Acoustic Slide Blues Guitar

June 11, 2010 9:52 AM

Please recommend slide blues guitar artists to me, particularly modern ones. Love the sound, not sure where to get it. Solo guitar with no vocals is preferred, but by no means necessary. Acoustic strongly preferred.
posted by adamdschneider to media & arts (16 answers total)

Oh, man. Leo Kottke's 12-string slide guitar is awesome.
posted by mhoye at 10:12 AM on June 11, 2010 [1 favorite]

Jack Rose, particularly the Kensington Blues LP and recent dvd with Glenn Jones.
posted by klapaucius at 10:14 AM on June 11, 2010

Kelly Joe Phelps' older stuff is exclusively slide. His new stuff is mostly fingerstyle, with the exception of his most recent album, Western Bell, which seems like it's right up your alley. The guy got his chops playing free jazz in Seattle, so if you're looking for roots/blues music with a serious twist to it, KJP's the one for you.

Additionally, try checking out Harry Manx (Slide Guitar/Sitar hybrid) and Xavier Rudd (blues slide / didjeridoo stylings)-- both eminently capable musicians with truly unique sounds.
posted by The White Hat at 10:17 AM on June 11, 2010

Second Harry Manx. He sings in this one but no shortage of incredible slide tone.

David Lindley is another of my slide heroes. Much of his recorded material is electric but he does a lot of solo/acoustic stuff live.
posted by domographer at 10:19 AM on June 11, 2010

Ry Cooder
posted by The World Famous at 10:22 AM on June 11, 2010

Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 10:24 AM on June 11, 2010 [1 favorite]

Wikipedia has a list of artists who played slide guitar.
posted by dfriedman at 10:27 AM on June 11, 2010

To expand on my previous answer, you should start with Ry Cooder's soundtrack to Paris, Texas, which is instrumental blues slide guitar. Ry Cooder is widely regarded as the greatest modern slide guitar player.

If you want electric instrumental slide guitar music, check out Friends of Dean Martinez.
posted by The World Famous at 10:30 AM on June 11, 2010

Okay, so these are all old blues slide guitarists, so they're singing as well as playing. They're all totally amazing.

Cat-Iron, "Poor Boy a Long, Long Way from Home."

Son House, "Death Letter Blues."

Mississippi Fred McDowell, "Red Cross Store."

Gabriel Brown, "John Henry."
posted by colfax at 10:38 AM on June 11, 2010

If you're flexible on the "blues" thing, I think you'd love the acoustic slide guitar on Leo Kottke's albums 6- and 12-String Guitars and One Guitar No Vocals.
posted by Jaltcoh at 10:47 AM on June 11, 2010

Derek Trucks is THE MAN.
posted by jbickers at 11:42 AM on June 11, 2010 [1 favorite]

Not acoustic and with vocals, but The North Mississippi Allstars are a great blues-rock band and use a lot of slide guitar.

NMA - Shake 'em on down (live)
posted by phrygius at 12:39 PM on June 11, 2010 [1 favorite]

Though specifically more pedal and lap steel, you may like The Campbell Brothers Sacred Steel Band. They do slide-drenched Gospel and they're flippin' amazing.
I ordered their Christmas album a few years ago and play it every year.
Seriously, try not tapping your foot to stuff like this.
posted by chococat at 1:28 PM on June 11, 2010

If the slidey part is what you love most, consider branching out to Hawaiian steel guitar. Bob Brozman has curated a couple of "best of old scratchy Hawaiian guitar-centric records" albums (which are all worth hearing) and released some great collaborations with other musicians too. (He also plays blues, I guess, but I haven't heard much of that.)
posted by No-sword at 2:32 PM on June 11, 2010

Some electric, but all awesome: Ellen McIlwaine (caution, loud electric slide on that link autoplays).
posted by scruss at 4:19 PM on June 11, 2010

Deacon John from New Orleans -- also not acoustic and with vocals, but pretty awesome and very GRAR.
posted by paultopia at 11:46 PM on June 11, 2010