Follow
Not so long ago we presented you with a few bits of acoustic blues guitar history, its early roots, famous representatives and their masterpieces, only to recommend you three perennially great albums every acoustic blues guitar fan should own and listen. Since our purpose is to introduce you to the fascinating world of blues guitar music and inspire you to become a musician or evolve as one, today we will take a look over modern blues guitarists that took this art to a higher level and who deserve to be mentioned in any blues anthology. Whoever said blues guitar music died or faded away is wrong, as contemporaneity knows a lot of incredible artists who are worthy successors of blues guitar legends like Skip James, John Lee Hooker, Robert Johnson and others. Let’s see these 4 modern blues guitarists and enjoy their music together.
1. Keb’ Mo’
This artist probably doesn’t need much of an introduction, as if you are a fan, you are also familiar with his works. They say Keb’ Mo’s music has its roots strongly attached to Robert Johnson’s old-fashioned country blues style, but this amazing artist is soothing our souls with his blues and his voice since the seventies, and his style saw a few tweaks along the way, winning him three Grammy Awards. His latest album The Reflection was released in 2011 and in case you didn’t put your hands on it yet, we recommend it to you wholeheartedly.
2. Gary Clark, Jr.
A very young sensation in the world of modern blues guitarists, Gary Clark Jr. is so talented and so appreciated, that at only 30 years old he can brag with sharing the stage with blues guitar legends and iconic stars such as Jimmie Vaughan, but also B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Steve Winwood, John Mayer, Sheryl Crow, Jeff Beck, and ZZ Top. His music is described as blending in a fuzzy guitar sound and a smooth vocal style, bringing him an Grammy Award and interesting collaborations with other modern musicians such as Sheryl Crow or Alicia Keys.
3. Sue Foley
Sue Foley is a female modern blues guitarist who began her career in Canada when she was only sixteen years old. But since her first album in 1992 Foley has recorded ten albums, shared the stage with legendary blues singers and guitarists such as Back Alley John, B. B. King, Buddy Guy and John Lee Hooker among others. Her last album dates back to 2012 and features a collaboration with Peter Karp – “Beyond The Crossroads”. A multi – awarded artist, Sue Foley received a record number of 17 Maple Blues Awards, 3 Trophées de blues in France, a nomination for the prestigious W.C. Handy Award for best contemporary female artist in 2002 and world – wide appreciation for her music and style.
4. Kenny Wayne Shepherd
Another young hope in the modern blues guitarists world, Kenny Wayne Shepherd tried his luck with heavy rock, but other than that, he remained faithful to the blues, especially since he admitted he was mesmerized by Stevie Ray Vaughan when he met the legend in his childhood years. He put his great musical talent into seven albums, the latest announced for this year and he managed to share the stage with all his blues idols, including B.B. King, Hubert Sumlin, Pinetop Perkins, Cootie Stark, Neal Pattman, Etta Baker, Buddy Flett, Bryan Lee, The Howlin’ Wolf and the Muddy Waters Band among others.
The modern blues guitarists of this world are true inspiration for whomever has a soft spot for the genre and there are a lot many more from where these ones came from. Fresh sounds, historical influences from legendary guitarists of the golden age of blues, eclectic collaborations with artists who represent other musical genres and a lot of albums to listen, these are the key features of modern blues and it would be a pity to not show these artists the appreciation they deserve.
