I can’t quite remember when acoustic blues first caught my ear. It might have been Jimi Hendrix’s solo version of “Hear My Train a Comin,” which is a left-handed twelve-string monster performance and made the song sound so rich, rundown and soulful.
My teacher Richard Gilewitz introduced me to the blues/folk/country fingerstyle guitar of players like John Fahey, Ed Gerhard, and Leo Kottke.
I was at Virgin Records in Denver in 1998, a massive (truly massive, like 100,000 square feet or more) record store, and digging around in the blues section I found a bootleg(?) CD of a live Lightnin Hopkins performance called “Blues Hoot.” The 1963 recording/performance includes Sonny Terry on harmonica and Brownie McGhee on acoustic guitar. Songs like “Big Car Blues” and “Coffee House Blues” just grooved... I couldn’t (and can’t) get enough of the tasty acoustic blues licks throughout this album. Did I say tasty?
A final mention here in this acoustic blues reminiscence: Muddy Waters’ “Folk Singer”, issued by Chess Records in 1964. This is one of Buddy Guy’s first recorded performances ever, and he just defines sweetness. The licks on “My Home is in the Delta” will demonstrate this amply. But ever song has this beautiful, almost totally unadorned acoustic guitar. It makes you feel like you could make this music yourself.
And I guess that’s what I came to love about acoustic blues. You. Front porch. Six strings. Pick is optional.
What do you think? What are some favorite acoustic blues songs, albums, riffs or licks? Let me know!!