Blues guitarists are often forgotten in the music world during the 21st century. Greats like Jimi Hendrix, SRV, B.B. King, etc will always be remembered. Although, there are blues guitarists from the past and current that push the envelope and deserve recognition. Striving to create the most accurate list possible, I set out to list the most underrated blues guitarists of all time.
Who are the most underrated blues guitarists? The most underrated blues guitarists are:
- Buddy Guy
- Jimmie Vaughan
- Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
- Gary Clarke Jr.
- John Lee Hooker.
Continue reading to learn more about each of these guitarists.
5. John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker is appreciated with those that are well versed in blues music. This is the reason he is not higher up on the list. Although, many blues guitarists I talk to have heard his name but never truly gave him a listen. John Lee Hooker is an absolute genius with raw natural talent and an earthy tone.
John Lee Hooker is among the old greats like B.B. King, Albert King, etc. in terms of contributions to the guitar landscape. John was known as the “King of the Boogie”, coining the term for his ability to groove with ease and get the crowd moving. Check out the YouTube link below for Boom Boom and you will see how he plays the song with such ease and prowess. This song would later be covered by The Animals and become a massive success……for them.
John was a root for the pre-rock era of the blues, providing the foundation for rock to come. His style inspired the likes of Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, and many more. In fact, B.B. King was quoted saying “he was the best at what he did”. What made John Lee Hooker great, among many other things, was his distinctive rhythm pattern. This rhythm pattern is how he got the name “King of the Boogie”.
One reason John Lee Hooker never got the recognition he deserves could be because he did not like headlining shows. He preferred to be in the middle spot of the bill. The reason for this is because he liked to sleep and did not want to get home too late. That being said, he did sell millions of albums and got the praise of many blues guitar legends.
In Johns owns words, “if I stopped playing the blues, I’d be miserable”. His influence has impacted many genres of music outside the blues and guitar world.
3 Best John Lee Hooker Songs:
4. Gary Clark Jr.
Gary Clark Jr. is slowly but surely becoming a force to reckon with in the guitar community. Especially the blues guitar community. I am always surprised when a guitarist friend does not know who Gary is. It happens more often then I care to mention unfortunately.
Gary is a product of Antone’s Record Shop. The famous breeding ground of the Vaughan brothers in Austin, Texas. There he was welcomed with open arms and he started learning from the masters themselves. In 2010, Eric Clapton took notice and invited him to the Crossroads Festival to play in front of roughly 28,000 people. Everything took off from there.
Find out the 5 Most Underrated Blues Albums of All Time
So why is Gary Clark Jr. so great and underrated? It is because of his style. Clark has a fresh and unshackled style. One second he will be playing his own lick, the next he will throw in a John Lee Hooker or Albert King lick. Of course many blues guitarists do this, but none like Gary. He makes the bridge between new and old blues seamless in nature. It isn’t until you replay a live performance of his over and over again that you hear these famous licks, otherwise it goes unnoticed to an untrained ear. Furthermore, he is not afraid to go outside the traditional box’s or structures provided. He is known for throwing in notes outside the pentatonic shape(s) and adding melodic pentatonic phrasing. Similar to Hendrix and SRV, Gary has a gritty style while still being extremely accurate and purposeful.
Gary covers The Beatles Come Together, completely changing the tone of the song. This is what makes him great and underrated. He changes the tone by adding a Hendrix – Zeppelin – Nirvana flare to it.
3 Best Gary Clark Jr. Songs:
3. Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
Christone Ingram is the third most underrated blues guitarist. Despite only being twenty two years old, Kingfish is already starting to make a name for himself. A delta blues guitarist at heart and heavily influenced by B.B. King, he is the future of the blues. He does not overplay, which most young talent does (look up John Mayer playing with BB) and he plays with soul. Thousands of fans are already comparing Kingfish to early B.B. King, an honor that few posses.
I was fortunate enough to see Kingish in Philadelphia this past summer. At the end of the show, Kingfish walked into the crowd mid guitar solo. The crowd formed a circle around him as he belted a blues solo just as a storm was rolling in. He got the entire crowd moving and put on an amazing show. He had the performance expertise 20 years his senior and immense guitar feel in his playing.
Although we are talking about guitarists, a shout out needs to go to his voice as well. Similar to B.B. in the fact that their voices compete with their guitar abilities on top performer. Few guitarists are able to play like they sing, with emotion and purpose, Christone Kingfish Ingram, is one of those guitarists. I personally am very much looking forward to seeing his career flourish. Again, he is only 22 and will only get better. Soon I will need to take him off this list of underrated guitarists.
If this isn’t enough praise, Buddy Guy has also called him “the next explosion of the blues”. The future of blues is in good hands.
3 Best Kingfish Songs:
2. Jimmie Vaughan
Jimmie Vaughan is the second most underrated blues guitarist of all time. Jimmie came onto the scene and quickly became the best guitarist in Texas. This is before his brother would start performing. Growing up, he was the guy to be. He had perfect tone and technique. He was young himself and players much older then him would study his natural abilities and ear, hoping to mimic his style. He was always after the best tone possible. Constantly changing gear, pedals, amp settings, guitar tech, etc. to get that perfect tone. In doing so, he fine tuned his sound to create a bold and chiseled tone that is exceptionally pleasing to the ear.
Unfortunately for the broader audience outside of the blues community, Jimmie is often over-shadowed by his late younger brother Stevie. Stevie and Jimmie simply had different styles. Jimmie is more traditional blues where as Stevie wanted to create his own type of blues. Each respected and admired in their own right. Stevie looked up to Jimmie and Stevie would have never been as good as he was without his older brother.
What makes Jimmie Vaughan so great is his precision. He has perfect harmony and phrasing. His bends are always precise and there is very rarely a wrong note during his live sets. Jimmie is a student of the craft. During his sets, he would throw in different B.B. King, Albert King, and Freddie King riffs with ease and precision. Vaughan was especially good at ‘letting songs breathe’. He simply never over played despite having the skills to do so. Instead, he spaced notes out perfectly in time and spoke with his instrument. Jimmie remarked how he would always try to “communicate emotionally” with his guitar instead of playing fast. This ability to sing through the guitar is uncommon and is one of the main reasons Jimmie Vaughan is underrated.
3 Best Jimmie Vaughan Songs:
1. The Most Underrated Blues Guitarist
The most underrated blues guitarist is Buddy Guy.
Buddy Guy is certainly well known in the guitar community. Although, he is often an after-thought when talking about blues guitar legends. He is often left out of top 10 conversations both in terms of talent and influence. This is why Buddy Guy is the most underrated blues guitarist.
In 1986, Eric Clapton referred to Buddy Guy as “without a doubt the best guitar player alive”. Keep in mind, SRV was alive at the time as well. It is said that SRV would have never picked up a Stratocaster if it wasn’t for Buddy. Buddy Guy was a massive influence for Clapton and his music helped refine Clapton’s style. Clapton was not the only great influenced by Buddy Guy either. Top guitarists like Jimmy Page, Gary Clark Jr., and Hendrix. In fact, watch this video of Hendrix and Buddy Guy playing together. Fast forward to 6:20. Prior to that minute mark, you can see Jimi bopping and studying Buddy. His technique got the attention of practicing guitarists.
When I was at a Dead and Company show at Red Rocks in Colorado, I was standing next to this man from Chicago. This man was a salesmen. He saw my Hendrix shirt and decided to make conversation around the blues, obviously my favorite type of conversation. We were talking a lot about John Mayer’s influence on the blues as we were about to see him perform with the Dead. Anyways, towards the end of the conversation he casually mentions “oh and I am good friends with Buddy Guy”. This threw me off guard. He showed me tons of pictures of him and Buddy hanging out at a small bar, pictures of Buddy casually playing his guitar, etc.
The man was telling me how basically no one outside of Chicago, besides dedicated guitarists, even recognized Buddy on the streets. Buddy Guy casually plays at his bar in Chicago for a welcoming crowd. He is truly the most underrated blues guitarist and a pioneer for the genre.
3 Best Buddy Guy Songs:
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