Legendary blues albums and their no less legendary covers…

Today we will talk about the great blues albums, or rather, about their bright covers, which have already become a separate art form ... We live in an era where digital music prevails. Because of this, the importance of album covers is slowly waning... But with the miraculous resurgence of vinyl, which has grown exponentially over the past couple of years, it's likely that album covers will become popular again! Let's face it: good, bad, beautiful or ugly, absolutely all covers tell their own story. They have a fantastic power to call, inspire, intrigue and charm... And they can say a lot about this or that performer! A well-crafted cover can instantly convey what simple words can't... In the early days of LP, album covers were often created without much thought, but as time went on, album art became more and more sophisticated as marketing became an important sales tool for record companies. But why are we talking about blues records today?

Unlike pop artists, most blues musicians have traditionally never been actively involved in image, making music their priority ... But this does not mean that blues artists have never cared about how they presented themselves on their album covers. Indeed, the history of music has seen extremely memorable and attention-grabbing blues album covers, and here are the brightest of them ...

Robert Johnson: King of the Delta Blues Singers (1961)

Given the mystique surrounding Johnson's short life (legend has it that he made a pact with the devil and was killed), it is perhaps fitting that the first collection of his work featured him as a painting rather than a photograph: this greatly emphasized his growing mythical status... A simple yet powerful portrait of Bert Goldblatt - an unusual overhead shot defined by bright colors, sharp contours and a spectacular chiaroscuro combination of sunlight and shadow - is rightfully considered an iconic blues album cover!

Bill Broonzy: The Bill Broonzy Story

This is Bill Broonzy's retrospective, The Big Bill Broonzy Story (in which he sings and also talks about his life). Like the Robert Johnson album, The Bill Broonzy Story was released during the folk and blues revival of the early 60s… It was also one of the many blues album covers that featured the painting: a vivid and almost flashy portrait of a blues connoisseur, cleverly drawn David Stone Martin, prolific album cover illustrator of the 50s and 60s. Using a painting rather than a photograph, the artist emphasized Broonzi's historical significance, making him a truly grandiose figure...

Mississippi Fred McDowell: I Do Not Play No Rock 'n' Roll (1969)

McDowell was 63 years old when he recorded this album, famous for its edgy guitar parts... To a large extent, this record witnessed his transition from acoustic guitar to electric guitar... The title, which translates as "I don't play rock 'n' roll" - a bold statement about the artistic independence of the musician! The cover features a sharp, sepia-toned photo of McDowell playing guitar on the back porch steps, reflecting the rawness and brutal honesty of his music...

John Lee Hooker: The Real Folk Blues (1965)

Having released his first big hit in 1949, John Lee Hooker was a true blues veteran when he recorded this LP… Its cover is a monochrome and very close-up shot of Hooker's face from the side, his eyes looking up, a deceptively simple yet powerful image that conveys an unadorned essence and the intuitive coarseness of his music...

Albert King: Born Under a Bad Sign (1967)

“If it wasn’t for bad luck, I wouldn’t have been lucky at all,” laments the influential bluesman on this album’s catchy title track… The curse theme Born Under a Bad Sign inspired one of the great blues album covers: it consists of images associated with ill omens and superstition (including a black cat, a skull and crossbones, and a calendar page for Friday the 13th…) The cover's bright, bold imagery matched the poignant vitality of King's music.

Howlin' Wolf: Howlin' Wolf (1962)

Seemingly harmless still life of Don Bronstein depicting an empty rocking chair and a guitar: this may seem to you a very strange juxtaposition ... However, it looks rather strange, if not creepy ... Unlike the covers of many blues albums, Howlin' Wolf did not reflect the music : this work of art symbolized the elemental artistic purity of Howlin's music ...

Lightnin' Hopkins: Lightnin' Hopkins (1959)

You get four Hopkins for the price of one on the eye-catching front cover of the bluesman's only LP... Anticipating Andy Warhol's influential pop art style, designer Ronald Kline (who has created over 500 folk and blues album covers for Folkways) presents a quartet of costumed Hopkins depicted from left to right in colors with increasing intensity. It conveys the chameleon personality of a musician who was known for his frequent alcohol-induced mood swings...

John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers: Blues Breakers With Eric Clapton (1966)

While the expressions of the rest of the band range from bored to wistful and shy, a preoccupied Eric Clapton is caught reading a Beano comic, which is a delightfully informal and naturalistic shot for a blues album cover! The band's blatant indifference to the photo shoot suggests that they would rather identify with the music rather than the visual medium. The background of the wall, decorated with graffiti, also emphasized the urban severity of their sound...

Johnny Watson: A Real Mother For Ya (1977)

In the late 70s, Watson created one of the most outrageous personalities of the blues genre ... The cover shows Watson's mother pushing him in a stroller turned into a car. This shows that the musician did not take himself too seriously and was not afraid to be the butt of a good joke!

Bo Diddley: Have Guitar Will Travel (1960)

Photographed with a custom-made rectangular guitar, riding a red and white scooter with his name on the side, Bo Diddley looks great, radiating positivity! This cover crystallized the bluesman's idiosyncratic brilliance...

Chuck Berry: One Dozen Berrys (1958)

The covers of some blues albums are memorable because they are terrible and clearly lacking in artistic origin. And the album cover of One Dozen Berrys is one of those cases! Lots of bright strawberries with a small photo of Berry himself superimposed on top, as well as a not-so-great pun on the title, all of which certainly attract attention. A classic example of when bad is good!