Top 5 60’s Blues Songs

While the blues are a relatively ancient form of music that has roots in Africa, it came to blossom in American during the early 20th century. The 1960’s were an extremely revolutionary time for society and the effect of the 60’s on music can best be heard in the sudden adoption of electric instruments.

This list focuses on revolutionary blues music in the 60s.

5. Spoonful by Howlin’ Wolf

Written by Willie Dixon in the late 50s and recorded by Howlin’ Wolf in early 1960, Spoonful is widely considered a blues standard. The song is the beginning of the more modern blues genre that used electric guitars for biting lead lines that intertwined with the vocal lines that represented dark subject matter.

Later most famously covered by the rock band Cream, Spoonful has become a mainstay of blues musicians worldwide. It has been reported that Cream’s versions would often go on past 15 or 20 minutes.

4. Hide Away by Freddie King

Written by guitar man Freddie King, Hide Away is primarily a instrumental showcase for guitar. Freddie King would often switch between a standard shuffle feel under common blues lines and a straight feel that was more likely to be interpreted as a rock riff.

Later covered by guitarists like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Hide Away continues to make a mark on blues guitarists today.

3. The Thrill is Gone by B.B. King

Originally written and recorded by Roy Hawkins, this chilled and relaxed tune became a major hit for B.B. King and helped keep him in the blues scene well into the 70s. Smooth electric blues was never done nearly as well as B.B. did it in this hit.

Noticeably minor in tonality and dark, The Thrill is Gone can be a great song for blues guitarists to play with. A minor pentatonic scale fits perfectly within the framework of the song.

2. Born Under a Bad Sign by Albert King

Containing one of the most famous blues riffs in the world, Born Under a Bad Sign is hallmark Albert King. The leads are clean and slicing. Many consider Born Under a Bad Sign to by one of the greatest blues jam songs. The unique combination and mix of both minor and major sounds gave the song a tension unlike any other. Using a minor lick in the bass, a major tonality could be applied in the lead guitar or horn tracks.

Later covered by Jimi Hendrix in what was basically an extended guitar solo, Born Under a Bad Sign was another track by one of the three Kings that helped shape the modern face of blues.

1. Red House by Jimi Hendrix

While many consider Jimi Hendrix the original rock guitarist that pioneered distortion and wild guitar solos, most who really studied Jimi understand that he was a blues guitarist at heart. Naysayers need no more to hear a recording of Red House to be silenced. Considered by many to be the peak of 60s blues, Red House is a powerhouse of heavy blues guitar riffing.

Inspired by his first experience on the strong hallucinogen LSD, Red House changed the face of blues by reaching across dividing lines and delivering a masterpiece that could both sides on to the other.