Top 300 Blues Artists


Here is my ranking of the 300 most "important" recorded blues artists. Only artists that began recording under their own name by no later than 1975 are included. E-mail me if you have any comments on the list or if you want to know how I compiled it. There is also a table of artist information.

* - inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame.

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*  1.  muddy waters                       
*  2.  b.b. king                          
*  3.  robert johnson                     
*  4.  john lee hooker                    
*  5.  howlin' wolf                       
*  6.  big bill broonzy                   
*  7.  t-bone walker                      
*  8.  sonny boy williamson (rice miller) 
*  9.  lightnin' hopkins                  
* 10.  bessie smith                       
* 11.  elmore james                       
* 12.  lead belly                          
* 13.  little walter                      
* 14.  blind lemon jefferson              
* 15.  charley patton                     
* 16.  jimmy reed                         
* 17.  lonnie johnson                     
* 18.  john lee "sonny boy" williamson    
* 19.  bobby bland                        
* 20.  sonny terry                        
* 21.  junior wells                       
* 22.  son house                          
* 23.  ma rainey                          
* 24.  big joe turner                     
* 25.  albert king                        
* 26.  buddy guy                          
* 27.  roosevelt sykes                    
* 28.  big joe williams                   
* 29.  skip james                         
* 30.  lowell fulson                      
* 31.  otis rush                          
* 32.  brownie mcghee                     
* 33.  bukka white                        
* 34.  tampa red                          
* 35.  mississippi john hurt              
* 36.  johnny shines                      
* 37.  big walter horton                  
* 38.  magic sam                          
* 39.  willie dixon                       
* 40.  jimmy rogers                       
* 41.  robert nighthawk                   
* 42.  memphis minnie                     
* 43.  professor longhair                 
* 44.  sleepy john estes                  
* 45.  otis spann                         
* 46.  freddie king                       
* 47.  louis jordan                       
* 48.  champion jack dupree               
* 49.  charles brown                      
* 50.  memphis slim                       
* 51.  blind boy fuller                   
* 52.  blind willie mctell                
* 53.  leroy carr                         
* 54.  robert jr. lockwood                
* 55.  clarence gatemouth brown           
* 56.  junior parker                      
* 57.  little milton                      
* 58.  arthur "big boy" crudup            
* 59.  big mama thornton                  
* 60.  tommy johnson                      
* 61.  roy brown                          
* 62.  sunnyland slim                     
* 63.  eddie taylor                       
* 64.  mississippi fred mcdowell          
* 65.  slim harpo                         
* 66.  jimmy witherspoon                  
* 67.  furry lewis                        
* 68.  big maceo                          
* 69.  reverend blind gary davis          
  70.  victoria spivey                    
* 71.  albert collins                     
  72.  lightnin' slim                     
* 73.  little brother montgomery          
* 74.  james cotton                       
  75.  texas alexander                    
* 76.  wynonie harris                     
  77.  eddie boyd                         
* 78.  guitar slim                        
* 79.  earl hooker                        
* 80.  j.b. hutto                         
* 81.  blind blake                        
  82.  kokomo arnold                      
* 83.  amos milburn                       
* 84.  j.b. lenoir                        
* 85.  peetie wheatstraw                  
  86.  fenton robinson                    
* 87.  eddie vinson                       
* 88.  percy mayfield                     
  89.  johnny young                       
  90.  buddy moss                         
  91.  mance lipscomb                     
  92.  scrapper blackwell                 
* 93.  jimmy mccracklin                   
  94.  jimmy rushing                      
  95.  homesick james                     
  96.  washboard sam                      
  97.  smokey hogg                        
  98.  josh white                         
* 99.  roy milton                         
 100.  pee wee crayton                    
*101.  alberta hunter                     
*102.  walter davis                       
 103.  snooky pryor                       
 104.  blind willie johnson               
*105.  frank stokes                       
*106.  billy boy arnold                   
 107.  houston stackhouse                 
 108.  jimmy dawkins                      
 109.  smiley lewis                       
*110.  hound dog taylor                   
 111.  henry townsend                     
*112.  gus cannon                         
 113.  james "yank" rachel                
 114.  bo carter                          
 115.  floyd jones                        
 116.  tommy mcclennan                    
 117.  ida cox                            
 118.  little johnny taylor               
*119.  dinah washington                   
 120.  johnny copeland                    
*121.  sippie wallace                     
 122.  louis myers                        
 123.  robert wilkins                     
 124.  willie mabon                       
*125.  koko taylor                        
 126.  carey bell                         
 127.  barbecue bob                       
 128.  jazz gillum                        
*129.  luther allison                     
 130.  georgia tom dorsey                 
 131.  jesse fuller                       
*132.  lonnie brooks                      
 133.  louisiana red                      
 134.  kansas joe mccoy                   
*135.  robert pete williams               
 136.  clara smith                        
 137.  casey bill weldon                  
 138.  johnny jones                       
*139.  david honeyboy edwards             
 140.  will shade                         
 141.  lonesome sundown                   
*142.  lazy lester                        
*143.  johnny guitar watson               
 144.  juke boy bonner                    
 145.  larry davis                        
 146.  bumble bee slim (amos easton)      
 146.  floyd dixon                        
 148.  mamie smith                        
 149.  lil'son jackson                    
 150.  sam chatmon                        
 151.  frankie lee sims                   
*152.  taj mahal                          
 153.  eddie kirkland                     
 154.  k.c. douglas                       
 155.  phillip walker                     
 156.  ivory joe hunter                   
 157.  ishmon bracey                      
 158.  oscar "buddy" woods                
 159.  charlie mccoy                      
 160.  johnnie temple                     
 161.  walter brown                       
 162.  john brim                          
 163.  papa charlie jackson               
 163.  george "harmonica" smith           
 165.  lil green                          
 166.  curtis jones                       
 167.  tarheel slim                       
 168.  little willie littlefield          
 169.  jim jackson                        
 170.  joe willie wilkins                 
 171.  curly weaver                       
 172.  magic slim                         
 173.  l.c. robinson                      
 174.  mercy dee (walton)                 
 175.  willie brown                       
 176.  doctor ross                        
 177.  z.z. hill                          
 178.  joe hill louis                     
 179.  blind john davis                   
 180.  mighty joe young                   
*181.  pinetop perkins                    
 182.  walter roland                      
*183.  big maybelle                       
 184.  james oden                         
 185.  cousin joe                         
 186.  lucille bogan (bessie jackson)     
 187.  eddie burns                        
 188.  john littlejohn                    
 189.  roscoe gordon                      
 190.  hammie nixon                       
 191.  willie love                        
 192.  peg leg howell                     
 193.  baby face leroy foster             
*194.  son seals                          
 195.  black ace                          
 196.  lafayette "thing" thomas           
 197.  bull moose jackson                 
 198.  joe liggins                        
 199.  earl king                          
 200.  carl martin                        
 201.  snooks eaglin                      
 202.  pink anderson                      
 203.  silas hogan                        
 204.  katie webster                      
*205.  eddie clearwater                   
 206.  syl johnson                        
 207.  bertha "chippie" hill              
 208.  cripple clarence lofton            
 209.  nappy brown                        
 210.  sammy price                        
 211.  frank frost                        
 212.  sara martin                        
 213.  j.t. brown                         
 214.  walter vinson                      
 215.  a.c. reed                          
 216.  shakey jake (harris)               
 217.  noah lewis                         
 218.  j.d. short (joe stone)             
 219.  peter "doctor" clayton             
 220.  hop wilson                         
*221.  hubert sumlin                      
 222.  peg leg sam (arthur jackson)       
 223.  henry gray                         
 224.  georgia white                      
 225.  jack kelly                         
 226.  helen humes                        
 227.  j.t. funny papa smith              
 228.  willie nix                         
 229.  alex moore                         
 230.  sonny rhodes                       
 231.  sam myers                          
*232.  matt murphy                        
*233.  jimmy johnson                      
 234.  john jackson                       
*235.  r.l. burnside                      
 236.  luther johnson jr.                 
 237.  charlie spand                      
 238.  little bill gaither                
 239.  rube lacy                          
 240.  lee (leothus) green                
 241.  whispering smith                   
 242.  forest city joe (pugh)             
 243.  memphis willie borum               
 244.  laughing charly lincoln            
 245.  trixie smith                       
 246.  bobo jenkins                       
 247.  detroit junior                     
 248.  deford bailey                      
 249.  henry thomas                       
 250.  arthur big boy spires              
 251.  ramblin' thomas                    
 252.  luther "snake" johnson             
 253.  jimmy liggins                      
 254.  sam collins                        
 255.  charley jordan                     
 256.  jesse "babyface" thomas            
 257.  babe stovall                       
 258.  paul gayten                        
 259.  sticks mcghee                      
*260.  jody williams                      
 261.  thomas shaw                        
 262.  will batts                         
 263.  little hat jones                   
 264.  willie johnson                     
 265.  guitar slim (alex seward)          
 266.  frank edwards                      
 267.  lil johnson                        
 268.  sylvester weaver                   
 269.  frankie half pint jaxon            
 270.  joe callicott                      
 271.  bill williams                      
 272.  son bonds                          
 273.  otis smokey smothers               
 274.  moody jones                        
 275.  jay bird coleman                   
 276.  willie walker                      
 277.  luther huff                        
 278.  henry brown                        
 279.  buster brown                       
 280.  hambone willie newbern             
 281.  bee houston                        
 282.  baby tate                          
 283.  sonny boy nelson (eugene powell)   
 284.  floyd council                      
 285.  pat hare                           
 286.  papa lightfoot                     
 287.  arnold moore                       
 288.  arthur gunter                      
 289.  gus jenkins                        
 290.  doug quattlebaum                   
 291.  dan pickett                        
 292.  clifford gibson                    
 293.  henry johnson                      
 294.  robert petway                      
 295.  j.c. burris                        
 296.  lonesome jimmie lee robinson       
 297.  john henry barbee                  
 298.  blind blue (teddy) darby           
 299.  jimmie gordon                      
 300.  daddy stovepipe