Blues TV | Blues from The White House - “Five Long Years”, featuring Buddy Guy, Mick Jagger, Jeff Beck, Gary Clark Jr., Booker T. Jones [21 February 2012]

“In Performance at the White House: Red, White and Blues” will honor the musical form that sprang from the Mississippi Delta and flourished in the Westside of Chicago with deep roots in Africa and slavery. The performances will explore those roots and pay homage to the great figures of the Blues and the songs they made famous by tracing the influence of the Blues on modern American music from soul to rock’n’roll.

Watch Red White and Blues on PBS. See more from In Performance at The White House.

Rolling Stones lead singer Mick Jagger has named his 10 favorite classic blues songs, as part of Rolling Stone magazine’s “Playlist” series, which features famous artists listing their top music in various categories. Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards compiled a list of his 10 favorite roots and reggae songs as part of the series.

Jagger tells Rolling Stone: “I tried to cover different styles and eras, although it is weighted toward the ‘50s. Pop music in Britain used to be filtered through a big machine. With these rec-ords, you got the feeling that it was coming to you directly, with an earthiness that spoke of another existence. John Lee Hooker, Memphis Slim, Big Bill Broonzy — they were also on television. It was considered folk art in Britain. It was slightly patronizing, but the essence of it was out there.”

Here is Jagger’s list:

1. “I Got to Go” Little Walter, 1955
2. “First Time I Met the Blues” Buddy Guy, 1960
3. “40 Days and 40 Nights” Muddy Waters, 1956
4. “Stones in My Passway” Robert Johnson, 1937
5. “Lonely Avenue” Ray Charles, 1956
6. “Cold Shot” Stevie Ray Vaughan, 1984
7. “Everybody Knows About My Good Thing” Z.Z. Hill, 1982
8. “Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground” Blind Willie Johnson, 1927
9. “Forty Four” Howlin’ Wolf, 1954
10. “Going Down” Freddie King, 1971

Source : Rolling Stone Magazine