Chicago Blues · Genres
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What is chicago blues?

The Chicago blues is a form of blues music that developed in Chicago, Illinois by taking the basic acoustic guitar and harmonica-based Delta blues and adding electrically amplified guitar, amplified bass guitar, drums, piano, and sometimes saxophone, and making the harmonica louder with a microphone and an instrument amplifier. The music developed when poor Black workers did the "Great Migration" from the South into the industrial cities of the North such as Chicago in the first half of the twentieth century.

Artists to start with

  1. Muddy Waters
  2. Howlin' Wolf
  3. Buddy Guy
  4. Elmore James
  5. Otis Rush
  6. Willie Dixon
  7. Junior Wells
  8. Magic Sam
  9. Jimmy Rogers
  10. Sonny Boy Williamson II

Albums to hear first

  • Hard Again by Muddy WatersHard AgainMuddy Waters
  • West Side Soul by Magic SamWest Side SoulMagic Sam
  • Howlin' Wolf by Howlin' WolfHowlin' WolfHowlin' Wolf
  • Confessin' The Blues by Little WalterConfessin' The BluesLittle Walter
  • The London Muddy Waters Sessions by Muddy WatersThe London Muddy Waters SessionsMuddy Waters
  • The Best of Little Walter by Little WalterThe Best of Little WalterLittle Walter
  • Damn Right, I've Got The Blues by Buddy GuyDamn Right, I've Got The BluesBuddy Guy
  • His Best by Little WalterHis BestLittle Walter

Chicago Blues songs

  1. Mannish Boy by Muddy Waters
  2. Spoonful by Howlin' Wolf
  3. Smokestack Lightnin' by Howlin' Wolf
  4. I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man by Muddy Waters
  5. Moanin' At Midnight by Howlin' Wolf
  6. How Many More Years by Howlin' Wolf
  7. My Babe by Little Walter
  8. The Sky Is Crying by Elmore James
  9. Back Door Man by Howlin' Wolf
  10. Dust My Broom by Elmore James

Chicago Blues on Risocast

  • Super Session (with Al Kooper & Stephen Stills) by Mike BloomfieldSuper Session (with Al Kooper & Stephen Stills)Mike Bloomfield · 1968
  • Albert's Shuffle by Mike Bloomfield, Al KooperAlbert's ShuffleMike Bloomfield, Al Kooper · 1968
  • Blues for Nothing by Mike Bloomfield, Al KooperBlues for NothingMike Bloomfield, Al Kooper · 1968
  • His Holy Modal Majesty by Mike Bloomfield, Al KooperHis Holy Modal MajestyMike Bloomfield, Al Kooper · 1968
  • Fat Grey Cloud - Live at The Fillmore West, San Francisco, CA by Mike Bloomfield, Al KooperFat Grey Cloud - Live at The Fillmore West, San Francisco, CAMike Bloomfield, Al Kooper · 1968

Neighbouring genres

In the jazz & blues family. All genres

bluescool jazzbossa novaacid jazzblues rockbebopavant-garde jazzdelta bluesdark jazzcountry bluesdesert bluesjazz punk

Questions

What is chicago blues?
The Chicago blues is a form of blues music that developed in Chicago, Illinois by taking the basic acoustic guitar and harmonica-based Delta blues and adding electrically amplified guitar, amplified bass guitar, drums, piano, and sometimes saxophone, and making the harmonica louder with a microphone and an instrument amplifier. The music developed when poor Black workers did the "Great Migration" from the South into the industrial cities of the North such as Chicago in the first half of the twentieth century.
Who are the best-known chicago blues artists?
By Last.fm listening: Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Buddy Guy, Elmore James, Otis Rush and Willie Dixon.
What genres are similar to chicago blues?
On Risocast it sits with blues, cool jazz, bossa nova, acid jazz, blues rock and bebop.

Risocast is free. Install it once and it logs everything you play.

Download for WindowsFree · v4.0.9Open RisocastRight here · Spotify or Last.fm

Updated 6 October 2026

Risocast Help

A music log that fills itself in. It records the songs you play on your computer and your phone, turns them into your top songs, stats and a public profile, and finds people whose taste overlaps with yours.

Yes. The app and the website are free.

A song counts once half of it has played, or four minutes — whichever comes first. Songs of 30 seconds or less, and videos or podcasts over 20 minutes, never count.

On Windows, anything that shows up in Windows' media controls: Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music, Deezer, browsers, foobar2000, Windows Media Player and more (VLC, iTunes and MusicBee through their free media-controls plugin). On Android, any music app — it reads the same now-playing info your lock screen shows. You can also connect Spotify or import from Last.fm.

Yes. Plays are counted on your device and sent when you're back online, and the phone app opens without a connection.

It does the same core job — scrobbling, automatically — without plugins per player, and adds taste matching: see who listens like you and how much your taste overlaps.

Your profile and listening are public so people with similar taste can find you, unless you make your profile private (then only your buddies see it); your email never is. Nothing is sold and there are no ads; anonymous usage analytics (Microsoft Clarity, Google Analytics) show what to improve. See the privacy policy for the details.

More in Help, the guides and the privacy policy.

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A small player that sits in your tray, writes down every song you play, and shows you who listens like you.

243 songs logged today

Download for WindowsFree · v4.0.9Open RisocastRight here · Spotify or Last.fm

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On Windows, Risocast reads the system media controls, so any player counts: Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music, Deezer, browsers, foobar2000. No plugins.

On Android the app reads what any music app is playing (it's coming to Google Play). Anywhere else, connect Spotify or a Last.fm username.

When a song countsAfter half its length, or four minutes, whichever comes first.Tracks under 30 seconds are ignored.Offline plays are counted on the device and sent later.

More on automatic logging · Risocast vs Last.fm

Taste twins

See how much your taste overlaps with anyone's, and find the people who listen most like you. The match comes from what you both actually play, not a list of favourites.

Open People

How the match works

Weekly Disc and Taste Map

Every week becomes a disc of your top songs. Every record you play goes on a map, grouped by genre.

Weekly DiscTaste Map

Real ones, from the maker's own listening.

Download Risocast

Risocast is free for Windows 10 and 11. Android is coming to Google Play; on any other device, use the web app with Spotify or Last.fm.

Download for WindowsFree · v4.0.9Open RisocastRight here · Spotify or Last.fm
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Track music on WindowsLog YouTube MusicApple Music statsFind people like youPlayers that workLog VLCLog foobar2000Log MusicBeeiTunes on WindowsLog DeezerLog TidalLog SoundCloudAmazon MusicWindows Media PlayerSpotify historyTop songs of all timeWhat genre is it?Describe your tasteExport your dataComing from Last.fm
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243 logged today