Who is the Blues Guy you DON'T get?

matonanjin

Chubby, old guy trying to play some blues.
We have posts all the time about "This guy is awesome!" and "This blues band is great!". But who is the blues guitarist that everyone raves about that you just don't see it?

And this is not meant as a bashing thread. But rather "Everybody raves about this guy (gal). What am I missing?"

For me it it is Robert Cray. I was just driving home and Shemekia Copeland, an awesome blues performer and now host on Sirius Bluesville, introduced him, raving about what an awesome song writer he is and what a great guitar player he is. Yes, he plays guitar 100 times better than I ever will even think about. He had hits like Strong Persuader and Smoking Gun. Clapton invited him to the Crossroads Festival.

But I still don't get it. Every time I hear one of his songs it does absolutely nothing for me. What am I missing?

This is not meant as a poll or discussion about Robert Cray. If you want to tell me what you think I'm missing, Great!

But what blues guitarist does everyone rave about that you don't see it?
 

MikeR

Guitar Challenged
Staff member
But I still don't get it. Every time I hear one of his songs it does absolutely nothing for me. What am I missing?

You're not missing anything. He's just not your style. Nothing wrong with that.

But what blues guitarist does everyone rave about that you don't see it?

I probably have more than one, but if I were to pick one, I'd say it was Robben Ford. He's a fantastic guitar player, but I just don't like his style or music.

There are some guitar players that you say: "I would really like to learn how to play that lick or solo" and others that leave you cold.
 

BigMike

Blues Oldie
This is going to be controversial :cool:. I love the blues but my teenage years were lived in the late 60's/early 70's in the U.K. So I was steeped in the birth of classic rock music and it still is my No 1 passion. I love BCC and a lot of the blues rockers around now along with the classic rock bands, Free, Deep Purple, Zeppelin etc. My playlist if full of them. But for some reason I can't explain, and this is heresy here in Oz, I can't stand AC/DC. Don't know what it is but I just don't get it with them. To a lesser extent I am the same with G&R as well. There, it's out now, slag me off to your hearts content :(
 

Jalapeno

Student Of The Blues
This is not meant as a poll or discussion about Robert Cray. If you want to tell me what you think I'm missing, Great!
I bought a CD by him about 1994 based on everyone I knew who liked the blues' opinion. I was, meh, I'd still rather hear Freddie King. I don't think I've listened to the CD since the first week I had it. You probably don't want it, Ron, do you? :LOL:

Eric
 

PapaRaptor

Father Vyvian O'Blivion
Staff member
But what blues guitarist does everyone rave about that you don't see it?

I don't really like to down an artist, because anyone I'm listening to that's recording is light years ahead of me.
If I had to pick one artist, it would have to be :eek: Joe Bonamassa and it's not that his stuff leaves me cold... just most of his original material.
I know he's an incredible guitarist and wildly successful, but I have difficulty listening all the way through one of his albums. Having said that, I have several of his albums. On those albums, my favorites are all covers. I am totally indifferent to nearly everything he has written. One of my favorite recordings is his cover of Deep Purple's Lazy, with Aerosmith's Brad Whitford on guitar and Jimmy Barnes on vocals.
Why? I'm not sure.
 

kestrou

Blooze Noobie
To comment on a couple of the comments above - because that's what we do here, right? :)

Yup, all a matter of personal taste - and Robert Cray is one of my top three EVER. His clean tone is distinctive and his phrasing is pentatonic based, but unique to him. I also think he's a great song writer.

Papa Raptor - check out JoBo's album "Live at the Rockpalast" - it's from about 2006 and is before he got picked up and "polished" so there's some really BURNING guitar playing on there. JoBo for the last half-dozen years leaves me cold as well...

Opening my self up to slings and arrows - I just can't get into the really old classic dudes - Howlin' Wolf and Muddy - because I like my blues spiced with a hefty dash of rock. Having said that, I think Keb' Mo' is phenomenal - but he also has more creative songwriting and greater "facility" with the guitar. I guess it's the "primitive" blues that I just can't get on board with...

Kevin
 

JPsuff

Blackstar Artist
For me it would be SRV.
(Yes I know it's heresy).

Besides "Riviera Paradise" and his cover of "Little Wing", I've always thought of his style of playing as too brassy and jangly and I just never warmed up to it.

That said, there are of course certain licks and phrasings he used that are unique and worth knowing, but overall I've never been a big fan of his.
 

MarkDyson

Blues Hound Wannabe
For me it would have to be Mozart. Yeah, I know: the guy was a legit genius and technically brilliant but I've never gotten a sense of warmth or honesty from his stuff—especially after he got famous and started just phoning it in.
 

Jalapeno

Student Of The Blues
Yup, all a matter of personal taste - and Robert Cray is one of my top three EVER. His clean tone is distinctive and his phrasing is pentatonic based, but unique to him. I also think he's a great song writer.
Yep. Personal taste :Beer:
 

Jalapeno

Student Of The Blues
For me it would have to be Mozart. Yeah, I know: the guy was a legit genius and technically brilliant but I've never gotten a sense of warmth or honesty from his stuff—especially after he got famous and started just phoning it in.
Hey if you woulda said Vivaldi I'd have to come over there and show you a can of whoopass. Mozart wasn't really a blues guy anyway. More of a R&B guy, I'd say.
 

matonanjin

Chubby, old guy trying to play some blues.
For me it would have to be Mozart. Yeah, I know: the guy was a legit genius and technically brilliant but I've never gotten a sense of warmth or honesty from his stuff—especially after he got famous and started just phoning it in.

So you would say his playing is technically proficient but lacks emotion? :LOL::D:rolleyes::ROFLMAO: (Gawd, I have been waiting soooo long to use that!)
 
Last edited:

JPsuff

Blackstar Artist
For me it would have to be Mozart. Yeah, I know: the guy was a legit genius and technically brilliant but I've never gotten a sense of warmth or honesty from his stuff—especially after he got famous and started just phoning it in.


Oh I dunno... "Eine kleine Nachtmusik" was written just four years before he died and that's possibly one of his most famous pieces.

Granted, it was no "Magic Flute" but still...
 

matonanjin

Chubby, old guy trying to play some blues.
This is going to be controversial :cool:. I love the blues but my teenage years were lived in the late 60's/early 70's in the U.K. So I was steeped in the birth of classic rock music and it still is my No 1 passion. I love BCC and a lot of the blues rockers around now along with the classic rock bands, Free, Deep Purple, Zeppelin etc. My playlist if full of them. But for some reason I can't explain, and this is heresy here in Oz, I can't stand AC/DC. Don't know what it is but I just don't get it with them. To a lesser extent I am the same with G&R as well. There, it's out now, slag me off to your hearts content :(

Why would that be controversial? You don't like them. I'm also a 60's guy and "classic rock music and it still is my No 1 passion" I wouldn't go so far as can't stand AC/DC but a little too hard rock for my taste. The same for GnR but I respect Slash's abilities.

For me it would be SRV.
(Yes I know it's heresy).

Besides "Riviera Paradise" and his cover of "Little Wing", I've always thought of his style of playing as too brassy and jangly and I just never warmed up to it.

That said, there are of course certain licks and phrasings he used that are unique and worth knowing, but overall I've never been a big fan of his.

Now that's controversial!!!! That is heresy. That's sacreligious! That's blasphemy!!!!

A derogatory remark about Stevie Ray in a blues forum? How do we begin the process of removal of a member?:eek::rolleyes:;)

One of the guys I jam with weekly and I go round and round about this constantly. Lots of fun. He is constantly trying to tell me SRV is really not a blues guy; he is rock. That's certainly arguable. What makes it even more fun is his son, a high school kid and really good guitarist, is a huge SRV fan and piles on with me.:)
 
Top