Most Influential Texas Blues Artist?!
Question: There have been some seminal artists from Texas over the last eighty or ninety years. Who is the most influential in your opinion, and why?
Answers: There have been some seminal artists from Texas over the last eighty or ninety years. Who is the most influential in your opinion, and why?
I have to agree with corrosion's answer.
T-Bone Walker changed the way blues guitar is played. He has influenced EVERY player to come after him whether they know it or not.
Second for me is SRV because I credit him with reviving the blues (lol ... again) in the 80's. So many young heavy metal guitarists were turned on to the blues through him.
OH my gosh it has to be Stevie Ray Vaughan. He was amazing. He had soul and was a good person with AMAZING talent. That is just my opinion!
I know so little about Texas blues players and who is one but I do know that Texas seemed to have a more sophisticated sound than most southern blues.
I really like Clarence 'Gate mouth' Brown some of his stuff borders on jazz.
And I believe T Bone Walker was a Texas player.
One of T Bones fans was Charlie Mingus! Anyone who is familiar with Charles Mingus knows there weren't too many musician Charles liked.
I hate to admit it but I love 'The Texas Playboys'!
Please don't tell anyone! I'm suppose to be Soul Brother Number 375.(I'm moving on up!)
Martin, thanks again for another interesting question.
I go with T. Bone Walker, followed by Leadbelly even though Leadbelly was a Lousianian. Special nod to Gatemouth Brown for his use of many musical styles and instruments which he termed American Music rather than blues.
T. Bone's single note style along with being one of the first electric guitarists (Les Hite's band? I'm writing from memory) was groundbreaking in so many ways. The guitar shifted from being strictly rhythmic with accents to featured as a means to underscore the songs during fills and solos due to T. Bone. Then, there was T. Bone playing against time in many solos, taking one off guard.
Many arrived because of him: Gatemouth, other great Texans like Johnny Copeland and Albert Collins, some Mississippians like Albert King and BB King who emulated T. Bone's style (BB especially in "Woke Up This Morning", using the complete time shift a la T. Bone).
Everything anyone hears and praises about SRV is directly linked to T. Bone and part of his lineage. SRV did not invent the blues; he merely took what was there from T. Bone, Buddy Guy, Otis Rush and Albert King then rearranged their solos. Successful, yes, but hardly a vanguard.
Addendum: I was so consumed in writing about T. Bone's stylistic contributions I forgot to mention what a great composer he was as well. His songs, like Elmore James' "The Sky Is Crying", live on ("Stormy Monday" being the best known).
There are just too many to name. Of course SRV is at the top of the list. He brought Blues back to mainstream until his untimely death. I am glad that I had the pleasure to meet him in person while I was attending college in Austin. So down to earth. ZZ top has been around for a while with some good Blues. There's also a cat by the name of Long John Hunter. He is up there in the years but he can stil jam! If you ever make it to Tucson check this out http://www.azblues.org/Home_Page.html
All great answers , I would just like to add Johnny Winter to those that have already been mentioned. He has definitely had the most influence on me , as far as Texas blues players are concerned. I'm going to see him again in December.Can't wait. Great question!
Man, there's a lot of choice here. T-Bone Walker has been mentioned and he's as good a choice as any, but I'd have to go with Freddie King. Freddie's style has been incorporated into everybody's from Hendrix to Clapton to Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughan to Sue Foley to Ronnie Earl and Duke Robillard. All of those classic instrumentals like Hideaway, Sen-Sa-Shun, San-Ho-Zay and The Stumble, to wailers like Have you Ever Loved a Woman, Tore Down and Love Her With a Feeling. In short, the modern Texas guitar sound of today is due to Freddie's influence.
Paul Butterfield once said that when he was jamming with Jimmie Hendrix, he kept thinking "What would Freddie King play . . ." Works for me!