Modern Blues

Contemporary Blues is a catch-all term for music played by contemporary artists who follow in the footsteps of the classic blues legends they never got to meet. Contemporary Blues uses both acoustic and electric instruments to fuse classic blues with anything from rock to pop to folk. Blues purists and armchair critics sometimes dismiss modern blues artists as imitators; but many of them combine a genuine respect for the past with innovation, talent, and a more modern sensibility. Until his tragic death in a helicopter crash in 1990, guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan was hailed as the quintessential blues revivalist, followed by Robert Cray and Keb' Mo'.