White People CAN Sing the Blues

Seven of the best white blues singers (and one of the worst)

Blues music originated in American Black culture. Leadbelly, Muddy Waters, Big Mama Thorton. T-Bone Walker, B.B. King, Ray Charles. They did it great and did it best.

Lots of white singers and rock bands learned from these blues greats and based a lot of their music on this legacy. Much of this music is good and even great, but most of it lacks the depth and soul of Black blues. Here are some of the few white singers that are/were able to sing the blues with anything like authentically.

Hank Williams

Janice Joplin

Joe Cocker

Mick Jagger

…and a really great guitar duet with Ron Wood and Keith Richards

Susan Tedeschi

…and one heck of a guitar player!

Bonnie Raitt

John Prine

The song’s writer

Martin Mull

Let’s finish up with a laugh. When Martin Mull was touring with his Fabulous Furniture in 1973 — before he hit the big time on TV — he had this take on white people singing the blues. (Sketch is in two parts, a long spoken-word intro and then the song):