← all genres
·˚✦ genre guide ✦˚·

classic blues

what it is

Blues is a music genre based on the use of the blues chord progressions and the blue notes. Though several blues forms exist, the 12-bar blues chord progressions are the most frequently encountered. Blue notes are sung or played at a slightly lower pitch than that of the major scale for expressive purposes.

✦ meet the girls making classic blues →
women, non-binary artists, and bands with women, level by level

✦ start here: albums

King Of The Delta Blues Singers by Robert Johnson
King Of The Delta Blues Singers
Robert Johnson
open this album: apple music · spotify
I Am the Blues by Willie Dixon
I Am the Blues
Willie Dixon
open this album: apple music · spotify
Chill Out by John Lee Hooker
Chill Out
John Lee Hooker
open this album: apple music · spotify
His Best by Howlin' Wolf
His Best
Howlin' Wolf
open this album: apple music · spotify
Giant by James Cotton
Giant
James Cotton
open this album: apple music · spotify
Stax Profiles: Albert King by Albert King
Stax Profiles: Albert King
Albert King
open this album: apple music · spotify

✦ who's making it, level by level

level 2 · the door

big names with a sharper edge

John Lee Hooker
1.1m listeners
Muddy Waters
1.1m listeners

level 3 · one step out

cult favorites and indie darlings

Howlin' Wolf
859k listeners
T-Bone Walker
344k listeners
Elmore James
456k listeners
Leadbelly
314k listeners
Lightnin' Hopkins
371k listeners
Jimmy Reed
275k listeners
Mississippi John Hurt
292k listeners
Big Mama Thornton
264k listeners
Bessie Smith
369k listeners
Skip James
264k listeners

level 4 · further

art pop, hyperpop, and the underground

Fenton Robinson
128k listeners
Sonny Boy Williamson II
178k listeners
Slim Harpo
186k listeners
Blind Willie McTell
243k listeners
Mississippi Fred McDowell
192k listeners
Hubert Sumlin
65k listeners
Sleepy John Estes
77k listeners
Bukka White
152k listeners
Sonny Terry
60k listeners
Dave Hole
50k listeners

level 5 · all the way

deep experimental

Julius Daniels
5k listeners
B.B. King & Friends
7k listeners
Curtis Jones
5k listeners
Big Time Sarah
3k listeners
Lizzie Miles
7k listeners
Lillian Glinn
3k listeners
Little Sam Davis
785 listeners
Travellin' Brothers
1k listeners
Al King
2k listeners
Anson Funderburgh & The Rockets
4k listeners
Little Sonny Jones
407 listeners
West, Bruce & Laing
18k listeners

✦ make classic blues a playlist

turn these 34 artists into something you can press play on.

each artist's most played song, easing from level 1 out to 5

✦ nearby genres

bluesdelta bluesguitarfolkchicago bluesrhythm and bluesharmonica bluesacousticjazzacoustic blues

questions

What is classic blues?

Blues is a music genre based on the use of the blues chord progressions and the blue notes. Though several blues forms exist, the 12-bar blues chord progressions are the most frequently encountered. Blue notes are sung or played at a slightly lower pitch than that of the major scale for expressive purposes.

What are good classic blues albums to start with?

Try King Of The Delta Blues Singers by Robert Johnson, I Am the Blues by Willie Dixon, Chill Out by John Lee Hooker, and His Best by Howlin' Wolf.

Who are some women making classic blues?

musicisforgirls.com/genres/classic-blues/girls lists women, non-binary artists, and bands with women making classic blues, from mainstream to underground.

genre notes from last.fm listeners · artists and albums from last.fm, updated 2026-10-20