1. mississippi john hurt
2. blind boy fuller
3. son house
4. blind lemon jefferson
5. blind blake

"i just got to have my lovin' spoonful."

By country blues, do you mean players known primarily for their acoustic prowess? If so, it's hard to argue with any of your choices.

yeh, acoustic blues

Great choices. I would try to find room for Lightning Hopkins in there somehow.

blind willie johnson should be somewhere there, as shouod be kelly joe phelps....

robert johnson

Charlie Patton...

really can't get into robert johnson... his licks have been copied repeadedtly by just about every subsequent blues guitarist he seems to have lost his charm, for me...

Bukka White?

Nice list Konlesh.

I'd include Ishman Bracey too.

Just because Robert Johnson's licks have been endlessly copied, shouldn't invalidate his inclusion, as I see it.

I would agree with your list although I am not as familiar with Blind Boy Fuller as I am ther others.

Don't forget the good Reverend, Gary Davis.

Good call on Rev. Gary Davis, Verve!

jorma

Weir actually took a few guitar lessons from Rev. Gary back in the day. I read about it in an old "Guitar Player" interview.

How about Bukka White? Keb Mo is a bit "poppy" and polished, but he's a good player, too.

Kon, your remarks about Robert Johnson remind me of my thoughts about Charlie Parker. Since I learned jazz kind of haphazardly and backward in a lot of cases, by the time I got to Parker it was hard to see what the big deal was. I was talking once with a guy then in his seventies who was around when Parker was alive and he was saying how revolutionary Parker had sounded in the 40's, and I said that I had never heard him as being all that revolutionary since I had heard him after I'd absorbed Coltrane, Art Pepper, and lots of his disciples. I love Parker but he's never struck me as the groundbreaker he was for those who were around to first hear him.

By Dominic (Dominic) on Tuesday, December 07, 2010 - 08:49 am: Edit Post
How about Bukka White? Keb Mo is a bit "poppy" and polished, but he's a good player, too.

>> Gotta chgeck out more Bukka White, but really not into Keb Mo. In my opinion, the top contemporary acoustic guitarist who plays in a country blues style is Kelly Joe Phelps. Very under rated and not too well known. Check out the following video, which i've posted before:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvLKCMfL0TQ

Van Manakas

http://www.puremusic.com/manakas.html

http://www.amazon.com/American-Guitar-Van-Manakas/ dp/B00004Z3RV

http://www.thebluegrassblog.com/leavin-tennesse-bu tch-baldassari-and-van-manakas/

don't forgat Big Bill Broonzy

Brownie Mcghee

let's not forget furry lewis either!

Sleepy John Estes

"Gotta a handful of gimme and a mouthful of much obliged."

Its all the about the good Reverand Gary Davis for me. Other cats at the top of the heap are:

1) Tampa Red
2) Blind Blake
3) Mississippi John Hurt
4) Lightnin Hopkins
5) Skip James

Catfish keith is fun. Eclectic player.

John Hammond, Jr!

I agree with most of the suggestions above. Hard to compare them all to each other though.

Glad that Son House made it too. Don't think he's THE best, but he's a personal favorite.

Checkout Johnny Hiland.

Bobby Weir

Honorable Mention: Jack Pearson

"The Mississippi Delta, was shinin like a national guitar" So many forgotten and under appreciated olditme/blues guitarists...Great thread!

check out richard johnston. he's a one man band that plays great country blues.