238658923659

Chapter 12: The Birth and Growth of Classic Electric Blues
217
They called it sweet home:
The bluesmen of Chicago
In the period before World War II, important performers
included Big Bill Broonzy, Tampa Red,
and Memphis Minnie, who played electrically
and acoustically. In the postwar period — and
after T-Bone’s electric influence was felt by all
Artist Style Association
who heard him — the Chicago scene, fueled by
an influx of southern talent, took off. The following
table shows, in order of birth date, some of
the important blues guitarists who all called
Chicago home.
Big Bill Broonzy (1893–1968) Acoustic folk blues Friend to Muddy Waters
Tampa Red (1900–81) Electric, slide, hokum Influenced Muddy Waters, Elmore
James, and Robert Nighthawk
Howlin’ Wolf (1910–76) Electric Delta influence in the direct lineage back
to Charlie Patton (“Founder of Delta
Blues”); Muddy Waters’s contemporary
and sometimes-rival
Muddy Waters (1915–83) Electric, slide Delta influence; leader of the first generation
of postwar Chicago scene for
decades
Robert Nighthawk (1909–67) Acoustic, electric Delta influence; the slide link between
Tampa Red and Earl Hooker
Elmore James (1918–63) Electric, slide Delta influence; the most influential electric
slide guitarist of the time, and a contemporary
of Robert Johnson
Earl Hooker (1930–70) Electric lead and slide Delta influence; followed Tampa Red and
Robert Nighthawk; influenced B.B. King,
Buddy Guy, Jimmy Page
Otis Rush (b. 1934) Electric lead Second generation Chicago; West Side
sound; influenced Clapton, Stevie Ray
Vaughan, and Peter Green; played
“upside-down” guitar
Buddy Guy (b. 1936) Electric lead Second generation Chicago; West Side
sound; backed Muddy Waters, among
others; had a long association with harp
man Junior Wells; influenced Jimi Hendrix
and Eric Clapton
Magic Sam (1937–69) Electric, fingerstyle Second generation Chicago; West Side
sound; influenced Robert Cray
TEAM LinG