Chicago blues is a form of blues music developed in Chicago, Illinois, in the 1950s, in which the basic instrumentation of Delta blues—acoustic guitar and harmonica—is augmented with electric guitar, amplified bass guitar, drums, piano, harmonica played with a microphone and an amplifier, and sometimes saxophone. The best-known Chicago blues musicians include singer-songwriters and bandleaders Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and Willie Dixon; guitar players such as Elmore James, Luther Allison, and Buddy Guy; and harp (blues slang for harmonica) players such as Little Walter, Paul Butterfield, and Charlie Musselwhite. Since the 1960s, the Chicago blues style and sound has spread around the US, the UK and beyond.

A Alberta Adams (July 26, 1917 – December 25, 2014). In 1952, she signed a recording contract with Chess Records and recorded with Red Saunders for the label. She toured with Duke Ellington, Eddie Vinson, Louis Jordan, Lionel Hampton, and T-Bone Walker, among others. Linsey Alexander (born July 23, 1942, Holly Springs, Mississippi). Moved to Chicago in 1959, where he was active in the South Side music scene and became one of the hardest-working bluesmen in Chicago. He is known for his strong voice and guitar with his own style of electric blues. His album Been There Done That, recorded by Delmark Records in 2012, has been critically acclaimed as pure blues of the finest quality. Luther Allison (August 17, 1939, Widener, Arkansas – August 12, 1997). Moved to Chicago as a teenager and became a major force in the blues scene there, primarily as an electric guitarist and also as a singer. He released many albums for Alligator Records, based in Chicago. Kokomo Arnold (February 15, 1901, Lovejoy's Station, Georgia – November 8, 1968). Slide guitarist and vocalist who began his career in New York City and moved to Chicago in the latter half of the 1920s. He stopped recording for good in 1938, because he was not making a livable wage performing. His first recording was for Decca Records. Several compilation albums of his work have been released, such as those issued by Document Records.

B Chico Banks (March 7, 1962, Chicago – December 4, 2008). Released one album in 1997 for Evidence Records and played with many other blues musicians. L.V. Banks (October 28, 1932, Stringtown, Mississippi – May 2, 2011). Moved to Chicago in 1965 and released two albums for Wolf Records. George Barnes (July 17, 1921, South Chicago Heights, Illinois – September 5, 1977). Electric guitar pioneer who recorded at the age of 16 with Big Bill Broonzy. He also recorded with Blind John Davis, Jazz Gillum and other notable Chicago blues artists, but was better known as a swing jazz guitarist and composer. Barrelhouse Chuck (born July 10, 1958, Columbus, Ohio – December 12, 2016) Lefty Bates (March 9, 1920, Leighton, Alabama – April 7, 2007). Guitarist who played on numerous recordings of Chicago blues, jazz and R&B. Carey Bell (November 14, 1936, Macon, Mississippi – May 6, 2007). Acoustic and electric harmonica blues and Chicago blues multi-instrumentalist, playing bass guitar, guitar, drums and harmonica and singing. He released several albums for Alligator Records, Delmark Records and other labels. Fred Below (September 16, 1926 – August 14, 1988). Drummer for the Aces and Little Walter and session player for Muddy Waters and many others. Buster Benton (July 19, 1932, Texarkana, Arkansas – January 20, 1996). Guitarist in Willie Dixon's Blues All-Stars, best known for his solo rendition of Dixon's song "Spider in My Stew." Elvin Bishop (born October 21, 1942, Glendale, California). An American blues and rock music singer, guitarist, bandleader, and songwriter. An original member of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of that group in 2015 and the Blues Hall of Fame in his own right in 2016. Scrapper Blackwell (February 21, 1903, Syracuse, North Carolina – October 27, 1962). Acoustic Piedmont blues artist and an early exponent of Chicago blues, who worked closely with pianist Leroy Carr. He also backed the singer Black Bottom McPhail. Document Records has issued most of his work in three volumes. Mike Bloomfield (July 28, 1943, Chicago – February 15, 1981). Guitarist. Boston Blackie – (November 6, 1943 – July 11, 1993). Stage name of Benjamin Joe "Bennie" Houston, born and raised in Alabama who established himself as a guitarist and singer on Chicago's West Side. He was shot dead by fellow musician Tail Dragger Jones. Eddie Boyd (November 25, 1914, Stovall, Mississippi – July 13, 1994). Blues pianist, singer, and songwriter, a fixture of the Chicago blues scene, performing electric and acoustic Chicago blues. He toured Europe with Buddy Guy in 1965. He left the United States and lived abroad because of racial discrimination. He recorded for Love Records, Decca Records, and other labels., Billy Branch (born October 3, 1951, Great Lakes, Illinois). Blues harp player and vocalist who plays electric Chicago blues. He leads his own band, the Sons of Blues, and has released several albums for Evidence Records, Alligator Records and other labels. John Brim (April 10, 1922, Hopkinsville, Kentucky – October 1, 2003). Acoustic and electric Chicago blues guitarist, harmonica player and singer who regularly performed with his wife, Grace, on drums. He recorded for Fortune Records and Chess Records, among others. Lonnie Brooks (December 18, 1933 – April 1, 2017). Guitarist and singer. Ronnie Baker Brooks (born Rodney Dion Baker, January 23, 1967, Chicago). Blues singer and guitarist. His father, the blues guitarist Lonnie Brooks, was a strong musical influence on him, as were Buddy Guy, Junior Wells and other Chicago blues luminaries who jammed at the Brookses' home while he was growing up. His brother Wayne Baker Brooks is also a blues musician, and the three Brookses often appear as guests in each other's shows. Wayne Baker Brooks (born April 30, 1970, Chicago). Guitarist and singer, son of the blues guitarist Lonnie Brooks (as above). Big Bill Broonzy (June 26, 1903, Altheimer, Arkansas – August 14, 1958). Acoustic country blues musician who performed Chicago blues, singing and playing guitar and mandolin. He recorded over 350 compositions. J. T. Brown (April 2, 1918, Mississippi – November 24, 1969). Electric and acoustic Chicago blues tenor saxophonist and singer. He performed with Washboard Sam, Eddie Boyd, Elmore James and others. George "Mojo" Buford (November 10, 1929, Hernando, Mississippi – October 11, 2011). Played periodically in Muddy Waters's band. Aron Burton (June 15, 1938 – February 29, 2016). Played with Albert Collins, Freddie King and Champion Jack Dupree and released a number of solo albums, including Good Blues to You (Delmark, 1999). George "Wild Child" Butler (October 1, 1936, Hernando, Mississippi – March 1, 2005). Electric guitarist, blues harp player and vocalist. He recorded in the 1960s and 1970s for Mercury Records. In the 1980s he moved to Canada and continued recording and performing. His last album was released by APO Records in 2001. Paul Butterfield (December 17, 1942, Chicago – May 4, 1987). Amplified harmonica player, guitarist, vocalist and flautist who performed blues-rock and Chicago blues. He recorded for various labels, including Bearsville Records and Elektra Records.

C Eddie C. Campbell (May 6, 1939 – November 20, 2018). Electric blues guitarist and singer. Performed with Howlin' Wolf, Luther Allison and many others. His debut album was for Mr. Blues Records. He has recorded for Blind Pig Records, JSP Records and other labels. Karen Carroll (January 30, 1958 – March 9, 2016). Blues vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter, the daughter of Mack Carroll and Alberta Simmons (stage name Jeanne Carroll). She first recorded with the Blues Masters (Carey Bell and his son Lurrie Bell) on the album Son of a Gun, released in 1984 by Rooster. She recorded two albums for Delmark Records and contributed to at least eight works on that label. She has written and recorded many singles and holds copyrights to them. Her final release was in 2011. Toronzo Cannon (born February 14, 1968, in Chicago, Illinois). Electric blues guitarist, vocalist and songwriter.Lipkin, Marc. "Chicago Bluesman Toronzo Cannon Signs With Alligator Records" Alligator Records. 15 June 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2016 Leonard Caston (June 2, 1917, Sumrall, Mississippi – August 22, 1987). Rhythm and blues pianist and a member of the Chicago blues band the Big Three Trio, with Willie Dixon and Ollie Crawford. He recorded for Okeh Records and Columbia Records with the group. After the trio broke up, he performed soul music and urban contemporary gospel as an organist. Chicago Blues All-Stars – An American blues band based in Chicago and formed in 2007. William Clarke (March 29, 1951, Inglewood, California – November 3, 1996). Blues harmonica player and singer. He recorded for various labels, including Alligator Records, Watch Dog Records and Rivera Records. Willie Clayton (born March 29, 1955, Indianola, Mississippi). Having started performing in the late 1960s, he has had 10 albums in the Billboard Top Blues Albums chart. Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater (January 10, 1935 – June 1, 2018). Moved to Chicago at the age of fifteen. He is a modern electric rhythm and blues and Chicago blues guitarist and singer. He has recorded numerous solo albums for Rounder Records, Delmark Records, and other labels. Climax Blues Band. Formed in 1968 and based in Stafford, England, performing blues-rock in the Chicago blues vein. In later years, the band has ventured into soft rock, roots rock and pop rock. The band has released many albums for Sire Records, Warner Bros. Records and others. Michael Coleman (June 24, 1956 – November 2, 2014). Played with James Cotton, Eddy Clearwater, Syl Johnson, and John Primer. Beginning in 1995, he released five albums, for Delmark Records and others James Cotton (born July 1, 1935, Tunica, Mississippi – March 16, 2017). Blues harmonica player and singer who got his start performing Delta blues, later moving to Chicago and performing Chicago blues. Performing in both acoustic and electric settings, he has recorded dozens of albums, for Alligator Records, Verve Records and other labels. He led the James Cotton Blues Band.Palmer, Robert (1992). "Church of the Sonic Guitar", pp. 13–38 in Anthony DeCurtis, Present Tense. Duke University Press. pp. 24–27. . Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup (August 24, 1905, Forest, Mississippi – March 28, 1974). Guitarist and singer who began his career performing Delta blues. He later moved to Chicago, where he continued performing Delta blues and also Chicago blues, in both acoustic and electric environments. Not until the blues revival of the 1960s did he receive widespread appreciation from audiences.Szatmary, David (2013). Rockin' in Time. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson. 8th edition,

D Lester Davenport (January 16, 1932, Tchula, Mississippi – March 17, 2009). Moved to Chicago in 1945. Electric Chicago blues harmonica player and vocalist, sometimes called Mad Dog Davenport. He recorded his first album in 1991 for Earwig Music. He recorded I Smell a Rat for Delmark Records in 2002. Blind John Davis (December 7, 1913, Hattiesburg, Mississippi – October 12, 1985). Accomplished blues, jazz, and boogie-woogie pianist who recorded with Sonny Boy Williamson, Tampa Red, Big Bill Broonzy, Merline Johnson and others. Jimmy Dawkins (October 24, 1936, Tchula, Mississippi – April 10, 2013). Moved to Chicago in 1955. Guitarist and vocalist and a fixture of the modern electric Chicago blues scene. His first album, Fast Fingers, was recorded in 1969 for Delmark Records, for which he recorded several others. He also recorded for the Earwig Music and other labels.