Blues music started around the 1860’s in the deep south. In the time since, thousands of blues albums have been made, many that do not get the recognition they deserve. I dug through some old records and found the five most underrated blues albums, conducting research to ensure my list held up.
What are the most underrated blues albums? The 5 most underrated blues albums are:
| Rank | Album Name | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | King Of The Delta Blues Singers | Robert Johnson |
| 2. | Live At The Regal | B.B. King |
| 3. | Muddy Waters at Newport 1960 | Muddy Waters |
| 4. | TRY! – Live in Concert | John Mayer Trio |
| 5 | Getting Ready… | Freddie King |
Continue reading to learn more about each of these albums and how they got on this list.
5. Getting Ready…
The fifth most underrated blues album is Getting Ready by Freddie King. This album was released in 1971 and is jam packed with guitar squealing and harmony inducing songs. Freddie is often overlooked by Albert and B.B. King, as many people group them together based on the coincidental last name. This album is not to be overlooked though. It is one of the greatest blues albums of all time.
This album is one of the most powerful exclusively electric blues albums to come out until then. Freddie has an interesting and creative take on the song Dust My Broom on this album. He does it on acoustic which gives it a whole different feeling because it is usually done on slide. His guitar playing has a nice bite to it without overplaying. He plays to the song and his riffs are not overblown.
This is arguably one of the most influential albums for my playing as well. Freddie’s bends are always perfectly in pitch and his timing is spot on. His cover of Going Down is one of the best versions ever made and it is on this album. If only that song was on this album then it would still make this list.
4. TRY! – Live in Concert
The fourth most underrated blues album is TRY! – Live in Concert by the John Mayer Trio. The album was released by Columbia Records on November 22, 2005 and was nominated for a Grammy. The reason it is on this list despite having commercial success is the lack of recognition in the blues music community when discussing great blues albums.
I am positive that this album recommendation will get some flack from blues historians but I urge you to listen if you have not. Many non-guitarists see John Mayer as a pop musician. That image is slowly changing with his work on Dead and Company. Although, this album should have done the trick to transform the masses into believing John Mayer truly is a great blues guitarist and performer.
The album features fantastic blues songs like I’ve Got a Woman, Out of My Mind, and my personal favorite Who Did You Think I Was.
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3. Muddy Waters at Newport 1960
The third most underrated blues album is Muddy Waters at Newport 1960. This performance was recorded at the Newport Jazz Festival on July 3rd, 1960. It was released only four months after.
This live album is a quintessential Chicago blues album. It envelopes everything Chicago blues represents and sounds like. Muddy Waters does a great job walking the line between B.B. King’s powerful electric blues and a smooth organic blues style. The album has a rich warm sounding production, a rare quality to have on pre-70’s live albums. An interesting note is the understatement of guitar. As a blues guitar player, I originally admired Muddy for his playing. It wasn’t until I listened intently to this album that I realized the strength and range of his vocals.
One interesting thing about this record is the two Mojo tracks on it. The story goes that Muddy asked the crowd if they wanted to hear something else and they all demanded more Mojo. After giving the go head, Waters and the band upped the intensity and got grooving.
2. Live At The Regal
The second most underrated blues album is Live at the Regal by B.B. King. The album was recorded in 1964 and released in 1965. Performed at the Regal Theatre in Chicago, Illinois. Quite possibly the most unique live album ever made, Live at The Regal is greatly underappreciated.
B.B. King is known for being one of the best blues singers and guitarists of all time, although he does not get enough credit for being an exceptionally strong performer. In this live album, this trait is exemplified. He takes hold of the audience and band members in a way that is very fluid and entertaining. B.B. King is able to give a strong live atmosphere in this album, invigorating the listener. This allows the listener, many years later, to feel immersed in the experience that the audience had.
“His unique brand of blues combined the grit of hard rocking electric blues with a jazz sensibility and subtlety for nuance, and his sophisticated style of string bends and left hand vibrato influenced practically every great guitarist to ever pick up a six string.”
Matt Stocks, Louder Sound
The album is an amazing collection original songs and covers. These songs take B.B.’s signature style of mixing powerful blues guitar with jazz undertones, adding his signature vibrato, to make each one unique and memorable.
1. King Of The Delta Blues Singers
The most underrated blues album is King of the Delta Blues Singers by Robert Johnson. Released in 1961, the album has the ability to take the listener to another place. It hauntingly transforms you as you get lost in the music.
Robert Johnson had only recorded 29 songs in his entire life and this album is a compilation of the best 16 of them. Johnson had a ghostly and powerful voice. A voice that is still one of the most unique voices in blues music even since his death. This is combined with incredible guitar playing that gives a rhythmic percussive feel while still adding leading tones. Many who hear this album think there is more than one guitarist on it, but there is not. Johnson does this by pushing and pulling phrases through intricate finger picking.
This album has simplistic complexity to its recordings, laying the blueprint for blues and rock music to come. King Of The Delta Blues Singers is simply a masterclass in music history.
“You want to know how good the blues can get? Well, this is it.”
Keith Richards on Robert Johnson, American Blues Scene
The story of Robert Johnson is famed and well documented but I will summarize it. Johnson was a fairly average Mississippi blues musician and then he disappeared for awhile. When he came back, he had a whole new level of talent that was mesmerizing people with his playing and his singing. The myth was that he went to the Crossroads and sold his soul to the devil in exchange for this talent. In reality, he was likely just practicing non-stop.
This album has influenced generations of blues guitarists and singers. Thus claiming the title as the most underrated blues album of all time.
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