I like many different styles of music (as long as the guitar is the featured instrument!)

If you take a look at my iPod you will find an eclectic assortment of Classic Rock, Smooth Jazz, Contemporary Christian, New Age, R&B and an eclectic variety of tunes that fall into several genres — according to my ears.

But without a doubt, there is nothing I love to listen to more than a warm, classic, slow brooding BLUES SOLO that drips with emotion. Slow blues is by far my personal preference as I love to “feel” a song even more than I like to “listen” to a song.

Duke Robillard

To give you an example of what I mean, I have embedded a video of Duke Robillard’s “Blues for T-Bone”. This is one of the most masterful slow blues recordings I know of.

Robillard calls this “Duke’s Mood” and how powerful and moody it is! If you can, turn the lights low and close the door before you click the play button. The less distraction you have, the more you will truly “feel” the music.

Don’t close your eyes because there is a lot to see as Duke shares some masterful, innovative fingering.

Watch and listen as Duke takes you on an emotional journey. It’s 7-1/2 minutes of slow blues ecstasy. If you’re like me, you will watch this video several times. If you’re really like me, you will share this with your guitar loving friends!

One more thing… be sure to catch the train at 2:28… and enjoy the ride.

Jimmy Witherspoon & Duke Robillard

I love the Blues.

I really love Slow Blues.

I know, it’s simple and basic and all of the shredders can play twenty notes for every single note in a slow blues song.

But the slow blues moves me. It moves me like no other music. Ronnie Earl, Eric Clapton, The Allman Brothers, B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Duke Robillard and so many many others made careers out of mastering the slow blues.

13 years ago today, September 18, 1997, we lost Jimmy Witherspoon. He was 77.

Jimmy was not a guitar player. He was a singer. A blues singer. And in this case, a slow blues singer.

This recording is Jimmy Witherspoon’s last before he passed away, leaving behind a long legacy of great blues recordings. Jimmy died of throat cancer, which is evident in this recording as his voice is quite weak.

Enjoy this soulful rendition of “Going Down Slow” with Duke Robillard providing backup on guitar.

[Listen to "Goin' Down Slow"]

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.