at Fillmore West with Stax Records made him a crossover star and defined soul-blues guitar.

The greatest modern Texas blues guitarist, Stevie Ray Vaughan single-handedly revived mainstream interest in the blues in the 1980s. His debut album Texas Flood (1983) was a commercial breakthrough, and his cover of Jimi Hendrix's Voodoo Child became definitive. Before his tragic death in a helicopter crash in 1990, he won 6 Grammy Awards and recorded enduring blues classics like Pride and Joy and Cold Shot.

Crowned the King of the Blues, Riley B. King spent six decades mastering the electric guitar, earning 15 Grammy Awards and influencing virtually every rock and blues guitarist alive. His Gibson guitar Lucille became iconic, and his vibrato-heavy single-note solos on recordings like Live at the Regal (1965) and The Thrill Is Gone (1969) set the standard for electric blues guitar worldwide.

McKinley Morganfield, known as Muddy Waters, transplanted Delta blues to Chicago and electrified it, creating the template for modern rock and roll. The Rolling Stones took their name from his 1950 song Rollin Stone. His Chess Records output including Hoochie Coochie Man (1954) and Mannish Boy (1955) defined the Chicago blues sound that ignited British Invasion bands worldwide.

Chester Arthur Burnett -- Howlin Wolf -- was a towering presence on the Chicago blues scene, weighing over 300 pounds and delivering one of the most powerful voices in blues history. His Chess Records classics Smokestack Lightning (1956) and Spoonful (1960) were covered obsessively by the Rolling Stones and Cream, cementing his influence on hard rock and blues rock for generations.

Eddie James House Jr. pioneered the Delta blues tradition and was a direct mentor to Robert Johnson and Willie Brown. His raw, emotionally devastating bottleneck slide guitar style on Death Letter Blues and Preachin Blues established the sacred-secular tension at the heart of the blues. Rediscovered in 1964 after years of obscurity, he influenced a new generation of rock musicians through his authenticity.

George Guy is the last surviving Chicago blues giant of his generation, a 8-time Grammy Award winner whose electrifying stage presence and stinging Stratocaster tone became a direct template for Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton. His 1993 comeback album Damn Right I Got the Blues introduced him to a new generation, while Legends club in Chicago remains a mecca for blues fans worldwide.

The King of the Slide Guitar, Elmore James transformed Robert Johnson's Dust My Broom into the most covered blues song of all time when he recorded it in 1951. His electrified, buzzing slide guitar tone and intense delivery on Shake Your Moneymaker and The Sky Is Crying influenced Fleetwood Mac, the Rolling Stones, and Jimi Hendrix before his early death at age 45 in 1963.

The Father of the Boogie Blues, John Lee Hooker created a hypnotic one-chord groove style unlike any other musician. His Boogie Chillen (1948) sold over a million copies and established a career spanning seven decades. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991, Hooker collaborated with Carlos Santana, Van Morrison, and Bonnie Raitt, winning his first Grammy Award at age 72 in 1989.

Born Under a Bad Sign (1967) remains one of the most influential blues albums ever recorded, and Albert King's left-handed Flying V guitar style -- with his upside-down, upward bends -- created a sound that Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, and Jimi Hendrix all cited as transformational. King's session at Fillmore West with Stax Records made him a crossover star and defined soul-blues guitar.

The greatest modern Texas blues guitarist, Stevie Ray Vaughan single-handedly revived mainstream interest in the blues in the 1980s. His debut album Texas Flood (1983) was a commercial breakthrough, and his cover of Jimi Hendrix's Voodoo Child became definitive. Before his tragic death in a helicopter crash in 1990, he won 6 Grammy Awards and recorded enduring blues classics like Pride and Joy and Cold Shot.