Reckon a lot of this discussion comes down to a very real schism: some listeners value certain things about blues that others consider mistakes. For me, it's all about dissonance and grit and liberties taken with notes and guitars that sound slightly out of tune. (Maybe not every single one of those with every singles blues musician I like...)

So I've got no time for Eric Clapton or Stevie Ray Vaughn. You can call them what you like, but I can't detect anything bar a formality of genre that they have with, say, Sleepy John Estes or Robert Johnson or Mississippi Fred MacDowell (to name three of my favourite blues musicians). Come to think of it, you could lay all the accusations laid at Seasick Steve here at Sleepy John Estes. A lot of the criticisms made here about Seasick Steve are precisely why I like him and why he is blues.

Thanks for the heads up on Paul Geremia. I'd never heard of him before. But y'know, it's not an either/or... I'd be happy to watch him on Jools Holland. Or Robert Belfour. Or CeDell Davis (is CeDell Davis still alive?)