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Blues Saraceno

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Blues Saraceno toured with Clapton’s Cream bandmates, recorded for Cher and had a bumpy ride with Poison

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While C.C. DeVille – and, briefly, Matt Smith – set their fretboards alight for Poison in the ‘80s, and Richie Kotzen held things down in the early ‘90s, it was supremely talented shredder Blues Saraceno who ruled the roost from 1993 through 1996.

Saraceno was made for the gig in many ways, with his big hair, wide smile and cache of hod-rodded six-strings quivering under his nimble fingers. He’d broken into the biz as a teen in the late ‘80s before hopping on tour with Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker, taking the place of Eric Clapton in a quasi-Cream off-shoot, and recording with Cher and Taylor Dayne.

By the time he joined Poison at 22, Saraceno was already a verifiable industry vet, even if he was nearly a decade younger than his new bandmates. His time with Poison lasted three years and included just one album, Crack a Smile… and More! , which was shelved until after C.C. DeVille returned in 2000.

These days, despite the miles logged, Saraceno is a young 52 and has made a name for himself as a composer of TV, film and videogame scores. He’s come a long way since being heralded as the next big thing in Guitar For The Practicing Musician at 16; it hasn’t always been easy, and maybe not as he’d imagined, but he’s thankful for all of it.

“The best part is for all those years, it was guitar and vocals,” Saraceno says. “That’s a different challenge, but I’m not just a guitar player now. I work on melodic content, lyrical content, vocal performance; the game keeps changing.”

He adds: “I’m no longer just a guitar player – I’m having to flex and express my full artistry in new and exciting ways. Now it’s this multi-dimensional thing where I utilize all my skills. I’m thankful for where I’ve been and all I got to do, but I love what I’m doing now.”

You were featured in Guitar For The Practicing Musician during the golden age of shred at 16. What got you to that point?

“I refer to the way I grew up as a combination of The Sopranos and The Deer Hunter ! My parents kept me grounded; but still, I got to a point where, I was going to be a guitarist or a professional BMX racer. When I was 12 I broke my left elbow, which kept me off the bike. So I said, ‘I guess I’m gonna stick with this guitar thing.’

“I decided to be a full-throttle, bare-knuckle type of player. At 15, I flew myself out to the NAMM Show and met Rich Lasner with Ibanez, who was launching stuff with Steve Vai, Joe Satriani and Paul Gilbert.

“They decided to take a chance on me, even though I didn’t have a guitar pick – I had to show them what I could do with just my fingers. From there I got an endorsement, made a demo, and ended up in guitar mags.”

Not long after, you featured on hits by Cher and Taylor Dayne.

“That was funny, because I never even met Cher. I was recording with Michael Bolton and I was driving to Manhattan for this session – which was crazy as I’d only been driving for four days! Through that connection, I ended up working with Cher and Taylor Dayne.”

Being an admitted rock guy, how did you approach those pop tunes?

“At that point I knew that this was what I should be doing, and I needed to make it happen. Working with them, I knew it would require a very different approach, where I’d have to come in and serve a purpose on the track rather than stand out.

“I’m glad I learned to do that early because it’s precisely what I’ve had to do while working on scores. I was still in school, and the kids found out about it and things went crazy. And after the Taylor Dayne thing [ Can’t Fight Fate ], things took off. I decided this would be a viable, longterm option for me.”

I decided if people were going to copy me, I’d get a plaid guitar and make them work for it! I thought it would be like Eddie Van Halen ’s striped guitar

How did you end up touring with Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker, becoming the ‘kid who replaced Eric Clapton?’

“I was doing a photoshoot for my record, Never Look Back , in Staten Island, and I got a phone call from my manager about this audition in Manhattan with Jack and Ginger. So we hop in the car the next day – it was only a one-day thing – and it’s all New York, heavy-hitter session guys. Then there’s me, in prime Guns N’ Roses and Van Halen mode!

“I rolled in two hours late because my car broke down, so I’m the last guy to play. I plugged into a Marshall JCM800 and figured, ‘It doesn’t matter; there’s no way I’m getting this gig anyway.’

“I just did my best and respected the situation, even though I was so stressed. I turned everything on the amp to 10, tilted it away to not blow them away, and smoked the guitar so hard that it would rattle teeth.”

And how did that go over?

“They were all looking at me, and I’m like, ‘Fuck. Not only am I late, but I just completely blew this gig.’ They said nothing, and then Jack Bruce looked over to signal me out, and I did like this walk of shame on the way out.

“I was like, ‘Fuck. Maybe I shoulda had the amp on 8 rather than 10,’ and all that stuff. So, I thanked them, figured, ‘That could not have gone worse.’ But when I got home, a message said, ‘Jack would like you to come back.’ I returned on Monday, learned three songs, locked it in, and slayed it. That’s how I got the gig.”

Once on the road, did you feel like you were living in the shadow of Clapton?

“It was weird in some ways, but I kinda loved some elements of the gig, too. I wasn’t trying to be Clapton, nor could I be. No-one can touch what Eric Clapton has done. He’s a once-in-a-lifetime talent, and Jack knew that.

“He loved the fact that a kid like me, with a blue mohawk and a plaid guitar, was up there making the songs my own. I was just standing there, playing Cream songs and doing divebombs in the corner; it was the coolest thing.”

I took the Poison gig because they offered me a lot of money to tour. They offered me one sum, and I said, ‘Double it, and I’ll do it.’ They did

You mentioned your plaid guitar, a Yamaha RGZ820R. How did that come to be, considering Ibanez endorsed you?

“I had gone to Japan for some shows, and I’d been playing Ibanez custom-made guitars you could not buy off the rack in the States, but in Japan you could. I showed up to a gig and this guy had the same guitar down to the knobs and pickups, which I didn’t like because it looked like we were copying each other.

“I decided if people were going to copy me, I’d get a plaid guitar and make them work for it! I thought it would be like Eddie Van Halen’s striped guitar, where people would recognize me. Yamaha was into it, and I had a good run with them.

“We only did it for a minute, but having a guitar that was synonymous with me was super-enjoyable. Ultimately I stopped it because I always wanted to be genuine – I never wanted to feel like I was wearing a costume in the form of a guitar.”

Before joining Poison in ’93, you auditioned in ’91 but lost out to Richie Kotzen, right?

“Yes. At that time, Richie and I had paralleled each other’s careers, and we even had the same endorsements. We ran in the same circles and were friendly. I gotta say I’ve always gotten along with Richie.

“But in short, the Poison auditions after C.C. left came down to Richie and me, and we had different approaches, and they just decided Richie was the better fit.”

Did they say what they preferred about Richie?

“They needed a songwriter. In Poison, C.C. DeVille was a huge part of the sound. When he left they didn’t just lose a guitarist – they lost a songwriter. Richie was a songwriter and all about that stuff.

“With me, each record was never about guitars as much as it was about moving forward and making what I do quantifiable as a product; as an artist, it’s about your skillset. It’s not just playing the guitar; it’s the whole thing.

“I knew hair metal was over and grunge was happening, and I walked up to the guys in Poison, saying, ‘Here’s the deal: you guys are a lifestyle band, but you want to be taken seriously,’ and I gave them my take. But Bret Michaels, the singer, wanted the Rolling Stone accolades.

I go into a meeting – after buying a big, expensive new truck – and I’m told, ‘The record is being shelved and C.C. is back’

“I was like, ‘Fuck that. I’ve been there and done that. I don’t care about that shit.’ So they went with Richie, who could be a songwriter in a band about good times and all that. I was too much of a high-energy tornado for them then. Ironically, that part of my personality was a lot like C.C.’s.”

And yet they called you two years later after it didn’t work out with Richie.

“I was sad it didn’t work out with Richie after they did the one record [ Native Tongue ] with him. But after it didn’t work out, I was told that the guys in Poison ran into Rudy Sarzo, and he’s the one who said, ‘Hey, you should call Blues back up.’

“Everybody respects Rudy, so they called me. They called me like 12 times, and my phone was ringing off the hook! So, I went back, I was already comfortable, I knew the songs, and I was in.”

What led to the Crack a Smile record being shelved and C.C. being asked back into the band?

“Honestly, the big reason I took the gig was because they offered me a lot of money to tour. They offered me one sum, and I said, ‘Double it, and I’ll do it.’ They did, and I was in the band. But there was a lot of internal stuff going on – a lot of drama.

“It was your typical rock ‘n’ roll bullshit that had nothing to do with me. In essence, I was the trophy wife of that situation. Don’t get me wrong – I had a great experience. I got along with them and they were nice guys. It was drama-free for me; but it was a marriage of convenience, to be totally honest with you.

“And after we got signed to do the record, and we recorded it, one day, I go into a meeting – after buying a big, expensive new truck – and I’m told, ‘The record is being shelved and C.C. is back.’ That was it.”

From there, you moved into session and soundtrack work. 

“I do television and film now, and honestly, I love it. I’ve done solo albums, been in big bands, and done all the tours. It all felt stagnant. I needed a new challenge to keep the feeling of excitement around. If I’m not doing that, I don’t feel like I’m being sincere to myself.”

Has that been as fulfilling as your former life as a rockstar?

“What’s the hardest thing to do? Make a living. I have a skillset – I’ve been able to take my guitar and use it to survive. I bought a house. I bought a car. I have medical insurance, and my family is taken care of.

“I’ve kept up despite the game changing because I chose not just to be another guitar player. I get to leave sonic footprints and do things that grab attention, and let people feel emotion. It’s different and a challenge – but I still get to be an artist, so it’s fulfilling.”

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“I turned everything on the amp to 10 and smoked the guitar so hard that it would rattle someone’s teeth… They said nothing, then Jack Bruce signaled me out”: How Blues Saraceno became ‘the kid that replaced Clapton’ – despite almost blowing the audition

The young phenom was already making waves at the age of 16, and when it came to filling Slowhand's shoes, he won over Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce with a bold audition that left quite the impression

At the tail end of the 1980s, a reunited Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker were back in the market for a new electric guitar player, one who could join them to tour Cream’s repertoire almost two decades after the supergroup disbanded. 

It would be a tall order for any player, who’d not only be tasked with filling the shoes of a non-returning Eric Clapton in this new-look post-Cream trio, but also with bringing their own flair to the table.

The role ultimately went to Blues Saraceno – at the time a young phenom who, after capturing the music world’s attention with a feature in Guitar for the Practicing Musician mag at the age of 16, began to grow his credits list as a prolific session player.

It proved to be a successful appointment for Baker, Bruce and Saraceno, who would embark on a handful of tours playing Cream’s repertoire together over the years. 

Such was the success of Saraceno and his famed plaid guitar, he was eventually anointed as “the kid who replaced Eric Clapton”. However, despite the heights the trio reached, the origin of the story isn’t quite as straightforward.

Speaking in a new interview with Guitar World , Saraceno reflected on how he ended up ‘replacing’ Clapton and became Bruce and Baker’s guitarist – and recalled how his audition got off to a rather rocky start.

Rocking up two hours late due to his car breaking down in Manhattan, Saraceno found himself surrounded by “heavy-hitter session guys”. It was quite a contrast to himself, who – in his own words – “was in prime Guns N’ Roses and Van Halen mode”.

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But he thought he’d give it his best (and most memorable) shot: “I plugged into a Marshall JCM800 and figured, ‘It doesn’t matter; there’s no way I’m getting this gig anyway,’” he said. “I just did my best and respected the situation – even though I was so stressed. 

“I turned everything on the amp to 10, tilted it away to not blow them away, and smoked the guitar so hard that it would rattle someone’s teeth.”

Apparently, it made quite the impression.

“They were all looking at me, and I’m like, ‘Fuck. Not only am I late, but I just completely blew this gig,’” he continued. “They said nothing, and then Jack Bruce looked over to signal me out, and I did like this walk of shame on the way out. 

“I was like, ‘Fuck. Maybe I shoulda had the amp on eight rather than 10,’ and all that stuff. So, I thanked them, figured, ‘That could not have gone worse.’

“But when I got home, a message said, ‘Jack would like you to come back.’ I returned on Monday, learned three songs, locked it in, and slayed it. That’s how I got the gig.”

Despite believing he’d made an unfavorable first impression, Saraceno would become a linchpin in Bruce and Baker's post-Clapton years, and was wholly unfazed in the face having to follow in Clapton's footsteps.

As for how he managed to juggle those expectations, and whether he felt like he was living in the shadow of his predecessor, Saraceno went on: “It was weird in some ways, but I kinda loved some elements of the gig, too.

“I wasn’t trying to be Clapton, nor could I be. No one can touch what Eric Clapton has done. He’s a once-in-a-lifetime talent, and Jack knew that, so he loved the fact that a kid like me, with a blue mohawk and a plaid guitar, was up there making the songs his own. 

“I was just standing there, playing Cream songs and doing dive bombs in the corner; it was the coolest thing.”

Read our full interview with Blues Saraceno for more on his stints with Clapton and Poison, and why he gave it all up to become a composer for film, TV, and videogames.

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Matt is a Senior Staff Writer, writing for Guitar World , Guitarist and Total Guitar . He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 16 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt records for a number of UK-based bands and songwriters as a session musician.

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Van Halen News Desk

The Latest News & Info about The Mighty Van Halen

Guitarist Blues Saraceno On Why He Almost But Never Golfed With Eddie Van Halen

December 18, 2020 —by Eric Senich Leave a Comment

Guitarist Blues Saraceno appeared on the latest episode of Dweezil Zappa’s podcast Runnin’ With The Dweezil and shared a story of the time in the early 90s Eddie invited him to play a round of golf.

“I don’t remember exactly what year it was but at some point I got invited to one of these T.J. Martell celebrity golf charity things,” said Saraceno.

“And you don’t really golf,” said Zappa.

“No! [laughs]. It’s not good, me and golf,” Saraceno responded. “You’ve seen me golf. [laughs]. It doesn’t end well for anybody involved in that scenario.

“So I show up to this thing. I was kinda late,” he continued. “Everybody’s at basically, like, the clubhouse type thing. I knew a couple different people I wanted to run into and I did. Then from across the room I see Edward Van Halen and he’s making a bee-line towards me. He goes, ‘Hey Blues what’s up?!’

“I’d never met him and as far as I was concerned I’m like, ‘This guy doesn’t even known I exist ,” Saraceno continued. “He was so engaging. When he would talk to you he was completely focused. He looked at me and I’m like, ‘This guy has heard me play!’ He just was so warm and inviting I forgot to be nervous about the situation because he was just kind of so genuine by nature.”

Saraceno had gotten so comfortable he decided to take Eddie up on his offer to play a round of golf even though he was admittedly a terrible golfer.

Saraceno continued, “He goes, ‘I didn’t know you golf! And, of course I was like, ‘Aww yeah! Totally! [laughs]. He says, ‘Oh! We gotta golf! As a matter of fact, call me tomorrow and I’m gonna take you golfing!’ I’m like, ‘Abso-LUTE-ly we gotta go golfing!’ And I was not about to tell him I was a horrific golfer.”

“So This Is Love” (2006) [Jeff Scott Soto – Vocals, Blues Saraceno – Guitar, Tony Franklin – Bass, Eric Singer – Drums]

Saraceno said Eddie grabbed a nearby matchbook, wrote down his phone number and gave it to Saraceno. The following day he dialed the number on the matchbook. After several rings someone eventually picked up – it was Edward Van Halen.

“You can kinda tell that they were kinda in the middle of something [in the studio] or they were kinda preoccupied,” said Saraceno. “I’m like, ‘Yeah, hello?’ [Eddie says] Who’s this?’ I’m like, ‘It’s Blues,’ and it takes him a second, and he’s like, ‘Oh yeah! Hey, uh, we gotta golfing! I’m gonna call you back!’

Saraceno said Eddie then quickly hung up the phone. It was at that moment Saraceno realized something – Eddie didn’t have his phone number.

“That is a-MAZING because I realized at that point in time…he didn’t have my phone number! [laughs]. [He] literally didn’t have any way to call me back and I didn’t call him back! [laughs].”

Zappa asked, “So you didn’t call him back and you never ended up going golfing?”

Saraceno responded, “NEVER! It took me a minute, like I was so hyped that I had just gotten off the phone with him. I was just kinda like outta sorts a little bit.”

Saraceno said it was all good, though, as he was happy to just be able to say he talked to the one and only Edward Van Halen on the phone.

“I didn’t call him back because I just wanted to leave it on a high note. I was done,” he said.

A few years later Saraceno would get to meet Eddie again, this time at Zappa’s home where Eddie wanted to preview Van Halen’s upcoming album ‘Balance’ for his friend Dweezil. Eddie pulled into the driveway and proceeded to play the entire album for Zappa and Saraceno, who happened to be hanging out with Zappa that day.

“We listened to it in his car in the driveway,” said Zappa.

Saraceno responded, “This wasn’t your normal stereo system [in Eddie’s car], this was not stock, can we agree on that?”

“This was the loudest stereo system in the world,” Zappa said.

Saraceno said, “On the PLANET !”

You can listen to Zappa and Saraceno tell the rest of that story along with their discussion of Van Halen’s 1980 classic “Everybody Wants Some” and Eddie’s innovative experimentation with the guitar in the video at the top of the article.

The 30-episode “Runnin’ With The Dweezil” podcast is available exclusively through  dweezilzappa.com . Packages include listening parties, Q&A sessions, “Brown Sound” bonus episodes, custom Axe-FX, Helix, and Kemper presets, a 1-year subscription to  Premier Guitar , and much more.

A portion of the proceeds will go to benefit  Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation  and  Feeding America .

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Blues Saraceno

Genre: Rock, Metal

Country: United States

Website: http://bluessaraceno.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BluesSaraceno/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bluessaraceno/

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The Devil You Know

Blues Saraceno - The Dark Horse Always Wins (Lucifer OST)

Solo, kingdom come.

• No Tour Dates

Discography

Dark Country 4

Dark Country

Save My Soul (Main T...

Dark Country 3

Never Look Back

Wicked Gonna Come

Outlaw Blues 2

Dark Country Remixed

Post Grunge

Garage Blues

Garage Blues 2

Bad Man (As Featured...

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earofnewt.com

Interviews with rock legends since 1982

Newt’s top 10 (or 15) things to do in Vancouver this weekend, May 24 to 26

Tedeschi Trucks plays the Queen E

By steve newton.

FRIDAY : Lower Mainland blues-fusion quintet Blues Hoodoo –composed of guitarist Konrad Breuers, saxophonist Ian Putz, keyboardist Stuart “Stubop” Young, bassist Shawn Stewart, and drummer Ron Wells–plays Frankie’s Jazz .

FRIDAY : late-night screening at the Rio Theatre of director Stuart Gordon’s gory 1985 horror-comedy Re-Animator , starring Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton.

FRIDAY : Nanaimo blues-rock singer-guitarist David Gogo leads his band at Blue Frog Studios as part of the White Rock Jazz & Blues Festival . Here’s my interview with David Gogo from 1994.

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY : vocalists Chester Gregory and Michael Lynche join the Vancouver Symphony in an evening of Motown at the Orpheum Theatre , featuring hits by Marvin Gaye, the Four Tops, Martha Reeves, the Temptations, and Stevie Wonder.

Velvet Terrorism at Polygon Gallery

FRIDAY TO SUNDAY : through videos, photographs, testimonies, song lyrics, and reflections, the exhibition Velvet Terrorism: Pussy Riot’s Russia offers an account of infamous feminist art collective Pussy Riot ’s non-violent actions, running until June 2 at the Polygon Gallery.

FRIDAY TO SUNDAY : True Tribal: Contemporary Expressions of Ancestral Tattoo Practices explores 30-plus years of Indigenous tattooing from around the world and showcases the artists who are reconnecting with traditional skin-marking practices, at the Museum of Vancouver .

SATURDAY : the Vancouver Whitecaps take on Inter Miami CF –featuring Argentine soccer legend Lionel Messi –in Major League Soccer action at BC Place .

SATURDAY : the Rogue Folk Club presents Canadian folk-roots singer-songwriter and Blackie & the Rodeo Kings member Stephen Fearing at Mel Lehan Hall at St. James , with guests the North Sound .

SATURDAY : blues-based Florida rock ensemble Tedeschi Trucks, featuring vocalist-guitarist Susan Tedeschi  and slide-guitar specialist  Derek Trucks , plays the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

Cedric Burnside plays the Fox Cabaret

SATURDAY : Mississippi blues artist Cedric Burnside , grandson of R.L. Burnside , perform at the Fox Cabaret as part of his Hill Country Love Tour.

SATURDAY : Vancouver blues legend Jim Byrnes  performs two shows with his band at Blue Frog Studios as part of the White Rock Jazz & Blues Festival . Here’s my interview with Jim Byrnes from 1985.

SATURDAY : Toronto roots-rockers Skydiggers , featuring founding members Andy Maize and Josh Finlayson, play the Hollywood Theatre .

SUNDAY : using huge projection photos and original film footage, The Simon & Garfunkel Story is an immersive concert-style theatre show at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre chronicling the journey of folk-rockers Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel.

SUNDAY : funky, jazzy, prog-rock tu-NER, featuring King Crimson  alumni and members of  Stick Men , plays BlueShore at CapU .

Vinyl Record Sale at Heritage Hall

SUNDAY : the Vancouver Vinyl Record Sale features vendors selling records, LP’s, 45s, CDs, posters, and music memorabilia at Heritage Hall .

If you’re a concert promoter, arts organization, music store, or just somebody wanting to support my work, I’m looking for an exclusive sponsor of my twice-weekly  Newt’s top 10 things to do in Vancouver  blogs. If interested, please contact me at [email protected].

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The blues guitar highlights of 2023: our favourite artists, performances and albums – featuring Jared James Nichols, Jackie Venson, Eric Clapton, Kingfish, Nat Myers, Eric Gales, Samantha Fish, Buddy Guy and more

New and old school: a blues masterclass is in session

The blues is one of those genres that’s simply open to limitless interpretation. Guided by the life experiences, personalities, moods, thoughts and feelings of those who choose to play it, it expands year on year and probably always will.

In 2023, we witnessed unforgettable collaborations, met some astonishing new artists, watched others mature into world-class form and took note as the genre’s elder statesmen showed off their ever-superlative skills. Here we celebrate some of our favourite blue-hued artists, albums and performances of the year just gone. 

Blues artists of the year

Jared James Nichols 

There’s no two ways about it, the Nashville-based wild man of blues has had a big year. He kicked things off with his speaker-scorching self-titled album and then finished them off with the release of his third signature guitar, the Epiphone ‘Blues Power’ Les Paul , which comes complete with a signature Seymour Duncan JJN Silencer pickup to boot. In between, he brought his incendiary live performance skills and signature stank face to stages across the US, UK and Europe and shows no signs of taking his foot off the gas anytime soon. 

But, beyond being a busy man, Jared is important to the genre – and to guitar music as a whole – because he makes playing look like such a riotously fun thing to do, that you can’t help but want to get stuck in and give it a go yourself. 

• Interview: Jared James Nichols on fingerstyle blues tips and perfecting his Les Paul signature pickup: "I would say it’s your favourite P-90 you haven’t tried yet"

Buddy Guy 

Although he announced his intention to retire from touring back in 2022, the Louisiana-born Chicago Blues legend has visited no less than nine countries this year and performed live over 100 times.

As his Damn Right Farewell tour rolls on into 2024, it’s not just Buddy Guy ’s age-defying stamina we admire. His music continues to be a point of reference for each successive generation of blues guitarists, and his ability to devise fresh material, (on average, one album every two years) has prevented him from ever becoming a tribute act to himself. Plus, he still possesses the most scorchingly hot Strat tone we’ve heard all year! 

• Classic interview: Buddy Guy – "If people come see you, I think you should give them every damn thing you’ve got"

Kirk Fletcher

After suffering a stroke on stage back in July, Kirk Fletcher made a return to performing at the beginning of November in Oklahoma alongside Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith – the pair of whom had set up a fundraising auction to support the guitarist with his medical bills. 

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A post shared by Joe Bonamassa (@joebonamassa) A photo posted by on

A clip of the occasion was shared via Bonamassa’s Instagram showing the much-loved bluesman back on fine form, with his soulful, BB King-esque chops in full working order. A masterful performance and relief all round, Bonamassa summed things up nicely with the caption: “Nothing could have made me happier than to see our friend @kirkfletchermusic come out for the first time since his medical event in July and kill it tonight with us in Tulsa.”

• Kirk Fletcher interview: "Seeing Robben Ford was the thing to make me go, 'Okay, I wanna play for real…'"

Jackie Venson

Jackie Venson has been hailed as ‘one to watch’ since the release of her debut album Joy back in 2019, so if you’re yet to discover her ultra-cool, genre-blending approach to the blues, now is the time. 

This year, she brought us two albums that push the genre forward, including a complete reworking of said debut, which she aptly titled Evolution Of Joy. 

Although Venson is predominantly known as a guitarist, she started out on piano and actually only took to six-strings roughly a decade ago. Eager to capture the serious levelling-up of her skillset since the original cut, she literally made the record again - this time with more expressive phrasing, tastier tones and much more advanced soloing. It’s an exceptionally bold move and one that can only be applauded in a commercial universe that often pressures artists to forge ahead without ever looking back. 

If that weren’t enough, the Epiphone Les Paul-toting guitarist/songwriter followed-up the release with another album of pure blues-pop genius with Ghost In The Machine back in October. 

Ana Popovic

Already an influential figure in blues music, the Serbian-born virtuosa became an even greater inspiration when she returned from battling cancer this year to give us Power - her first new studio release in five years, and an excellent one at that. 

In a press statement for the release, she wrote: “This record brought my spirit the salvation it needed, and ultimately, the music and my '64 Fender Stratocaster saved my life. I'm convinced now more than ever that guitars CAN save lives."

We might not be doctors, but it’s a sentiment we’d like to believe in.

Blues albums of the year 

Nat Myers – Yellow Peril 

A new face on the scene with an old-time sound, Nat Myers is a Korean-American blues poet who specialises in blending dextrous Piedmont-style fingerpicking and frenzied Charley Patton-style slide with intelligent 21st-century storytelling. 

After his online clips caught the ear of Dan Auerbach , he was invited to come and record a full length debut at Easy Eye Sound studios, but opted instead to cut the 10-track collection at the guitarist-come-producer’s century-old home, capturing every foot stomp and floorboard creak as well as the dulcet tones of his lefty Mule Resophonic guitar. If you didn’t know any better, you could be forgiven for thinking this no-frills gem was a lost recording from another time. 

Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram - Live In London

As we learned this September, there’s only one thing better than a new Kingfish studio album, and that’s a new Kingfish live album. 

Fans had been asking for one for a number of years, and confident that he’d matured into a consummate live performer, improviser and frontman, the former child prodigy decided to seize the opportunity of his UK summer tour to capture his on-stage magic and bottle it for the first time. 

Stuffed with soul-stirring emotion and incendiary flights of improv mastery, it has all the hallmarks of an album that will stand the test of time as a sonic ‘how-to’ guide on really playing the blues.

• Christone 'Kingfish' Ingram interview: "I’m really heavily into Gary Moore when it comes to the hard blues rock sound" – talking tones, tips and a new live album with the Delta guitar hero

Jared James Nichols – Jared James Nichols 

Speaking to MusicRadar back in February, Jared James Nichols told us that his third album had to be self-titled “because this is the first one that sets the bar for where I want to go.” 

Cut live to tape and stuffed with riffy anthems, gutsy improvised solos, fiery fingerstyle and the kind of feedback experiments many wouldn’t even dare to try live, the trajectory is decidedly upwards - both in terms of quality and volume. 

If you want to know what Jared means by Blues Power, just listen to the howler of a solo on album highlight, ‘Easy Come, Easy Go.’ But be warned, it literally resulted in multiple blown speakers during the recording process. 

• Interview: Jared James Nichols on blues heroes, Zakk Wylde, Patsy Cline and the 10 albums that changed his life

Joe Bonamassa - Blues Deluxe Vol. 2 

Twenty years after the release of his 2003 studio album Blues Deluxe , JoBo hit the studio again – this time, with Josh Smith in the producer’s seat – to take stock of how far he himself as a player and the blues genre as a whole has travelled in the last two decades. Spoiler alert: it’s a sizable distance. 

But, beyond his killer chops and expensive tones, one of Bonamassa’s superpowers has always been reinterpretation, and the album’s eight cover versions will no doubt introduce a fresh wave of listeners to lesser-known greats like Guitar Slim, Pee Wee Crayton and Bobby Parker. 

Samantha Fish & Jesse Dayton – Death Wish Blues

Oftentimes, and for obvious reasons, blues music has a tendency towards the melancholic. But when the Kansas City blues virtuosa and Texan alt-country badass got together earlier this year, they unlocked a raunchier, dancier and altogether more upbeat sound. 

The pair’s natural chemistry first shone on their 2022 EP, The Stardust Sessions , where they reimagined classic tunes by the likes of Magic Sam and Townes Van Zandt. But for Death Wish Blues , they penned 12 originals and let rip live to tape at Woodstock’s legendary Applehead Recording facility. 

Blues performances of the year

Eric Gales with Cory Wong – Meditation Live

Back in February, everybody’s favourite southpaw bluesman joined Cory Wong and his band on stage in Raleigh, North Carolina and absolutely stole the show. Stepping up to the mic with an upside-down Fender Strat bearing his own image, he said to the crowd: “I’m going to try my best to play one or two notes, and I’m going to get out the way. Is that okay for you?”

He then proceeded to do the exact opposite, unleashing around five whole minutes of blues soloing mastery. From the expressive wah-soaked pentatonic licks at the beginning to the stratospheric Whammy-fied bends near the end, there’s a truckload of techniques and tricks on display here. But, most importantly, there’s also a whole lot of soul. 

If you can tear your eyes away from Gales’ fretboard for a few seconds, check out the look of pure awe on Wong’s face. In the video’s description, he asks the question that’ll no doubt be on everyone’s lips after watching this performance: “Can someone please teach me how to play guitar like Eric Gales ?”

Christone ‘Kingfish' Ingram’ - Midnight Heat live in London

When Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram wowed the blues world with the release of his first live album back in September, he also treated us to a previously unreleased blues-funk explosion that’s as steamy and nocturnal sounding as its title suggests. 

Equipped with his Mississippi Night Kingfish Signature Telecaster Deluxe, the young blues supremo transitions from a minimalist rhythmic groove into two rounds of the most astoundingly fluid and nimbly improvised lead work that you’re ever likely to hear - and he does it without breaking a sweat or even opening his eyes. 

Speaking on the subject with us earlier this year , he offered some advice for others aspiring to his laid-back improv style: "Listen to some of your favourite players, take some licks and just build upon them with your own style.” Ah, he makes it sound so easy… 

Buddy Guy - Live at North Sea Jazz 2023

Known the world over for his charismatic live performances, it’s hard to believe Buddy Guy has ever left an audience feeling like they hadn’t got what they came for, and that’s the way he plans to keep it. 

“I watched all the old guys like BB King , Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters go until they got old,” he told Guitar World earlier this year, ruminating on his decision to wind down his touring days. “Often, when you watch older people playing shows, you think, ‘Man… they just don’t sound the way they did when they were younger.”

There’s no such disappointment in this clip taken from the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, where Buddy - aged 86 at the time - blazes through stunning renditions of I Just Want to Make Love to You, Skin Deep and I Let My Guitar Do the Talking with the same twinkle in his eye, sting in his tone and power in his fingers as ever. Just watch out for his 'innovative' backside-to-guitar technique right at the end.

Eric Clapton & Friends: Tribute to Jeff Beck – Going Down live at The Royal Albert Hall

What other event could bring together such a star-studded cast but one celebrating the life and work of the late, great Jeff Beck ? 

On guitar, we have Kirk Hammett (with Greeny ), John McLaughlin, Billy Gibbons, Doyle Bramhall II, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi , Eric Clapton, Gary Clarke Jr , Ronnie Wood and Johnny Depp – plus Robert Randolph on pedal steel and Rhonda Smith and Nathan East on bass. Almost everybody gets a solo in this jammed-out encore rendition of the Freddie King classic in what was almost certainly a tough eight minutes for the sound engineer, but a whole lot of fun for everyone else.

Eric Gales, Samantha Fish and Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram - Going Down live at Crossroads Guitar Festival 

Same tune, whole different set of world class guitarists. Gales, Fish and Ingram seem to bring out the best in each other as they take turns at exchanging their finest and fieriest chops over a groove-laden version of the blues favourite. 

Each equipped with their trademark axes - Gales’ Magneto Sonnet RawDawg , Fish’s White Gibson SG and Ingram’s signature Fender Telecaster Deluxe - we get a full spectrum of absolutely belting tones and personalities. With all the makings of one killer 21st-century blues supergroup, this is a line-up we’d definitely like to see again! 

Ellie started dabbling with guitars around the age of seven, then started writing about them roughly two decades later. She has a particular fascination with alternate tunings, is forever hunting for the perfect slide for the smaller-handed guitarist, and derives a sadistic pleasure from bothering her drummer mates with a preference for “f**king wonky” time signatures.

As well as freelancing for MusicRadar, Total Guitar and GuitarWorld.com, she’s an events marketing pro and one of the Directors of a community-owned venue in Bath, UK. 

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