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.
* 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