Ben Vee Blues

Each year since 2017, I have published an annual list of my favorite 66 blues songs of the previous year. I realized the other day that I had not done so for 2023! I compiled the list but never wrote the article! So here it is: the Roadhouse 66 Best Blues Songs of 2023….better late that nevah!

A whole new generation of blues artists have risen to the fore over the last decade. From classic Chicago blues to soul music, blues rock, and R&B, the broad genre of the blues is experiencing a revitalization that just amazes me. The talent is spread across the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia. The music is vibrant, the lyrics topical, and the voices..oh the voices. I hope you enjoy going through the list. From one to 66, these tunes were a true reflection of the state of the blues in 2023! For those of you with Spotify, you can find the entire playlist here.

Bear in mind that I was honored to receive via Blues Music Fan Radio and my own network of artists, publicists, and record labels, over 9,000 individual recordings in 2023. Narrowing that list down to my 66 favorites is an almost impossible task. There is very little compiled data available about how much airplay/streams individual blues tunes get in the course of a given year across all platforms so my list reflects my personal tastes from among all the tunes that I spun during my 2023 shows.

The Roadhouse Blues 2023 Top Ten Singles

#1 Kaz Hawkins – Get Up and Go

Kaz Hawkins hails from Belfast in Northern Ireland. This song is so uplifting with a great beat and message!

#2 The Soul of John Black – Down to the River

John Bigham is a Chicago blues artist with such a funky soulful voice….mhmm!

#3 Paul Buchanan’s Voodoo Preachers – Roadhouse

What a great tune and not just cuz Paul mentions “Ben’s Roadhouse” in the lyrics! I am so honored to have been part of the creative process for this song!

#4 Grainne Duffy – Dirt Woman Blues

I got to see Grainne Duffy perform this tune a couple of months past. What an engaging Irish artist!

#5 Tom Hambridge – Blues Don’t Care (ft. Cristone “Kingfish” Ingram)

One of the hottets artists and producers of the contemporary blues teamed up with the single greatest young blues artist of his generation…oh yeah!

#6 The Teskey Brothers – Oceans of Emotions

This Australian group features one of the great contemporary R&B voices…Josh Teskey!

#7 Bobby Rush – I Got a Proposition for You

One of the elder statesmen of the blues who is in his late eighties and still crankin’ out badass blues!

#8 Coco Montoya – (I’d Rather Feel) Bad About Doin’ It

For five decades Coco Montoya has been generating some fabulous blues music. He is on my bucket list!

#9 Bettye Lavette – See Through Me (ft. Pedrito Martinez)

Bettye Lavette has such a unique vocal delivery! Just love this song!!

#10 ZZ Ward – Tin Cups (ft. Aloe Blac)

Both ZZ Ward and Aloe Blac have distinctive styles and they mesh their talents perfectly on this song.

Roadhouse Blues Best 66 Songs of 2023 – Entire list

	ARTIST	TITLE
1	Kaz Hawkins	Get up and go
2	The Soul Of John Black	Down To The River
3	Paul Buchanan’s Voodoo Preachers	Roadhouse
4	Gráinne Duffy	Dirt Woman Blues
5	Tom Hambridge	Blues Don’t Care Featuring Christone Kingfish Ingram
6	The Teskey Brothers	Oceans Of Emotions
7	Bobby Rush	I Got A Proposition For You
8	Coco Montoya	(I’d Rather Feel) Bad About Doin’ It
9	Bettye LaVette	See Through Me (feat. Pedrito Martinez)
10	ZZ Ward Feat. Aloe Blacc	Tin Cups
11	Joe Louis Walker	Don’t Walk Out That Door
12	Robert Finley	Livin’ Out A Suitcase
13	Eddie 9V	How Long
14	Grace Potter	Ready Set Go
15	Kenny Wayne Shepherd	Ease My Mind
16	Jason Ricci and the Bad Kind	5-10-15
17	Dom Martin	Daylight I Will Find
18	Tommy Lee Cook	Birds and Bees
19	Van Morrison	A Shot Of Rhythm And Blues
20	Joe Bonamassa	Twenty-Four Hour Blues
21	Gov’t Mule	Dreaming Out Loud (Feat. Ivan Neville & Ruthie Foster)
22	The Rolling Stones	Rolling Stone Blues
23	The Nighthawks	Forty Days
24	Tony Wessels and the Revolvers	Gonna Move Across the River
25	Wellbad	Beast Of Prey
26	B’ee	Blue for You
27	Otis Taylor	Travel Guide
28	Lloyd Spiegel	Betcha Bottom Dollar
29	Savoy  Brown	Going Down South
30	The Groove Krewe	Empty Pocket Blues (Feat. Jonathon Boogie Long)
31	The Mojoes	It Tears Me Up
32	Anthony Rosano & The Conqueroos	Jonesboro Road
33	Big Harp George	It’s Tuesday
34	Joakim Tinderholt & His Band	How I Got To Memphis
35	Eric Johanson	She Is The Song
36	Chad Rupp & The Sugar Roots	I Got You
37	Nick Moss feat. Dennis Gruenling	The Solution
38	Wayne Nicholson	Shucking Corn
39	Son Henry	Heartache in My House
40	Maria Daines	Blue Moon River
41	Dave Keller	Full Measure of Pleasure
42	Jim Kahr	Got To Be A Way
43	The Simon Kinny Lewis Band	Just Need A Kind Hearted Woman
44	Bad Thomas and the Nortons	You Gotta Do What You Gotta Do
45	Monster Mike Welch	Walking to You Baby
46	The Boneshakers	One Foot in the Groove
47	Misty Blues	I Don’t Sleep (feat. Petri Byrd)
48	Bob Corritore & Friends	The Glide (Feat. Sugaray Rayford)
49	Jeff Pitchell	Fat Cigars
50	Ana Popovic	Strong Taste
51	The Allergies	God Walked Down
52	Tas Cru	House Of The Blues
53	Joyann Parker	Closing Someone Else’s Blinds
54	Teresa James & The Rhythm Tramps	Better Angels
55	Marc Broussard	That’s What Love Will Make You Do (ft Joe Bonamassa)
56	Ghalia Volt	Changes
57	Jack De Keyzer	I’m A King Bee
58	Foghat	Drivin’ On
59	Ole Lonesome	Easy Street
60	BluesShack	Don’t Ever Let Nobody Drag Your Spirit Down
61	The Wicked Lo-Down	Suffer Those Ends
62	The 2:19	Hey Carolina
63	Backdoor Blues Band	Going to the Drugstore
64	HeavyDrunk	Raised By The River
65	Scott Ellison	That’s How I Love My Woman
66	Sister Lucille	Tell The World