Topic: Blues Poll 1973

[Bunker Hill]

Having seen a Billboard blues chart which puts George Thorogood at no.1 and Aerosmith at 10 (say no more), I thought I'd dig out a poll Blues Unlimited conducted to mark their 10th anniversary and the 100th issue. It was of an "all time favourite" variety, the figure following the name are the votes cast. I realise there's no comparison to be made between the target audiences or the respective years in which published but....
 
FEMALE SINGER

1 MEMPHIS MINNIE   207
2 Bessie Smith   140
3 Big Mama Thornton   48
4 Lucille Bogan   33
5 Ma Rainey   23
5 Victoria Spivey   23
7 Tina Turner   22
S Etta James   17
9 Koko Taylor   15
10 Little Esther   11

BLUES SINGER

1 MUDDY WATERS   107
2 Robert Johnson   87
3 Elmore James   69
4 Son House   46
5 B. B. King   38
6 How1in' Wolf   33
7 Blind Willie McTell   32
8 Lightnin' Hopkins   28
8 Charlie Patton   28
10 Blind Lemon Jefferson   23

PIANO

1 OTIS SPANN   240
2 Jimmy Yancey   47
3 Leroy Carr   45
4 Johnny Jones   35
5 Cripple Clarence Lofton 32
6 Lafayette Leake 30
7 Pete Johnson 27
8 Little Brother Montgomery 26
9 Big Maceo Merriweather 25
10 Memphis Slim   25

HARMONICA

1 LITTLE WALTER 247
2 Sonny Boy Williamson 2 125
3 Walter Horton   79
4 Sonny Boy Williamson 1   56
5 Sonny Terry   37
6 Junior Wells   20
7 Noah Lewis   13
8 Whispering Smith   16
9 Papa Lightfoot   11
9 Jerry McCain   11
9 Snooky Pryor   11

BLUES - WRITER

1 PAUL OLIVER   232
2 Mike Leadbitter   79
3 David Evans   49
4 Samuel Charters   42
5 Charlie Gillett   28
6 Pete Welding   21
7 Bruce Bastin   14

GOSPEL

1 BLIND WILLIE JOHNSON   96
2 Blind Gary Davis   69
3 Staple Singers   51
4 Mahalia Jackson   48
5 Sister Rosetta Tharpe   24
6 Rev. Robert Wilkins   20
7 Washington Phillips   16
8 Blind Willie McTell   15
8 Stars Of Faith   15
10 Dixie Hummingbirds   14

BOOK

1? "STORY OF THE BLUES" (Paul Oliver) Cresset 217
2? "Blues & Gospel Records" (Godrich & Dixon) Storyville   45
3? "Nothin' But The Blues" (ed. Leadbitter) Hanover   44
4? "Blues Records 1943-66" (Leadbitter/Slaven) Hanover   40
4? "Sound Of The City" (Charlie Gillett) Souvenir/Arrow   40
4? "Conversation with the Blues" (Oliver) Cassell   40
7? "Blues Fell This Morning" (Oliver) Cassell   34
? ?(also published as "Meaning of the Blues" and points awarded)
8? "Tommy Johnson" (David Evans) Studio-Vista 30
9? "Screening The Blues" (Oliver) Cassell 15
10 "Crying For The Carolines" (Bruce Bastin) Studio-Vista 13

[Parlor Picker]

Very interesting!  I'd still agree with a lot of it today.

Notice you're not in the favourite blues writers column, Bunker Hill.  Maybe next time...

[Bunker Hill]

Very interesting!? I'd still agree with a lot of it today.
Notice you're not in the favourite blues writers column, Bunker Hill.? Maybe next time...

Of the books listed those by Oliver and Gillett have never been out of print.
Back then all I could do was string superlatives together - badly at that - which by no stretch of the imagination could be termed 'writing'!

[a2tom]

curious that there is/was no category "blues fingerpicker" or "guitarist".

tom

[gus30tavo]

Hello...
Polls?. Don?t talk me about polls... Somebody told me that polls are not interesting for anybody here on Weenie...
Do you believe in polls?. Even 70?s polls... ?
A lot of records companies buy lists,charts,hits,n? ones,grammys,oscars and even polls...
Thanks