Electric Blues · Genres
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What is electric blues?

The Blues went through a major development in sound and reach when it became possible to amplify the instruments of small combos – usually drums, bass, harmonica and most importantly the electric guitar. After World War II many artists, particularly in Chicago, moved to amplified electric blues, which was a major influence on Rock & Roll and later Blues Rock musicians and through them on Hard Rock and Heavy Metal music.

Artists to start with

  1. Albert King
  2. Freddie King
  3. Luther Allison
  4. Magic Slim
  5. Magic Sam
  6. Junior Wells' Chicago Blues Band
  7. Otis Rush
  8. Johnny Copeland
  9. Little Axe
  10. Lance Lopez

Albums to hear first

  • Electric Mud by Muddy WatersElectric MudMuddy Waters
  • Damn Right, I've Got The Blues by Buddy GuyDamn Right, I've Got The BluesBuddy Guy
  • Bring 'Em In by Buddy GuyBring 'Em InBuddy Guy
  • Hard Again by Muddy WatersHard AgainMuddy Waters
  • Born Under A Bad Sign by Albert KingBorn Under A Bad SignAlbert King
  • Serious by Luther AllisonSeriousLuther Allison
  • West Side Soul by Magic SamWest Side SoulMagic Sam
  • Second Winter by Johnny WinterSecond WinterJohnny Winter

Electric Blues songs

  1. Call It Stormy Monday by T-Bone Walker
  2. Mannish Boy by Muddy Waters
  3. As The Years Go Passing By by Albert King
  4. Going Down by Freddie King
  5. Spoonful by Howlin' Wolf
  6. Born Under a Bad Sign by Albert King
  7. Laundromat Blues by Albert King
  8. Dust My Broom by Elmore James
  9. (I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man by Muddy Waters
  10. Ain't No Sunshine by Freddie King

Neighbouring genres

In the jazz & blues family. All genres

bluescool jazzbossa novaacid jazzblues rockbebopavant-garde jazzdelta blueschicago bluesdark jazzcountry bluesdesert blues

Questions

What is electric blues?
The Blues went through a major development in sound and reach when it became possible to amplify the instruments of small combos – usually drums, bass, harmonica and most importantly the electric guitar. After World War II many artists, particularly in Chicago, moved to amplified electric blues, which was a major influence on Rock & Roll and later Blues Rock musicians and through them on Hard Rock and Heavy Metal music.
Who are the best-known electric blues artists?
By Last.fm listening: Albert King, Freddie King, Luther Allison, Magic Slim, Magic Sam and Junior Wells' Chicago Blues Band.
What genres are similar to electric blues?
On Risocast it sits with blues, cool jazz, bossa nova, acid jazz, blues rock and bebop.

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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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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.

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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.

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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.

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Download for WindowsFree · v4.0.9Open RisocastRight here · Spotify or Last.fm
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Automatic loggingWeekly DiscTaste MapTaste matchProfiles and statsMusic windowsBPM, key and soundSong stripLikes that syncPlay in your appFindPeople and buddiesCompare tasteAnthemsGenre labelsAndroid appImport and connectWindows 98 look
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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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