Best blues guitarist, Clapton or Green

A little elaboration on my Melvin Taylor post above. Used to spend a bit of time in Chicago before my kids were born and have been fortunate enough to see live: Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, Luther Allison and some other big names. Have heard just about everyone mentioned in this post with the exception of Jimmy Thackery-haven't heard his stuff. What I can tell you is that if you polled 50 blues guitarists in Chicago (no disrespect to Texans, but when it comes to blues guitar, I think Chicago is the spot) about who is the best, Melvin would probably be at the top of the list. He has great diversity in style (something I would not say about Buddy Guy), incredible technique and his playing is truly musical (something that cannot be said about many guys that can just play "fast"). His music also packs a real emotional wallop-all in all he's the total guitar package, although not a great singer. CD does not do him total justice; if you're in Chicago check out a live performance at Rosa's on West Armitage close to the United Centre-he's not flashy on stage or showy the way Buddy is, and most of the crowd are musicians watching his hands in total disbelief. His new release that I mentioned above is quite good with guest appearances by Eric Gales and Sugar Blue-I'd be curious to hear what you guys thought of it. In my opinion, Melvin is simply in another league.

Clapton must get his do for using his popularity to help every other blues musician out there except his riding with the king (and what damn fine musician wrote that song?...) co partner. His latest (not recent) straight blues records got alot of clubs to consider the blues, it has happened big time here in Atlanta. Peter Green was the first blues guitarist I liked (back when I only listened to rock....way back......), He did a solo record called The End of the Game or something close that blew me away before it disappeared (those college days...), I have not seen it since but if anyone knows of it please contact me. Buddy Guy went through a period in the early 90's where he played alot of festivals and people knew the name but not the music and he spent most of the show talking to the crowd and strutting around and of course p*ssing me off because I would bring folks and build him up before the show and he would just never play, even Mustang Sally got shortened. Thankfully that stage is over, and his performance at the Muddy Waters tribute (along with that guy who wrote riding with the king) was hot hot, it was on PBS, from the Kennedy Center in D.C., I made a video copy of it if anyone wants it, though it is not perfect. All Danny Gatton stuff is phenomenal, but live was as usual much better... Bobby Radcliffe, Dresses Too Short (1989) every lick in the book in one song, or should I say every song. Dave Hole from Australia, the guy is just too revved up for me (except Going to Chicago) but you cannot fault his playing... as far as bluesrock goes the early Savoy Brown with Kim Simmonds on lead (early 70's) was my favorite by far, and I am prejudiced because I liked him for years before he caught on, but the last two live shows were the best shows I can remember of Joe Louis Walker, and let us not forget Anson Funderburg and the Rockets and I am only about a fifth (no pun intended) of the way through this ramble bye.

Garfish indeed I have been lucky. I lived in Oak Park and spent a lot of time at the blues clubs in Chicago. Nothing beats hearing a good band in a club. Back in the 70's ( man I'm feeling old) I saw Muddy Waters and still think his band was the best. Blkadar- I have lots of A. King. He was a master. Its too bad so many of the greats are gone.

I just picked up a CD I've been half looking for - it's Stephen Stills from 1970 entitled "SS", it's also remastered. I believe it is his first solo effort with some great guest appearances - Jimi Hendrix and Clapton to name two. The cut "go back home" with Clapton is one of his best efforts ever, this was his early days as God. Check it out!

I've seen Hendrix, Page (four times), Clapton (three times, including his show at Alpine Valley, which was SRV's final performance, when those two and Buddy Guy and Robert Cray jammed a couple tunes at the end!), and lots of other blues bands famous and unknown. Clapton's later stuff is regretably middle of the road, very commercial, and completely soulless. Hendrix remains THE figurehead of all electric guitarists, and Clapton's stuff through early 70's is unmatched for sheer innovation within the blues idiom. Any Cream song totally blows away most conventional blues music. I know they were derivative of actual black blues artists, but what they did was interpret the basic music and make it better, and Clapton was at the center of that music. He was truly inspired back then, now he just sounds tired, even contrived. SRV was never much of an innovator, and not even very technicaly adept, but he could boogie. And yes, you should check out Steve Still's first solo effort--the remastering has made it sound like a modern recording, and the music is superb, with Hendrix, Clapton, and Booker T! The top 40 song, Love the One You're With, is the worst on the whole album.