It’s summertime here in the northern hemisphere and many of us will be taking road trips to see family and friends. Whether the journey is an hour away or across the continent, here are the Roadhouse 66 best blues songs of 2021 to listen to along the way. And this year, for the first time, the playlist is available on the Ben Vee Youtube channel and on the Ben Vee Spotify account. I hope you enjoy reviewing and listening to the songs. And bear in mind that music is not a sports competition…..whether the song is listed at number 4 or number 64, these are all truly great tunes culled from an initial list of over 4,000 new songs that I reviewed or streamed during the course of 2021!! And if you have a comment or want to tell us what your best roadhouse blues song of 2021 was, just leave a comment below.
The Roadhouse 66 Best Blues Songs of 2021 Top Ten
#1 Altered Five Blues Band – Full Moon, Half Crazy
Another in a long series of vibrant upbeat tunes from this amazing band out of Wisconsin, the group is powered by the voice of Jeff Taylor.
#2 Christone “Kingfish” Ingram – Long Distance Woman
The Kingfish is a true superstar of the contemporary blues and…..he is only 23!! He first came to my attention four or five years ago and his musical trajectory just keeps rising and rising!
#3 Dion – I’ve Got to Get to You (ft. Boz Scaggs, Mike Menza, and Joe Menza)
His career started over 60 years ago and at the age of 82 he is still kickin’ out some badass blues songs!
#4 Colin James – Open Road
Stevie Ray Vaughan opened the door for him in the 1980’s and in the years since he has become a mainstay of the Canadian music scene. This is the title cut from his latest album that was also the Roadhouse Blues 61 best album of the year!
#5 Tommy Castro – Somewhere
This California based bluesman is a personal favorite. I have seen him in concert 3 times and he is an absolutely incredible performer. He also walked away from this year’s Blue Music Awards in Memphis with a bevy of the top awards. Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.
#6 J Lee and the Hoodoo Skulls – Highway
This blues rock band out of the UK just cranks out some badass music!
#7 Atomic 44s – Fade to Black
I tried to see this southern California band last summer when I went to visit my younger daughter. They are the perfect roadhouse blues band. Unfortunately, COVID cancelled the show. I hope to see them on a future trip!
#8 JP Williams Blues Band featuring Ekat Pereya – Mighty Dangerous Boogie
I just love JP’s style of roadhouse blues. And I appreciate the fact that he appeared in chat on several of my BluesMusicFan Radio shows during 2021.
#9 Polly O’Keary & the Rhythm Method – I’m Not Guilty
A long time star of the blues from the American northwest, Polly O’Keary has paid her blues dues! I just love her voice!
#10 Blues Traveler – Roadhouse Blues
John Popper and company do an amazing blues version of the Doors classic. Easily one of my favorite tunes of 2021….I wonder why?!!
The entire Roadhouse 66 Best blues songs of 2021
The Roadhouse 66 list includes perennial music stars like Melissa Etheridge, Jimmy Barnes, Billy Gibbons, Van Morrison, and Doobie Brothers as well as personal favorites like Uncle Watson’s Widow, Mike Zito, Carolyn Wonderland, the Black Keys, and Davy Knowles. There are a slew of contemporary blues stars on the list such as Eddie 9V, Joanne Shaw Taylor, the Record Company, and Sue Foley. Also included are some rising stars of the genre that you may not have heard before; 8 Ball Aitken, Veronica Lewis, Ben Levin, Hendrikse, and AJ Fullerton to name just a few! I hope you get a chance to listen to all of them sometime soon. Just remember you can use my playlists on Youtube and Spotify to listen to them all and hopefully buy and download a few….the ultimate compliment to the artists!!
| ARTIST | TITLE | ||
| 1 | Altered Five Blues Band | Full Moon, Half Crazy | |
| 2 | Christone “Kingfish” Ingram | Long Distance Woman | |
| 3 | Dion | I’ve Got To Get To You | |
| 4 | Colin James | Open Road | |
| 5 | Tommy Castro | Somewhere | |
| 6 | J Lee and the Hoodoo Skulls | Highway | |
| 7 | Atomic 44s | Fade To Black | |
| 8 | JP Williams Blues Band featuring Ekat Pereyra | Mighty Dangerous Boogie | |
| 9 | Polly O’Keary & The Rhythm Method | I’m Not Guilty | |
| 10 | Blues Traveler | Roadhouse Blues | |
| 11 | Mike Zito | Dreaming Of You | |
| 12 | Billy F Gibbons | Stackin’ Bones (Feat. Larkin Poe) | |
| 13 | Markus K. | Rollin’ and Tumblin’ | |
| 14 | Sean Chambers | Rockin’ Daddy | |
| 15 | Carolyn Wonderland | Broken Hearted Blues | |
| 16 | 8 Ball Aitken | What Goes Up | |
| 17 | Eddie 9V | Dog Me Around | |
| 18 | Sue Foley | Hurricane Girl (ft. Jimmie Vaughan) | |
| 19 | The Black Keys | Coal Black Mattie | |
| 20 | Uncle Watson’s Widow | Nasty Dogs Funky Kings Precious and Grace | |
| 21 | Melissa Etheridge | For The Last Time | |
| 22 | Jimmy Barnes | End Of The Road | |
| 23 | Joanne Shaw Taylor | Stop Messin’ Round | |
| 24 | Steve Marriner | Take Me To The City | |
| 25 | Simon Kinny-Lewis | Swamp Rat | |
| 26 | Chickenbone Slim | Serve It to Me Hot | |
| 27 | The Dirty Mojo Blues Band | My Little Sue | |
| 28 | The Doobie Brothers | Cannonball | |
| 29 | Dirty Dave Osti | River Of Shame | |
| 30 | Eldon Backhouse And The Electric Blues Band | Another Man | |
| 31 | Band Of Friends | Livin’ Like a Trucker | |
| 32 | Steve Cropper | She’s So Fine | |
| 33 | Joe Metzka | Walk | |
| 34 | Tom Feldmann and Noah Levy | Going Away Baby | |
| 35 | The Record Company | Today Forever | |
| 36 | The Kokomo Kings | She´s Shaking Up A Storm | |
| 37 | Superdownhome | Homework | |
| 38 | Vintage Trouble | Low Down Dirty Dog | |
| 39 | Delta Fuse | Letter on the Table | |
| 40 | Gov’t Mule | Snatch It Back And Hold It | |
| 41 | AJ Fullerton | The Forgiver And The Runaway | |
| 42 | Davy Knowles | One & The Same | |
| 43 | Captain Morgan Express | Hanging Tree | |
| 44 | Quinn Sullivan | Wide Awake | |
| 45 | Dave Kalz | Shes Got A Hemi | |
| 46 | The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band | Too Cool To Dance | |
| 47 | Tommy Z | Tommy Guns | |
| 48 | Hendrikse | Try to Save Your Soul | |
| 49 | Andy Lindquist | The River Queen | |
| 50 | Big Chief Monk Boudreaux | Choo Choo | |
| 51 | Dionne Bennett | Full Time Job | |
| 52 | Cactus | Preaching Woman Man Blues | |
| 53 | Bernie Marsden | Me And My Guitar | |
| 54 | Teresa James and The Rhythm Tramps | Gonna Rise Together | |
| 55 | Ben Levin | I Can’t Stop It | |
| 56 | The Liberators | Wrong Distraction | |
| 57 | Trainman Blues | Troubled Mind | |
| 58 | Mike Goudreau Band | Tonight’s The Night For Big Fun | |
| 59 | Van Morrison | Deadbeat Saturday Night | |
| 60 | The Immediate Family | Slippin’ and Slidin’ | |
| 61 | Colin Linden | 4 Cars | |
| 62 | WellBad | One Kiss Too Late | |
| 63 | Dennis Siggery | Gypsy Woman | |
| 64 | Early Times & The High Rollers | Do What She Do | |
| 65 | Selwyn Birchwood | I’d Climb Mountains | |
| 66 | Veronica Lewis | Put Your Wig On Mama | |
#blues #roadhouseblues #bluesrock
Ben Vee started out spinning songs on terrestrial radio and at nightclubs back in the 1970’s in his home state of Louisiana. After a career in the construction business, he returned to DJing in 2011. He now hosts two shows each week on http://www.bluesmusicfan.com and writes about the blues at http://www.benveeblues.com from his home in Connecticut. He also has a personal 24 hour stream devoted to the Roadhouse Blues… WRHB as well as a Youtube channel.
Ben Vee Blues 