Was watching 'The Last Waltz' on AMC and was lucky enough to catch Muddy Waters' performance. Oh....my.......god. Re: the Hank Williams thread. Yeah, Hank aveva dato un calcisisimo al asino, but Muddy Waters really phuquing kicked ass, and he didn't even kick the most. What came through in that move, and in most of his recordings was a sense of absolute confidence. He knew he was gonna kick ass. You knew it, and he knew you knew it. He didn't have to go psycho on stage; he didn't have to drink himself to death. He just stood there and sang (sung? damn, that's a point of grammer I never got!). In my 3 and too much change decades on the planet, I have only seen BB King, Bo Diddley, Willie Horton, Robert Cray and Luther (Guitar Jr) Johnson in the flesh. However, I also have been absolutely blown away by (an incomplete list) Howling Wolf, Robert Johnson, Son House, Otis Rush, Son Seals, Elmore James, Walter Jacobs and Skip James. A fundamental reality that must inform any thread that springs from this post: while the likes of Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Charlie Musselwhite are quite impressive when viewed individually, they only approach but never equal the holy trinity (different for everyone; mine are Elmore James, Otis Rush and Robert Johnson). To understand the difference, PLEASE find and read a copy of Robert Palmer's book 'Deep Blues'. The critic, not the guy who sang 'Addicted to Love'. It's folk music in the deepest sense, which is to say, it came out of a particular community in a particular time. People with no connection to that place and time can make spectacular music, and often have, but it's not quite the same thing. I guess I'm hoping for something like the Punk thread: who do you like, who have you seen, how did you discover this kind of music?
Though you may not find it acceptable, I found this music through SRV. He was my bridge between the shredding heavy metal I grew up with and meaningful guitar work. Say what you will about the forefathers (and it would all be correct), nothing can touch Stevie's tone on Stevie's guitar with Stevie's hands. Anyone who can play Hendrix better than Hendrix is alright in my book. Plus he did blow off the top's of soda cans during concerts, that kind of drug taking innovation can't be overlooked.
Chicago Blues Fest 2000 led me to Roy Bookbinder. If you have the time, he's old school lyrical storytelling, but he's damn good at it. I just like the simple 12 bar blues that got me hooked and I've gone on to discover the beauty that it all holds. Elmore is classic, classic stuff that can't ever be overlooked. I think he perfected what Johnson started, and it's been going ever since. Also worth your time is Corey Harris.