Bukka was one of those little known guys from the early days who was rediscovered a few decades on. However, this is no mellow Mississippi John Hurt. This is haunting stuff. Just listen to that forlorn vibrato on "When Can I Change My Clothes?" and "Pinebluff, Arkansas". Amazing.

Howlin' Wolf had such PRESENCE. That voice is just huge. The savage power and paranoia of such tracks as "Evil" and "Killing Floor" is phenomenal. It isn't all spookiness however, as the fun of "300 Pounds of Heavenly Joy" and "Wang Dang Doodle" show.

Listening to Muddy Waters, I noticed that beautiful distorted harp in the background. Little Walter was Muddy's harmonica player. Devastating stuff. In the early days of electric blues, they would just play so LOUD!

Love this movie, love this soundtrack. This is pretty much the first time since "Crossroads" in '86 that southern electric blues has featured prominently in a film. The sequence in the film where Samuel L. Jackson plays "Black Snake Moan" is really spooky.

Led Zeppelin later strayed away into Valhalla, Middle-Earth, etc., but I make a strong case for their first album. They were never this bluesy again. The fuzzbox crunch and youthful vigor they attack every song with is just amazing. Nowadays, at least 15 years since I couldn't stand "Stairway to Heaven" or "Kashmir" anymore, I still crank this one pretty often.

When hard electric blues met Stax horns. Smooth, but still hot 'n heavy. He shoulda been huge in the 60's.

God, he's been gone a long time. SRV was one of those rare talents who only comes along once in a blue moon. I could've listed a compilation or studio album, but he really shined live. Stevie was the real deal. He nailed the blues in a way more genuine than the straight up theft manner of George Thorogood.

A no-brainer, sure, but it took me a long time to get around to this. Devastating guitar playing, great singing too. Elmore was one of the shining lights to come out of Chicago and an influence on many subsequent artists.