Nothin' But the Blues

From the multi-award-winning film "The American Epic Sessions"; won a Grammy Award for Best American Roots Performance; recorded on a restored electrical sound recording system from the 1920s.

Texas blues guitarists hard driving tune

Houston blues guitarists instrumental

A timeless staple of the blues with huge crossover appeal to rock audiences; big hit for B.B. King; also covered by Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Guy and a host of other rock luminaries.

Live at the Fillmore East; blues-rock classic; Duane's guitar mastery and Greg's soulful vocals make this tune a delight every time it's played.

One of B.B.'s signature songs; a major hit.

Popular song composed by Turner Layton with lyrics by Henry Creamer; recoreded by a host of blues singers over the ages.

Blues classic composed by jazz singer Alberta Hunter and musician Lovie Austin; Smith's recorded the song with piano accompaniment by Clarence Williams; eventually selling 2 million copies; included in the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress; recorded by a host of noteworthy musicians including Son House; Smith's version received a Grammy Hall of Fame Award.

Grammy Hall of Fame Award winner

Blues standard written by Jimmy Cox in 1923; Smith's version is more vaudeville-style blues; interpreted by numerous musicians in a variety of styles over the years.

Popular American song composed by W. C. Handy in 1914 in the blues style; Smith's version has Louis Armstron on trumpet; inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1993; performed by a host of luminaries including Cab Caqlloway, Bing Crosby, Paul Robeson, Django Reinhardt, Billie Holiday, Dizzy Gillespie, Chet Atkins, Dave Brubeck and Chuck Berry; Grammy Hall of Fame Award winner.

The first of Arthur "Blind" Blake's 80 recordings between 1926 and 1932; primary developer of the "finger-style" ragtime guitar.

Country blues song inspired by Victoria Spivey's Black Snake Blues.

Derived from traditional roots; recorded by several other musicians in more of country swing style by Lead Belly, Big Bill Broonzy and others.

Recorded in two slightly differing versions in 1927 and 1928; followed by versions by Son House, Bob Dylan, Peter, Paul and Mary; Lightnin' Hopkins, Canned Heat and Widespread Panic.

Piedmont blues song referring to the town in Geogria; adapted by Taj Mahal in 1967 and by the Allman Brothers in 1971 into a monster hit.

The blues giant's rework of his earlier "Lord, Send Me an Angel" song recorded in 1933; with the original version being covered by The White Stripes in 2000

12-bar blues song; covered by numerous rock guitarists since.

One of his most enduring works; covered by a host of rock and roll bands since.

Written by Fenton Robinson in 1967; recorde at the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio; nearly 13 minute epic with magnificent guitar work of Duane Allman.

Mel London classic redone with blistering guitar work; a spacy, warbling guitar opens up Buddy's searing vocals.

Another early electric blues from the Chicago-based guitarist.

Hard driving electric blues from early in his career.

Delta blues song recorded by Patton during his first session; other renditions exist from such noteworthy musicians as Canned Heat, Son House, Howlin Wolf and Cassandra Wilson.

Delta blues song about the 1927 Great Mississippi flood; Bob Dylan paid tribute to the song in 2001.

Blues-derived psychedlic rock classic; included on the album "Disraeli Gears", first and highest charting single by the band in America.

Written by Robert Johnson, but Elmore made it a blues classic covered by numerous rock guitarists.

Rock classic remake of Ma Rainey's standard.

Blues song written by Ellington Jordan; regarded as a blues and soul classic; covered superbly by Christie (Perfect) McVie of Fleetwood Mac when she was a member of Chicken Shack and later on by Rod Stewart, B.B. King, Paul Weller and a host of others.

Slow blues tune written by Billy Myles.

Electric blues instrumental; a standard for countless blues and rock musicians today.

Reached #5 on the Billboard Hot R&B chart; covered by Eric Clapton in 1994.

Blues guitar instrumental; covered by The Yardbirds and John Mayall's Bluesbreakers

Early country blues song.

Early country blues song.

Early country blues tune from the guitar legend.

One of the defining classics of Chicago electric blues with guitarist Hubert Sumlin.

With long-time friend Hubert Sumlin on guitar

Blues song written by Willie Dixon; accompanied by Hubert Sumlin on guitar and Otis Spann on piano

One of the blues diva's 78 recordings between 1923 and 1929.

Her first hit from her six-year recording career.

Guitar god's most traditional blues song running 13-minutes long.

Early urban electric blues solo performance

Americaqn R&B and pop chart success; covered by The Animals in 1964.

One of the highest selling blues tunes of all times.

Country blues song reflecting experiences during the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927; reworked by Led Zeppelin in 1971.

Traditional blues song recorded by Hubie Ledbetter; earlier versions of the tune were recorded by Charley Patton as "Mississippi Boweevil Blues" and by Ma Rainey as "Bo-Weavil Blues."

Born Huddie Ledbetter; song is a left-wing testament for civil rights.

Hubie Ledbetter recorded a version of this country blues and folk traditional song at Angola Prison; later covered by Creedance Clearwater Revival in 1969.

Influenced by the sinking of the ship in 1912, Hubie Ledbetter wrote the song as his first composition on the twelve-string guitar, his signature instrument

Recorded along with Scrapper Blackwell playing guitar; it became an instant best-seller; based on Ida Cox and Papa Charlie Jackson's 1925 recording of "How Long Daddy."

A recording later in his career; masterful guitar picking and soulfull voice; protoge of Bessie Smith, Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong.

Blues standard covered by multiple artists including B.B. King as "Sweet Angel Blues" and The Rolling Stones as "Sweet Black Angel".

Born Beau De Glen Lipscomb, he took the name Mance (short for Emancipation) as a youth.

12-bar blues song written by W. C. Handy; Harris' earliest recorded top 10 hit.

Ultimate woman blues guitar hero; also recorded by Tampa Red, Johnny Shines and others.

Cowritten by Minnie and her husband Ernest Lawlars; covered by Jefferson Airplaine in 1966.

Originianlly recorded by Vivian Spivey in 1929; Minnie delivers a deep blues version.

Early recording from Hurt about growing up as a sharecropper in Avalon, Mississippi.

Re-recorded late in his life in 1968; one of Hurt's beautiful traditional country blues tunes showcasing his fingerpicking style of guitar and gentle voice.

Earrly Hurt recording of a traditional American folk tune; later revised as Stagger Lee in the classic by LLyond Price in 1959 and Taj Mahal in 1969.

Early blues song accompanied by Lovie Austin Blues Serenaders.

Also known as C.C. Rider; popular American 12-bar blues song; first recorded by Rainey; covered extensively over the years by Lavern Baker, Elvis Presley, Lightnin' Hopkins and most noteworthy by Eric Burdon and the Animals; song was inducted into the Grammy All of Fame in 2004 and was added to the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress.

Eight-bar blues tune with two unknown guitarists.

Included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 500 Songs that shaped Rock and Roll

Chicago-style electric blues classic; included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 500 Songs that shaped Rock and Roll

Included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 500 Songs that shaped Rock and Roll

Included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 500 Songs that shaped Rock and Roll

Slow tempo twelve-bar blues tune

Reached #6 on the Billboard R&B chart; a twelve-bar blues standard covered by Led Zeppelin, Gary Moore and Eric Clapton.

Included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 500 Songs that shaped Rock and Roll; iconic classic; covered by a host of great musicians including Elmore James, Eric Clapton and John Mayer.

Included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 500 Songs that shaped Rock and Roll.

Included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 500 Songs that shaped Rock and Roll.

Included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 500 Songs that shaped Rock and Roll.

Blues standard that Sykes provided lyrics for and helped popularize the song; remains in the blues lexicon through the ages.

Blues standard recorded by a host of musicians following "The Honey Dripper's" lead.

Blues pianist known as "The Honey Dripper" wrote and recorded the first version of this song; later reworked by Big Bill Broonzy, Nappy Brown, Ray Charles and James Brown..

Killer, bluesy, guitar instrumental by Lonesome Dave Peverett; morphing into a blues/jazz and rock singular masterpiece.

Blues standard covered by Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters; others followed through the ages.

A classic Texas shuffle written by Vaughan has a twelve-bar blues arrangement; Bonnie Raitt and the Charlie Daniels Band have recorded renditions of this classic.

Taj's powerful vocals carry this significant rework of Sleepy Joh Estes' "Milk Cow Blues;" highlighted in "Martin Scorcese Presents the Blues"

Traditional country blues tune revisited with great reverence.

One of the most interpreted blues standards, recorded as a mid-tempo eight-bar blues that features slide guitar; recorded in new versions by Elmore James, Bibg Bill Broonzy and Junior Wells. 8n 1

Blues standard becoming a hit as a mid-tempo twelve-bar blues with Tampa (Hudson Whittaker) playing single-string slide guitar.

Delta blues pioneer's inspiration for Canned Heat's massive hit "On the Road Again."

Delta blues pioneer's bone-chilling account of his complete addiction to alcohol; the tune that gave the California blues-rock band its name.

The first recording by Spivey over her 40 year singing career.

One of a host of songs recorded by Spivey over a 40-year career; recorded with Lonnie Johnson playing guitar.

One of the very first published blues songs.