15 Modern Blues Artists You Need to Hear Right Now
The blues has never stopped evolving. While skeptics periodically declare the genre dead or dying, a wave of modern blues artists is proving otherwise. From Grammy-winning guitar prodigies to soul-drenched vocalists barely old enough to rent a car, today’s blues scene is arguably the most diverse and vital it has been in decades. These musicians carry forward traditions rooted in the Mississippi Delta and Chicago’s electric revolution, yet they are reshaping the music for a new generation of listeners.
What makes this moment so remarkable is the sheer range of styles on display. Acoustic traditionalists sit alongside boundary-pushing fusionists. Southern soul merchants share festival stages with blues-rock powerhouses from across the Atlantic. Moreover, the infrastructure supporting these artists has never been stronger. Labels like Alligator Records, Blind Pig, and Gulf Coast Records continue to champion new talent. In particular, festivals from Chicago to the UK showcase emerging acts alongside legends. Consequently, the pipeline from regional club circuit to national recognition is wider than it has been in years.
The artists on this list are not legacy acts coasting on reputation. They are modern blues artists actively pushing the music forward through new recordings, ambitious touring schedules, and genuine creative risk. Some have already won Grammy and Blues Music Awards. Others are just beginning to break through nationally after years on the regional circuit. Together, they represent the best of where the genre stands right now — and where it is headed next.
1. Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
No conversation about modern blues artists begins without Christone “Kingfish” Ingram. The Clarksdale, Mississippi native has become the most visible young blues musician on the planet, and he earned that position through relentless touring, electrifying live performances, and recordings that honor Delta blues tradition while pushing it forward.
Kingfish won a Grammy for his 2022 album 662, named after the area code of his hometown. Moreover, his 2024 live album Live In London swept the Blues Music Awards, taking home Album of the Year alongside three additional wins. Furthermore, his third studio album Hard Road arrived in 2025 to critical acclaim. Notably, he has performed at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival and shared stages with Buddy Guy, who has championed him since his teenage years.
What sets Kingfish apart is his ability to channel raw Delta emotion through modern arrangements without losing authenticity. His vibrato carries echoes of B.B. King, his attack recalls Albert King’s ferocity, yet his songwriting speaks directly to contemporary experience. Additionally, his appearance in the 2025 film Sinners introduced his music to audiences far beyond the blues world. At just 26, he has already established himself as the genre’s most important ambassador. Essentially, if you listen to one artist on this list, make it Kingfish.
2. D.K. Harrell
D.K. Harrell arrived on the national blues scene like a thunderclap. The Louisiana guitarist and vocalist won the 2024 Blues Music Award for Best Emerging Artist, and his debut album Talkin’ Heavy on Alligator Records confirmed the hype was justified. Accordingly, he has quickly become one of the most talked-about modern blues artists in the country.
Harrell’s tone draws comparisons to B.B. King for its warmth and expressiveness. Nevertheless, his approach is entirely his own. He blends contemporary lyrics with classic phrasing, creating a sound that feels both timeless and fresh. In particular, his live performances crackle with energy and charisma, earning him a spot in the B.B. King Centennial Tribute at the 2025 Chicago Blues Festival alongside Kingfish and other top-tier talent.
Blues Rock Review named him among their “10 Must-Hear Blues Rock Guitarists Under 30,” and his trajectory suggests that distinction will soon feel like an understatement. Specifically, Harrell possesses the rare combination of technical skill, vocal power, and stage presence that separates career artists from flash-in-the-pan sensations. He is a natural entertainer leading the next generation of Chicago-influenced electric blues into new territory.
3. Dylan Triplett
At just 22 years old, Dylan Triplett is already reshaping what modern blues artists can sound like. The St. Louis vocalist possesses a staggering 4.5-octave range that allows him to move from gritty growl to soaring falsetto within a single phrase. His debut album Who Is He? channels R&B-inflected blues that pulls younger audiences into the genre without diluting its essence.
Triplett won the 2024 BMA for Best Emerging Artist and subsequently signed to Red Zero Records — the label founded by Kingfish himself. That endorsement speaks volumes about how the blues community views his potential. Furthermore, Triplett toured on the prestigious Experience Hendrix Tour during 2024 and 2025, performing alongside Samantha Fish, Taj Mahal, and Eric Johnson.
What makes Triplett particularly exciting is his appeal to audiences who might never walk into a traditional blues club. His music incorporates soul, R&B, and gospel influences that broaden the genre’s reach. Nonetheless, the blues foundation remains unmistakable in his phrasing and emotional delivery. He represents exactly the kind of crossover potential the blues needs to thrive — an artist who respects the roots while extending the branches.
4. Piper & The Hard Times
Piper & The Hard Times prove that “emerging” does not always mean young. This Nashville-based band spent over two decades grinding through clubs before their national breakthrough arrived in spectacular fashion. They won the 2024 International Blues Challenge, and their debut album Revelation hit number one on the Billboard Blues Chart in August 2024.
The band centers on vocalist Al “Piper” Green, whose commanding voice anchors a sound rooted in West Side Chicago blues with New Orleans funk undercurrents. Meanwhile, guitarist and primary songwriter Steve Eagon provides the instrumental backbone, while drummer Dave Colella drives the rhythm section with precision. Their second album Good Company followed in August 2025, earning the 2025 BMA for Best Emerging Artist Album.
The band’s story took a difficult turn in June 2025 when Piper received a cancer diagnosis that curtailed some performances. Nevertheless, the group has continued scheduling dates and their music remains as powerful as ever. In an era when algorithms favor polished pop productions, Piper & The Hard Times deliver something raw, lived-in, and unmistakably authentic. Their success affirms that the blues still rewards persistence and genuine feeling above all else.
5. Eddie 9V
Atlanta’s Eddie 9V — born Brooks Mason — channels vintage southern soul through a distinctly modern lens. His album Capricorn hit number one on the Billboard Blues Chart, recorded at the legendary Capricorn Studios in Macon, Georgia, where the Allman Brothers Band once laid down their iconic sessions. That choice of studio was deliberate, and the resulting sound captured something special.
Rolling Stone praised Capricorn as a “joyous southern soul scorcher,” and the description fits perfectly. Eddie 9V blends blues, soul, and funk into a seamless groove that recalls Percy Sledge, Otis Redding, and early Jump Blues pioneers. His 2024 follow-up Saratoga continued that trajectory with strong reviews across the board. Additionally, critics have compared him to the late Sean Costello for his ability to inhabit vintage sounds without resorting to mere imitation.
Still in his mid-twenties, Eddie 9V performs with the confidence and emotional depth of someone twice his age. Equally important, his songwriting balances infectious hooks with genuine lyrical substance. Specifically, he understands that great blues music must make you feel something — whether that means dancing, crying, or both simultaneously. Among modern blues artists exploring the soul-blues intersection, he stands at the front of the pack.
6. Jontavious Willis
Jontavious Willis carries the acoustic blues tradition into the present with a devotion and skill that few contemporary musicians can match. The Georgia-based multi-instrumentalist earned a Grammy nomination and drew the attention of Taj Mahal, who dubbed him his “Wonderboy.” That mentorship opened doors, including spots on the TajMo tour with Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’.
Willis’s 2024 album West Georgia Blues topped France’s Soul Bag magazine’s Best of 2024 list and won the Grand Prix de l’Académie Charles Cros in February 2025 — a prestigious French music award. Equally, his earlier work earned him the 2018 IBC Best Self-Produced CD award, marking him as one of the most promising modern blues artists long before his recent international success.
What makes Willis remarkable among modern blues artists is his command of multiple traditions. He moves fluidly between Delta blues, Piedmont fingerpicking, Texas styles, and gospel-infused country blues. Consequently, he serves as a living bridge between the genre’s acoustic foundations and its contemporary audience. In an era dominated by electric guitar heroics, Willis demonstrates that the oldest forms of the blues remain powerfully relevant and emotionally resonant.
7. Jovin Webb
Jovin Webb’s path to the blues took an unconventional detour through network television. The Louisiana native reached the American Idol Top 10 in 2020, but rather than chasing pop stardom, he returned to his roots. His debut album Drifter arrived on Blind Pig Records in October 2024, and the blues community immediately took notice.
Webb earned nominations for both the BMA Best Emerging Artist and the Blues Blast Rising Star awards. Accordingly, his vocals carry the influence of his church upbringing — powerful, emotive, and capable of conveying both joy and heartbreak within a single verse. Furthermore, his skills as a multi-instrumentalist add depth to his recordings and live performances alike.
Drifter showcases a gritty, soulful blues sound firmly rooted in the Delta tradition yet infused with contemporary sensibilities. Webb has also begun expanding internationally, with European tour dates planned across Germany and France. Essentially, he represents the kind of artist who chose the blues deliberately — not as a fallback from pop ambition, but as a calling. That intentionality comes through in every note he plays and every word he sings.
8. Jonathon “Boogie” Long
Louisiana keeps producing remarkable blues talent, and Jonathon “Boogie” Long is another prime example. The guitarist and vocalist has been grinding through the Southern club and festival circuit for years, building a loyal following through incendiary live performances. Now, with his new album Courage In the Chaos arriving in early 2026, his moment appears to have finally arrived.
The lead single “A Fool Can See” generated significant buzz across blues media, with Blues Rock Review noting that Long is hitting his creative stride after years of steady development. His playing draws from a deep well of influences — Buddy Guy’s ferocity, Albert Collins’s icy tone, and Jimi Hendrix’s adventurousness all surface in his work. Nonetheless, Long synthesizes these influences into something distinctly personal.
What separates Long from many of his contemporaries is his stamina and commitment to live performance. He is known for marathon sets that leave audiences exhausted and exhilarated in equal measure. Additionally, his songwriting has matured significantly in recent years, moving beyond showcase-style guitar workouts into genuinely compelling narrative territory. As a result, Courage In the Chaos may well be the album that elevates him from regional favorite to national prominence among modern blues artists.
9. Ronnie Baker Brooks
Ronnie Baker Brooks carries one of the most storied surnames in Chicago blues. As the son of legendary guitarist Lonnie Brooks, he grew up immersed in the genre’s electric tradition. Nevertheless, his 2025 album Blues In My DNA proved he is far more than a famous last name. The album dominated the 2025 Blues Music Awards, earning Brooks three wins: Contemporary Blues Male Artist, Contemporary Blues Album, and Song of the Year.
That triple-win performance was the breakout moment of the 2025 BMAs and signaled a major career resurgence. Although Brooks has been recording and performing for decades, Blues In My DNA captured a new level of artistic maturity and commercial appeal. The album blends traditional Chicago electric blues with modern production values, creating a sound that honors his father’s legacy while standing firmly on its own merits.
Brooks represents an important strand within the modern blues landscape — the artist who bridges generations directly. He learned his craft from the masters firsthand, spending his formative years backstage and onstage alongside his father and the elder statesmen of Chicago electric blues. Specifically, his upbringing on Chicago’s South Side and West Side club scenes gave him an education that no music school could replicate. That command of Chicago blues tradition is bone-deep, yet his songwriting addresses contemporary life with clarity and conviction. Ultimately, his success in 2025 demonstrates that deep roots and contemporary relevance are not mutually exclusive among modern blues artists.
10. Southern Avenue
Memphis-based Southern Avenue won the 2025 BMA for Band of the Year, capping a remarkable rise through the blues and roots music world. In fact, the band’s album Family on Alligator Records showcases their signature blend of Memphis soul, blues, gospel, and funk — a combination that feels inevitable given the city’s musical heritage yet sounds completely fresh in their hands.
The group builds their sound around powerful vocals and tight ensemble playing. Their gospel and church music influences give their performances an emotional intensity that transcends typical blues-rock territory. Moreover, their Memphis base connects them directly to the lineage of Stax Records, Al Green, and the city’s deep soul tradition.
Southern Avenue occupies a vital niche among modern blues artists. They demonstrate that the blues thrives when it embraces its connections to adjacent traditions rather than isolating itself. In addition, their live performances crackle with the kind of call-and-response energy that connects directly to the genre’s gospel and church roots. Consequently, their audiences include blues purists, soul music devotees, funk fans, and roots music enthusiasts alike. In a genre sometimes accused of insularity, their inclusive approach points toward a sustainable future where the blues continues to absorb and influence the music around it.
11. Marcus King
Marcus King may be the most versatile musician on this list. The South Carolina guitarist and vocalist emerged as a teenage prodigy and has since built a career that spans blues, rock, soul, country, and Americana. Notably, his 2022 solo album Young Blood earned a Grammy for Best Americana Album, while his subsequent work has continued pushing into new stylistic territory.
Some blues purists question whether King still belongs in the conversation. However, his guitar work remains deeply rooted in the blues tradition. His tone carries traces of Duane Allman’s slide work, Freddie King’s aggressive attack, and the soulful bending of Albert King. Furthermore, he consistently cites blues musicians as his primary influences and returns to blues material in his live performances.
At 29, King functions as a gateway artist — someone whose mainstream visibility draws new listeners back toward the blues. That role has historical precedent. Eric Clapton and the British Blues Invasion artists performed a similar function in the 1960s, introducing millions to Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, and their contemporaries. Accordingly, King’s crossover success benefits the entire blues ecosystem.
12. Kirk Fletcher
Kirk Fletcher is a guitarist’s guitarist — the musician other musicians study. The California-based player has earned multiple BMA nominations and is widely regarded as one of the finest blues guitarists working today. In essence, his approach emphasizes tone, taste, and restraint over flashy technique, making every note count.
Fletcher’s playing reveals a deep understanding of the B.B. King tradition of single-note expressiveness. He served as lead guitarist for The Fabulous Thunderbirds and has been a first-call session player for decades. Additionally, his solo recordings showcase a sophisticated approach to contemporary blues that incorporates jazz phrasing and soul influences without losing its blues center of gravity.
Among modern blues artists, Fletcher represents the importance of craft and musical intelligence. He does not chase trends or rely on volume and speed to impress audiences. Instead, he builds solos that tell stories, bending notes with precision and feeling that reveal new details on repeated listening. His work also reflects a deep appreciation for the West Side Chicago sound and the understated elegance of players like Robert Cray and Matt “Guitar” Murphy. For anyone who believes the blues guitar tradition peaked with the classic masters, Fletcher’s work offers compelling evidence to the contrary.
13. Ally Venable
Ally Venable carries the Texas blues guitar tradition forward with fierce determination. The East Texas native began performing at blues jams as a teenager, and her rapid development drew the attention of producers and fellow musicians across the state. She has since built a touring schedule that spans the United States and Europe, with a major UK tour confirmed for September 2026.
Venable’s guitar work sits squarely in the Texas tradition established by T-Bone Walker, Freddie King, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Her tone bites and stings with a confidence that belies her age. Moreover, her vocal abilities have grown substantially with each album, adding depth to her overall artistry. She is not merely a guitar player who sings — she is becoming a complete blues artist.
Her latest album Money Power showcases that artistic growth while maintaining the raw energy that first drew attention. Venable also benefits from strong mentorship connections within the Texas blues community, a network that has nurtured talent for generations. As a result, she represents both the present vitality and future promise of one of the blues’ most celebrated regional traditions — and she belongs in any conversation about essential modern blues artists.
14. Davy Knowles
Davy Knowles brings the blues across the Atlantic from the Isle of Man, carrying a fiery guitar style influenced by Rory Gallagher, Peter Green, and the broader British blues tradition. His November 2025 album The Invisible Man arrived to strong reviews and demonstrated a songwriter hitting his creative peak.
Knowles first gained attention as a teenage prodigy fronting Back Door Slam, and his subsequent solo career has seen steady artistic growth. In particular, his guitar playing combines technical fluency with raw emotional power, moving between delicate acoustic passages and blistering electric leads with natural ease. Furthermore, his songwriting has deepened considerably, tackling personal and universal themes with increased lyrical sophistication.
The Invisible Man represents Knowles at his most focused and confident. The album balances blues-rock intensity with quieter, more introspective moments that reveal his range as both a musician and storyteller. Specifically, his ability to shift dynamics within a single song — building from whisper to roar and back again — marks him as a performer who understands that great blues is about tension and release. Among modern blues artists working in the blues-rock space, few deliver with his level of consistency.
15. Brave Rival
Closing out this list with a band from Portsmouth, England underscores a crucial point about the modern blues landscape: it is genuinely global. Brave Rival won the 2025 UK Blues Awards Band of the Year after three consecutive years as finalists, cementing their position as one of Britain’s most exciting blues-rock acts.
The band built their following through relentless touring and two crowdfunded albums — Life’s Machine (2022) and Fight or Flight (2024). Accordingly, Classic Rock Magazine awarded Fight or Flight a 9/10, praising its ambition and songwriting quality. The group features vocalist Lindsey Bonnick, guitarist Ed “The Shred” Clarke, bassist Billy Dedman, and drummer Donna Peters. Following co-vocalist Chloe Josephine’s departure in late 2024, the band released the 5 To 4 EP in 2025, proving they remain a formidable force as a four-piece.
Brave Rival matters because they represent the global health of the blues. The British Blues Invasion of the 1960s demonstrated that the music transcends geography. Similarly, Brave Rival and the thriving UK blues scene confirm that this transatlantic exchange continues producing vital new music. Their dual-vocal harmonies, blistering guitar work, and anthemic songwriting make them essential listening for anyone tracking where modern blues artists are taking the genre next.
The Blues Is Alive and Thriving
These 15 modern blues artists represent just a fraction of the talent currently energizing the genre. From Kingfish’s Delta-rooted mastery to Brave Rival’s British blues-rock fire, from Dylan Triplett’s soul-drenched vocals to Jontavious Willis’s acoustic reverence, the breadth of modern blues has never been wider. Meanwhile, dozens of additional artists — from Selwyn Birchwood’s genre-bending fusion to Eric Gales’s virtuosic guitar work — continue to expand the genre’s boundaries from every direction.
What connects these artists is not a single sound or style. Instead, they share a commitment to emotional authenticity and musical craftsmanship that traces directly back to the genre’s origins in the Mississippi Delta and the juke joints of Chicago’s South Side. Additionally, they benefit from a blues infrastructure — labels, festivals, awards programs, and media outlets — that actively cultivates new talent rather than merely celebrating the past.
Nobody should question whether the blues will survive. These modern blues artists have answered that definitively. Instead, the real question is which of these names will define the genre’s next chapter. Based on what they are already producing, that chapter promises to be extraordinary.
