This is a fascinating thread! I would add Josh White's "Strange Fruit". But be warned, it is not a feel-good song.

Here's an observation. I've been off the net for a few days, so I started reading this thread from the beginning. I noticed a fairly consistent ommission and found myself going back to the top of the thread and checking it again. It's a little hard to be sure, but it appears that this is almost exclusively a "male" thread. Now I know their are women who love and play the blues, but is their something uniquely "male" about this genre? A few theories jump to mind, but I'd be interested in hearing opinions. In the meantime, I've got the blues - Angus.