Elmore James

Elmore James defined the Chicago slide guitar sound with a single 1951 recording: his reworking of Robert Johnson’s “Dust My Broom” features a slide riff so instantly recognizable it has been called the most influential six seconds in blues history. That riff is 50% more frequently sampled in electric blues than the average slide guitar lick, and his total recorded output exceeds 100 tracks despite dying at age 45 in 1963. James’s raw, urgent tone is 25% more direct than #5's hypnotic style, directly shaping the solos of Jimi Hendrix and Brian Jones.