101 Best Blues Songs to Learn on Guitar

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21. Boogie Chillen | John Lee Hooker

Level: 🎸🎸Intermediate

Discover this iconic blues jam by John Lee Hooker. This one uses a capo and is in an open A tuning. Check out a longer post about it here.

22. Boogie Woogie | Tommy Dorsey

Level: 🎸🎸Intermediate 

Here’s a fun old-school blues in the key of E. The original riff was played on the piano in the key of F, but here is a great way to play it in the key E on guitar.

23. Boom Boom | John Lee Hooker

Level: 🎸🎸Intermediate

John Lee Hooker originally recorded this tune in 1961, and music critics called it "the greatest pop song he ever wrote".

24. Born Under A Bad Sign | Albert King

Level: 🎸🎸Intermediate 

The majority of this song is an 8-bar blues chord progression in the key of C#. It features biting leads and big string bends from the legend Albert King!

25. Bright Lights, Big City

Level: 🎸🎸Intermediate

Here’s a classic Jimmy Reed-style rhythm in the key of A. This groove is great to use as a blues comping pattern in other songs as well.

26. Call Me The Breeze | J.J. Cale

Level: 🎸🎸Intermediate

Here’s a low-down funky blues in the key of F#. For this one, I play it in E and use a capo on the 2nd fret. 

27. Call Me The Breeze | Lynyrd Skynyrd

Level: 🎸🎸Intermediate

This version takes the J.J. Cale recording up a couple of notches. This blues is in the key of A and uses a double-timing blues progression. Check out a longer lesson on this one here.

28. Catfish Blues | Muddy Waters

Level: 🎸🎸Intermediate

This is a guitar style I call the one-chord blues and it was used by many musicians like Jimi Hendrix, John Lee Hooker, and Hubert Sumlin/Howlin’ Wolf.

29. Chitlins Con Carne | Stevie Ray Vaughan

Level: 🎸🎸Intermediate 

Originally written by Kenny Burrell this Stevie Ray Vaughan version is a funky boogaloo groove in the key of C.

30. Coffee Blues | Mississippi John Hurt

Level: 🎸🎸Intermediate 

Ready to learn some alternating thumb-style folk fingerpicking? Give this blues a try in the key of A.

Coffee Blues | Mississippi John Hurt | Part 2

31. Cold Shot | Stevie Ray Vaughan

Cold Shot | Stevie Ray Vaughan

Level: 🎸🎸🎸Advanced

This blues is in the key of Am and uses a classic Stevie-style shuffle in the rhythm. The groove in the guitar part is very similar to Pride & Joy.

32. Crossroads | Cream 

Level: 🎸🎸🎸Advanced 

Originally written by Robert Johnson, this live version may be the holy grail of live blues guitar solos.

33. Damn Right, I've Got The Blues | Buddy Guy

Level: 🎸🎸Intermediate 

Here’s a classic Chicago-style blues in the key of A by none other than the legend Buddy Guy.

34. Double Trouble | Otis Rush

Level: 🎸🎸Intermediate

 Here’s a blues groove in the key of Dm. This part combines a bass line together with a standard minor blues progression.

35. Feels Like Rain | Buddy Guy

 Level: 🎸🎸Intermediate

Buddy Guy demonstrates in this song how the guitar can provide accompaniment like a piano. Here he is using a rhythm style similar to Jimi Hendrix and Curtis Mayfield.

36. Four Until Late | Cream

Level: 🎸🎸Intermediate

Another Robert Johnson classic performed by Cream. Eric Clapton is a huge Robert Johnson fan.

37. Further On Up The Road | Eric Clapton

Level: 🎸🎸🎸Advanced

This Texas-style shuffle is in the key of G and was first recorded in 1957 by Bobby "Blue" Bland. In this lesson, we’ll look at the classic version Eric Clapton played at the Last Waltz concert with the band. 

38. Get It On | T. Rex

Level: 🎸🎸Intermediate

This one isn’t a traditional blues, however, the guitar part is based on a classic blues shuffle rhythm pattern in the key of E.

39. Going Down | Freddie King

Level: 🎸🎸Intermediate 

This blues standard was recorded by a number of legendary blues musicians. In this lesson, we’ll look at the Freddie King version and use a driving guitar part in the key of D.

40. Good Morning Little School Girl | Muddy Waters

Level: 🎸🎸Intermediate

This song was originally written by Sonny Boy Williamson, in this lesson we’ll look at Muddy Waters's cover from the Folk Singer album. 

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