Best Covers of Blues Songs by British Blues/Blues Rock Musicians
In the 1960s, the blues was thriving in Britain, and many of its leading figures would go on to mix blues with rock and roll. Many British bands covered songs by American artists before them; in the early days, they were more faithful to the original genre, but more and more blues covers were being arranged into rock songs as time went on. It doesn't matter if the song originally came from the Delta or Chicago, just as long as it was covered by the British. Feel free to add more examples.Everything about this cover is awesome- the vocals, Eric Clapton's guitar playing, the way the rhythmic feel changes midway through- this is a great cover.
A really solid and heavy Howlin' Wolf cover; I love Clapton's solo in this one. They sort of take it out into uncharted territories.
They took a Bo Diddley song and made it into an uptempo foot-stomper. At the end, it goes into a fast rave-up, where it starts out quiet but gets louder and more intense; I get an amazing rush of energy each time I listen to it.
Another Howlin' Wolf cover. Jeff Beck's wah-wah on this song is fantastic; the first time I heard it, it blew my mind.
Originally by John Lee Hooker. Their version is upbeat, and it's a lot of fun to listen to.
Although Led Zeppelin ripped off many blues songs as part of making their own arrangements, they did give Willie Dixon full credit for this song. It's great to hear them do a slow blues.
This song is important in British blues history because it is the only blues song ever made that has hit number one on the British Singles chart. It also helped to widen Howlin' Wolf's career in Britain.
Excellent list, Gg2000! I love this by The Stones, who also covered I Can't Quit You Baby (I haven't yet heard it by Led Zep, but I will...).
An uptempo cover of an Elmore James classic; apparently, Jeremy Spencer was a big fan of his.
Love Sculpture was Dave Edmunds' first major band before becoming a semi-successful solo artist and record producer. This song is a cover of a Freddie King song; it's really solid.
Unlike the rest of the bands on this list, Foghat emerged in the 70s and has a more hard-rock type style. However, they are strongly influenced by the blues and have done several blues covers, such as this version of a Robert Johnson song.