50 Modern Blues Rock Soul Artists You Must Hear 2019

Are you aware of Jeremiah Johnson band out of St. Louis? The band just finished up a tour in Europe with Mike Zito.

https://jeremiahjohnsonband.com/

Ben Rice from Portland OR

Great list! But, Y’all forgot Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal. Soul and R&B from that real deep place in the heart.
http://www.joshhoyer.com

Great list! I’ve played many (most?) of these artists on my radio shows in the past couple of years and a dozen are on my current ‘new blues’ shelf at WMHB. I’ve seen several of them live and they are just nice people as well as being great artists. More under the radar favorites: Anthony Gomes, Eliza Neals, Regina Bonelli, Peter V Blues Train. Tony Campanella, Kat Riggins… my Top 100 for 2018, my current Top 40. So many! Thanks for sharing. This is great.

Thanks for championing so many great grassroots musicians. Here in the UK the live music scene is fabulous and many of the young artists doing the local circuits run rings around the wannabes on TV contests. But they hardly get a look in. So a page like yours is a breath of fresh air and much needed.

The Jimmys out of New Glarus, Wisconsin. Best live Blues I ever saw!

That’s a great list Martine! I always look forward to your reviews too. I had the pleasure of seeing a group for the first time recently. Mississippi Heat have been around for a while but don’t tour a whole lot from what I can tell. Pierre Lacocque is a blues harp master and the musicianship was outstanding. Chicago blues but with a lot of Delta influences. Funky and tight group.

I also recommend the Jimmys. Jimmy Voegeli is one energized keyboard player. Great musicianship all around and a lot of fun to see and hear.

Great list. But no Tedeschi Trucks band?

I’m totally flabbergasted that Layla Zoe was not on this list. Her last release – Gemini (Oct, 2018) is by far the best blues album by a female singer in the last 5 years. She’s been on the scene for 13 years, yet apparently is still an unknown outside of her native Canada. Such a shame!

Dana Fuchs, Poppa Choby

No acoustic blues list is complete without Rory Block. For blues/soul you should check out Kyla Brox from the U.K. And recently won U.K. and European blues competitions, and made a good showing at a competition in Memphis.

Eric Johanson is another up and coming blues, blues-rock singer/guitarist. He’s on Tab Benoit’s label and Tab played drums on his latest album. We saw him open for Tab (w/Tab on drums) a few years ago, he was fantastic. https://www.ericjohanson.com/

Thank you for sharing this list of talented artists. Lynne Jackaman is a wonderful rock and soul singer and talented songwriter. Lynne will be supporting two of the artists on your list, Ana Popovic and Southern Avenue, next month. Her debut solo album, One Shot, will be released later this year. Do check out her music.
https://m.facebook.com/lynnejackaman

Thanks for the list – some new names to listen out for. I would add The Billy Walton Band, Felix Rabin and Kris Barras.

It´s a greatlist, indeed – but you forgot the greatest of all:
Eric Sardinas

No Chantel McGregor? But, hey, she’s English… and that’s a foreign country… I know Joanne Shaw Taylor is English, too, but she lives and tours in the US these days. Chantel remains true to her roots in Bradford (where dat?).

Great list, I’d like to hear em all! Try out Toronzo Canon, Joyann Parker, The Jimmys, JJ Grey and Mofro and Ken Valdez…

Where’s Ally Venable??? She’s burning tracks in the blues world right now!

Check out the Scotty bratcher band.scotty is every bit the player that joe bonamassa or kws are.

Here’s a few great bands to check out: Eric Sardinas, Paul Deslauriers Band, Ghost Town Blues Band, Crystal Shawanda, , David Rotundo Band, Cheryl Lescom & The Tucson Choir Boys, Wicked Grin, Paul Nelson Band, Shakura S’Aida, Dawn Tyler Watson, Guy Belanger, Harpdog Brown, Julian Fauth, Al Lerman, Ben Racine Band, Demian Band, Delta Moon, Derek MIller, Shawn Kellerman, Digging Roots, Red Dirt Skinners, Indigenous, Jordan Officer, Julian Sas, Justin Saladino Band, Tuatha Dea, Sue Foley, Paul Reddick, Steve Strongman

I appreciate the list and saw a few names that weren’t familiar to check out. I was very surprised Paul Filipowicz, The Hayes Brothers (Charles,PeeWee, JoJo) Oscar Wilson, Rockin Johnny Burgin, Martin Lange, Lee Gates, Toronzo Cannon and Matthew Skoller weren’t mentioned. Pistol Pete, Linsey Alexander, Tom Holland, John Primer, Tony Brown…I could go on but you know it’s never-ending. There are so many phenomenally talented musicians that work hard but never have name recognition beyond their own communities due to lack of funding for promotion/inability to tour/ appearance etc.There are skilled musicians that don’t study the blues masters and end up with a rock, jazz rock or country funk polka sound masquerading as blues because they market it as such perhaps without realizing it isn’t. Too many of those not a lick of blues bands end up on lists , radio and headlining concerts not because they play blues but because they have the financial backing and “look” to do so. There are unknown, great bands playing at the neighborhood bars all over the country. Some of those unknown traditional(and otherwise) blues masters have even been inducted into The Chicago Blues Hall of Fame,
toured the world over and still don’t appear on air or on lists like this. It would be difficult to list every great blues or bluesish band. If that list was ever finished, someone would surely find it incomplete and have more names to add.

Such a list… There were several on it that I wonder about being “under the radar” (Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Tab Benoit, Jonny Lang, Gov’t Mule!, even some of the others), but then maybe my radar has been tuned in for a long time…

On the other hand, there are a lot of names here that I need to check out!

My additions: someone already mentioned The Legendary Shack Shakers; their front man, JD Wilkes, is phenomenal on his own (or supporting the Mourning Glories).

And, maybe they don’t fall neatly into the Blues/Rock/Soul genres, more Americana-ish, but I’d highly recommend a listen to Sugarcane Jane (Anthony Crawford & Savana Lee Crawford).

Great list … but what about Erja Lyytinen, Aynsley Lister, Tedeschi Trucks Band, …
and how can you not include Eric Bibb in the acoustic blues slot?

Sister… I thank you for the list. . Many I have seen and now others to look forward to.
From the land of The Zoo Bar, Lincoln Ne

I highly recommend you take a look at Jake Haldenvang from Charlotte, NC area!
I’ve been watching that young man perform since he blew me away at 13 at the Double Door in Charlotte!
His father, John, has a band too!

So many already have covered most all my thoughts as to what a list such as this one entails, but I’m stunned Cole Allen isn’t named; along with Shannon Curfman, Corey Stevens, Ross William Perry.
Just my two cents worth! Thanks for the compilation, it’s going to be a great reward reviewing your picks!

Phew ! Martine you have you have your work cut out for you with all these artists to check out !
But this was a good idea as I am always looking for good new music to listen to. I realize that even within a specific genre of music there can be quite a variety of sounds. That’s what makes music so great!

It is an honor to be included with so many tremendous artists. The group of 50 shows us that the blues is in good hands in 2019!

Great list, please consider Sonny Landreth and Monty Montgomery

Check out the Chris Bevington Organisation from the UK https://www.chrisbevingtonorganisation.com/ a for a great selection of blues

for example.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysf-rYtPPjc

Great list!! Two artists I’d add to the acoustic blues list are Roy Rogers, and especially Dion DiMucci. Dion’s journey to the blues is quite a story, and his blues work later in life is excellent.

You need to check out The Blue Footed Boobies out of Wilmington, NC. They are a 2 piece that are rocking.

The Bondi Cigars – Blues & Roots

Imperial State Electric – Rock

Chris Cain, Karen Lovely, Ben Rice, Lisa Mann, Eric Lindell, Kevin Burt, JP Soars, Southern Hospitality, California Honeydrops!!!

I would also like to add Nikki Hill and her husband guitarist Matt Hill. For a one man band check out Ben Prestage out of Florida. Reverend Shawn Amos out of L.A. Lastly, Vintage Trouble like James Brown meets Led Zeppelin

I’m missing The Steel Woods, in the Southern Rock section. Maybe a bit ‘ country-ish’, but definitely a great Southern Rock band, with two albums.

Very good list. Here’s an off-the-radar band to check out: The Commonheart. They’ve supported JJ Grey on a few tours and now they’re blowing up by playing major festivals like Bunbury, Tuck Fest (last weekend) and The Ride Festival in Telluride later this summer. Nine-piece soul band from Pittsburgh on their way up.

http://www.thecommonheart.com/

Good start!!!!! Need to check out JJ Grey & Mofro, Mike Farris and you forgot the Tedeski Trucks Band.\
Keep updating this list! Thanks!

Thank you so much for putting this together!
Nice to see Lisa Mann get a mention.
The Portland, OR blues scene is fire!
Cutis Salgado
Ty Curtis
Terry Robb
Paul deLay Band (RIP bud)
Jim Messi
Lloyd Jones
Kevin Selfe
and of course the entire 4th of July weekend!
http://www.waterfrontbluesfest.com/artists/

Laith Al-Saadi
http://www.laithalsaadi.com

Check out Michael Hornbuckle. Amazing songwriter, guitarist and singer! YouTube has lots of his performances and songs to see.
Enjoy!

Mike Zito is my favourite of them all

Glad to see Samantha Fish in the list, seen Samantha & her excellent band in Bristol, UK in May. Getting better every time

Some not in this list but a must to look up & get to see live .. Elles Bailey & her band, with either Jonny Henderson or Stevie Watts on keys ..great addition to Elles sound. New album excellent. Look her up.

Scott Van Zen should be on this list. Extremely underrated!

Thanks for your excellent lists. You might consider adding blues guitarist and singer/songwriter David Gogo. His bio information is here: http://www.davidgogo.com/bio.php

Check out Ryan Hiller from San Diego
http://www.ryanhillermusic.com
https://youtu.be/m0PT3mbWcfc

Nice list, but missing a few that belong up there:
Lil Ed and the Blues Imperials ( Upbeat blues that make for lots of dancing)
Victor Wainwright (2019 Grammy Nominee)
Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears – Great big band sound with lots of great dance music)
Johnny Rawls ( great story teller)
Coco Montoya
Larry Garner (story teller)
Sean Costello
Bob Margolin

Really digging Southern Avenue.

Check out the Rainbow Girls:
https://www.rainbowgirlsmusic.com/

Trevor Sewell is from the UK and has some great albums out, check out Hollow, Calling Nashville and Independence.

This is a live video Link – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fh5VYpv1yMc

He has collaborated with some interesting people too – Janis Ian, Tracy Nelson Paul Barrere

I didnt see Dan Auerbach on here of Jack White ,or like the Blue Stones ,The Revivalists, or Mitch King ,Black Pistol Fire and sooo many others that are kinda leading the way on the “Modern Blues/Rock /Soul ,sound

Such a top shelf list of artists. Big fans of all. Hoping someday to see OJATA included in the unknowns that are coming up regardless of algorithms on the streaming formats of the day. Extremely grateful for the fans love and support. Love reading the Rock and Blues Muse’s many interviews and takes on the current scene. Thank you for the list.

Be well

Very cool list. Wondering about your views on popa chubby? I think he spans the blues genres in style.

Great list .In last year been upgrading my music collection .Here are some cd artists am very happy with purchasing .Carey Bell, Lurrie Bell , William Bell , Rory Block , Diane Blue , Fiona Boyes , John Blues Boyd , Willie Buck , Toronzo Cannon , Cash Box Kings , Shemekia Copeland , Debbie Davies , Ronnie Earl , Betty Fox , Big Harp George , Casey Hensley , Mark Hummel , Johnny Iguana , Christone Kingfish Ingram , Jimmy Johnson , EG Kight , Peter Karp , Sonny Landreth , Larkin & Poe , Ben Levin , Trudy Lynn , Adriana Marie , Delbert McClinton , Mississippi Heat , Phantom Blues Band , Sugaray Rayford , Kat Riggins ,Breezy Rodio , Roomful Of Blues , Deb Ryder, Curtis Salgado , Sari Schorr , Crystal Shawanda , Gina Sicilia , Mr. Sipp , JP Soars , Sugar Ray & The Bluetones, Supersonic Blues Machine , Vaneese Thomas , Monster Mike Welch , Kenny Blues Boss Wayne , Nancy Wright , Zora Young , Mike Zito , Layla Zoe