Skip to main content
Music Radar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
  • Guitars
  • Amps
  • Pedals
  • Drums
  • Synths
  • Software
  • Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Recording
  • Buyer’s guides
  • Live
  • DJ
  • Advice
  • Acoustic
  • Bass
  • About Us
  • More
    • Reviews
Magazines
  • Computer Music
  • Electronic Musician
  • Future Music
  • Keyboard Magazine
  • Guitarist
  • Guitar Techniques
  • Total Guitar
  • Bass Player
More
  • Take our survey to win a £300/$350 Ticketmaster gift card
  • Type beats
  • 86000+ free music samples
  • How to make an AI cover song
  • Three-chord trick

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  1. News

Warren Haynes's 10 greatest blues albums of all time

By Joe Bosso
published 26 July 2010

Allman Bros./Gov't Mule star names his faves

Freddie King - Burglar (1974)
Title image of Warren performing at the 6th Langerado Music Festival at the Big Cypress Indiana Reservation in the South Florida Everglades
(Image credit: Steve C. Mitchell/epa/Corbis)

Freddie King - Burglar (1974)

While touring the world with The Allman Brothers Band, The Dead and, of course, leading his own outfit, Gov't Mule, it's a wonder that Warren Haynes has any time at all to listen to music that he isn't making himself.

And yet, the guitarist who has traded licks with everyone from Eric Clapton to Billy Gibbons, and who was not only ranked 23rd on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Greatest Guitarist Of All Time but was also voted by MusicRadar readers as one of the 17 Unsung Les Paul Legends, has a record collection (not to mention an iPod) that goes deep.

Deep blues, that is. On the following pages, Haynes runs down his favorite blues albums of all time, those records that got under his skin, made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end and, more importantly, forced him to strike a deal with the Devil...at the crossroads, naturally. He kicks things off with Freddie King:

"A great example of a blues artist taking the genre into the future by combining other idioms. Eric Clapton realized this: he was greatly influenced by Freddie King and started talking about him to the press. Because of this, a lot of ‘rock’ fans purchased this record.

"Beyond the guitar playing, it also reveals King to be a most gifted blues singer."

Listen: Freddie King - She's A Burglar (1974)

Page 1 of 10
Page 1 of 10
Albert King - Live Wire/Blues Power (1968)

Albert King - Live Wire/Blues Power (1968)

"I've always maintained that Albert King’s influence on rock guitar is not as acknowledged as it should be, which is surprising when you consider the effect he had on Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Duane Allman and Stevie Ray Vaughan, among others.

"I think part of the problem lies in how truly original he was. From a lineage point of view, he stands alone: no one before him had his sound. This is Albert King at his absolute best."

Listen: Albert King - Night Stomp (1968)

Page 2 of 10
Page 2 of 10
Junior Wells (featuring Buddy Guy) - Hoodoo Man Blues (1965)

Junior Wells (featuring Buddy Guy) - Hoodoo Man Blues (1965)

"A very important album, not just because of the performances, but because it’s a very different-sounding recording with a song selection that influenced a lot of artists and bands.

"Junior mixed the traditional style of Sonny Boy Williamson with the funk of James Brown to create something fresh and unique."

Listen: Junior Wells (featuring Buddy Guy) - Snatch It Back And Hold it (1965)

Page 3 of 10
Page 3 of 10
BB King - Chronicles: Live At The Regal/Blues Is King/ Live At Cook County Jail (compilation, years various)

BB King - Chronicles: Live At The Regal/Blues Is King/ Live At Cook County Jail (compilation, years various)

"As is often the case, hearing your favorite artists captured live offers some real insight into their true musical abilities.

"These three albums document an ‘on fire’ BB King a few years apart (1965-71), during which he grew incredibly as a player and singer. And since they’re all on one CD collection, there's no reason not to own them all!"

Listen: BB King - Sweet Little Angel (from Live At The Regal 1965)

Page 4 of 10
Page 4 of 10
Howlin' Wolf - The Real Folk Blues (compilation, years various)

Howlin' Wolf - The Real Folk Blues (compilation, years various)

"At the risk of repeating myself, once again, these collections do a great job of capturing the essence of our most important blues artists.

"In addition to being possibly the most powerful and unique blues singer ever, Wolf’s strengths as a songwriter were unbelievable."

Listen: Howlin' Wolf - Natchez Burning (1956)

Page 5 of 10
Page 5 of 10
Muddy Waters - The Real Folk Blues/More Real Folk Blues (compilation, years various)

Muddy Waters - The Real Folk Blues/More Real Folk Blues (compilation, years various)

"Since most blues artists in the early days didn't record full-length albums, compilations can be a fantastic way of hearing their finest moments.

"This is a great collection and showcases the quintessential style of blues that the master created."

Listen: Muddy Waters - Walkin' Blues (1950)

Page 6 of 10
Page 6 of 10
Sonny Boy Williamson - The Real Folk Blues/ More Real Folk Blues (compilation, years various)

Sonny Boy Williamson - The Real Folk Blues/ More Real Folk Blues (compilation, years various)

"Both records are available on one CD, so you might as well grab it. The albums offer definitive proof that Sonny Boy, in addition to being an incredible harmonica and vocal stylist, was also a world-class blues songwriter."

Listen: Sonny Boy Williamson - Too Young To Die (1960)

Page 7 of 10
Page 7 of 10
Elmore James - Blues After Hours (1961)

Elmore James - Blues After Hours (1961)

"It's hard to go wrong with any Elmore set, but this is his first full-length recording, on which he demonstrates not only how he took slide guitar into the future but that he also possessed one of the greatest blues voices of all time."

Listen: Elmore James - Rock My Baby Right (1961)

Page 8 of 10
Page 8 of 10
Son House - Father Of The Folk Blues (1965)

Son House - Father Of The Folk Blues (1965)

"Recorded after he came out of retirement, this collection captures some of his best recordings. Absolutely amazing."

Listen: Son House - Death Letter (1965)

Page 9 of 10
Page 9 of 10
Willie Dixon - The Chess Box (compilation, years various)

Willie Dixon - The Chess Box (compilation, years various)

"This is a desert island disc pick of the highest order. It features all of my favorite blues artists doing Willie Dixon songs. What could be better? The Otis Rush material alone is worth the price of admission."

Listen: Otis Rush - You Know My Love (1960)

Liked this? Now read: A-Z of the blues

Connect with MusicRadar: via Twitter, Facebook and YouTube

Get MusicRadar straight to your inbox: Sign up for the free weekly newsletter

Page 10 of 10
Page 10 of 10
Joe Bosso
Joe Bosso
Social Links Navigation

Joe is a freelance journalist who has, over the past few decades, interviewed hundreds of guitarists for Guitar World, Guitar Player, MusicRadar and Classic Rock. He is also a former editor of Guitar World, contributing writer for Guitar Aficionado and VP of A&R for Island Records. He’s an enthusiastic guitarist, but he’s nowhere near the likes of the people he interviews. Surprisingly, his skills are more suited to the drums. If you need a drummer for your Beatles tribute band, look him up.

More about guitars
Prashant Aswani with his new Charvel signature guitar

Prashant Aswani on his guitar journey: “My brain was ready… I was driven. Greg Howe could play anything, anytime. I wanted to achieve that, so I had a standard to get to”

Rolling Stones Lady Gaga

Stevie Wonder plays Rhodes, piano and Moog as he and Lady Gaga cut loose with The Rolling Stones on new single Sweet Sounds Of Heaven

Latest
Layne Staley, lead singer of Alice In Chains performing on MTV Unplugged in 1996

Learn 4 key guitar chords from classic grunge songs

See more latest ►
Most Popular
Natal launches Zenith: a vintage-inspired, modern drum kit in five finishes

By Stuart Williams29 September 2023

Bandcamp is under new ownership once again, as Epic Games offloads it to music licensing company Songtradr

By Ben Rogerson29 September 2023

Jack White’s Third Man Hardware and CopperSound team up for a special anniversary edition of the Triplegraph Digital Octave pedal

By Jonathan Horsley29 September 2023

There’s no need to wait for Black Friday with these software savings - Waves just dropped a load of titles to $29.99

By Chris Barnes29 September 2023

Al Di Meola suffers heart attack onstage – guitar maestro in stable condition and plans return to the stage in 2024

By Jonathan Horsley29 September 2023

5 underrated DAWs that aren't Logic, Ableton or Pro Tools, and why you should consider switching

By Andy Jones29 September 2023

Modern life getting you down? Here are 10 atmospheric DnB tracks that keep the ‘90s dream alive

By Tim Cant28 September 2023

“For pianists, it's a magical feature”: StaffPad can now generate sheet music just by ‘listening’ to your acoustic piano playing, which sounds like an AI-powered tool we could get on board with

By Ben Rogerson28 September 2023

Best Christmas gifts for piano players 2023: the ultimate festive gift guide for pianists

By Daryl Robertson28 September 2023

Moog Music breaks its silence on rumours of layoffs at its US headquarters: “We are looking forward to getting past this painful phase with renewed energy and enthusiasm”

By Ben Rogerson28 September 2023

Bored at work? This Max for Live device will turn your spreadsheets into music

By Matt Mullen28 September 2023

  1. Natal Zenith vintage-inspired drums
    1
    Natal launches Zenith: a vintage-inspired, modern drum kit in five finishes
  2. 2
    “For pianists, it's a magical feature”: StaffPad can now generate sheet music just by ‘listening’ to your acoustic piano playing, which sounds like an AI-powered tool we could get on board with
  3. 3
    Whole Lotta Glove: When John Bonham punched Robert Plant in the mouth over £30 worth of petrol
  4. 4
    Learn 5 classic blues guitar licks from Albert, Freddie and BB King, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Eric Clapton
  5. 5
    “I didn’t want to have anything to do with the song. To me, it was like: ‘Are we turning into Depeche Mode?’”: Europe’s John Norum says he thought The Final Countdown was “dreadful” at first
  1. hologram microcosm pedal
    1
    7 effects pedals that synth players need to try
  2. 2
    5 underrated DAWs that aren't Logic, Ableton or Pro Tools, and why you should consider switching
  3. 3
    If you’ve been holding out for a drumless version of Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories, you’re about to get lucky
  4. 4
    There’s no need to wait for Black Friday with these software savings - Waves just dropped a load of titles to $29.99
  5. 5
    Modern life getting you down? Here are 10 atmospheric DnB tracks that keep the ‘90s dream alive

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.