Iceboy,

I haven't heard any of Josh Jr's stuff recently, so I can't judge on anything later than about 10 years, but his earlier stuff was following pretty well in Dad's footsteps. I'm disappointed with Keb Mo's latest album and suspect you might be referring to the direction he's headed in.

As for Muddy's stuff... I've heard it and —— sorry —— I'm just not that impressed. I like him a lot better than B.B. King and a lot of JL Hooker's work, but he doesn't speak to me the way Sonny Boy Williamson II (Rice Miller) or Willie Dixon or James Cotton does.

Maybe we're just listening for different things and there's nothing we can do about that, but I've said before and I'll say again that the plugged-in players who treat the guitar like a trumpet just don't do the same thing for me as the one-man, one-guitar masters who could carry a whole dance or keep an audience in thrall with little or no backup.

Somebody came up with a great quote in a recent thread. It was something to the effect that one of the old bluesmen (can't recall which, but it might have been Blind Blake had 16 licks. Another venerated player learned eight of them and passed four on the next, who passed two to other bluesmen. Now most "blues" players learn one lick and think they're accomplished bluesmen.

I'll try to find that quote and pass it along when I have time, but right now I have to get back to work.

cheers,

david