Well, yeah, I got into the Motown sound purdy heavy when it came along but before they hit the scenes there were alot of black singers who laid the groundwork for things to come and are still comin'...

Born 'round 1894 was one of the earliest recorded bluesmen in Blind Lemon Jefferson...

Not far behind, Eddie "Son" House, who really is my favorite bluesman who started recordin' in the late 20's and was recording well into the 60's after coming out of a 15 year retirement...

Then the dam broke and all kinds of black musicans hit like a tidal wave... Some of my favorits:

Johnny Shines
Robert Johnson
McKinley "Muddy Waters" Morganfield
Bukka White
Joe Turner
Tampa Red
Blind Boy Fuller
Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup
Big Bill Bronzy
Leroy Carr
Magic Slim
Brownie McGhee
Furey Lewis

Then the Post-War sounds of:

Elmore James
Little Walter
Pintop Perkins
Honeyboy Edwards
Guitar Slim
Chuck Berry

Then the Motowners:

The Four Tops
The Supremes
Temptations
Smokey Robinson
Chubby Checker
Ray Charles
Aretha Franklin (not technially motown)
Wilson Picket (not technically motown)
The Big O (not technically motown)

Then the Post-Motowners:
Jimi Hendrix
Sly
Issac Hayes
Marvin Gaye
Stevie Wonder
Roberta Flack
Ike and Tina Turner

Now I don't listen to much of the current passed pop black artists today but I do keep up with alot of blues performers who are still at it or recently passed and here's a few who I most enjoy:

Corey Harris, who once tried to kill me (lol)
Sparky Rucker, who will be visitin' us for 4 day next week
Alvin Youngblood Hart
Willie King
Terry "Harmonica" bean
R.L. Burnside, R.I.P.
John Jackson, R.I.P.
Jessie Maw Hemphill, R. I. P.
Blind Mississippi Morris
Keb Mo
John Cephis and Phil Wiggons
Of course, mah main man, N.J. Warren
Mike Baytop


Yeah, I'm sure that as the day goes on other "favorite" will jump into my head but that's a few off the top of my head...

Bobert