When most people hear "the blues", the first image that probably pops into their mind is a middle aged African American man plucking away at his acoustic guitar on a porch somewhere in Louisiana. While many of the genre's forefathers may have fit that mold, it is a restrictive and inaccurate view of a diverse and rich form of music that is the root for almost all modern music. Those that maintain this stereotypical view of the blues and assume it is "grandpa music" are missing out on a lot.

Since the electrification of the guitar shot it to the forefront of three and four piece bands, music entered an evolutionary time warp not unlike that the quantum leaps in science and technology occurring at the same time.

Some of the pioneers during the 50's were B.B. King, Albert King, Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson. Chuck Berry was among the first to take the blues and kick it up a notch, speeding up the tempo and creating many rock riffs and techniques that are standard vocabulary today.

By the 60's and 70's, the blues had traveled across the pond to Britain. Bands like Cream, the Who, the Rolling Stones, and Led Zeppelin all traced their roots back to the blues forefathers. Even Angus Young of AC/DC, considered metal by many(the band always maintains that they are a rock band, not metal) has a very bluesy style of playing.

By the 80's, "Blues-Rock" had become indistinguishable from "Hard Rock". It wasn't until artists like Stevie Ray Vaughan came along and took blues back to it's roots.

Some modern bands that have bluesy overtones include the Black Keys and the White Stripes.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Gary Moore

The world lost a premier blues man on February 6, 2011 when Gary Moore passed while on vacation in Spain.


Moore was born in Ireland and played with the Irish Rock band Thin Lizzy on several occasions as well as B.B. King, Albert King and Skid Row. Cited influences of his playing style include The Beatles, Jimi Hendix, Albert King, and John Mayall's Bluesbreakers among others.


Gary Moore plays a Gibson Les Paul. The Humbuckers lend a thicker tone than say a Stratocaster. Combined with some hefty overdrive, Moore's tone tends to stand out amongst the crowd.


Moore has dabbled in various genre's during his solo career, sometimes to the confusion of his fans, but he has always remained rooted in the blues.


Still Got the Blues is by far Moore's most popular album followed by Bad for You Baby (by internet downloads), however my personal favorite is Back to the Blues. It has two of my top five Gary Moore songs (linked below) "Enough of the Blues" and "The Prophet". The former is a raucous, driving song, and a good sampler of similiar Moore fair. "The Prophet" is at the opposite end of the spectrum. All instrumental and dripping with emotion, it is a true work of art.


"Enough of the Blues"
"The Prophet"
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