13 Modern Blues Guitarists to keep on your radar in 2025
Published on 26 November 2024
If you’ve got the blues, they’ve got the groove. And ain’t no chirograph signed with the devil needed either. Modern blues guitarists often pride themselves in being masters of their own fate. They have the technical skills, impeccable songwriting abilities capturing fleeting emotions and turning them into memorable licks and a serious musicianship to add to it all. If you’re looking for a list of the most legendary blues artists, I invite you to my previous article where I also briefly touched on the genre itself.
In today’s blog I’ll look at some of the best modern blues guitarists that are making huge waves not only on their home turf but also internationally. I took into account multiple factors such as their fanbase, unique styles, skillset, early stage of their careers and any awards they may have already achieved. These thirteen names are ones you wanna watch and catch live before they turn absolutely legendary and ticket prices for their shows go through the roof.
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Toby Lee
Nevermind over 16 million views on YouTube: when Joe Bonamassa himself declares you “a future superstar of the blues” you could easily rest on laurels. But Toby - because that’s who we’re talking about here - luckily has the right mindset despite his tender age and only feels propelled to work ever harder. This guitar-slinging prodigy hails from Oxfordshire where he began his rather astonishing career. Toby is a self-taught guitarist whose love for the instrument took him on a musical journey early on.
Lee appeared on a few TV programs including The Ellen Show and starred in the musical School of Rock. The world first heard of him after he played guitar at B.B. King Blues Club as a ten year old child and swept the audience off their feet. Toby is fully endorsed by Gibson, has won a Young Blues Artist of the Year award at the UK Blues Awards in 2018 and is now a well established musician, recording with Peter Frampton or touring with Jools Holland. We caught up with Toby only a month ago ahead of his show in Edinburgh where he showed us his touring rig - watch the episode below.
Grace Bowers
Raise your hand if you haven’t heard of this force of nature! Her name is Grace Bowers, she has only just turned 18 and has already performed with the likes of Dolly Parton, stolen the spotlight at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Festival and left sweet stardust on stage after a wall shattering set at Newport Folk Festival. Did I mention she got endorsed by Gibson at the age of fourteen? Now, let me tell you you need to have some serious talent about you to make that happen. After relocating to Nashville with her family, Grace became a professional songwriter and recorded her debut album titled Wine on Venus with her band The Hodge Podge (produced by John Osbourne). Her playing resembles that of the greatest blues masters from the past, with incredibly emotive melodic solos, funky grooves, soul-inspired phrasing and original licks that will blow your listening ear. As quoted by Rolling Stone magazine, “her 20-minute performance gave the distinct sense that everyone lucky enough to have attended was witnessing a star in the making”. I am yet to see Grace live but something tells me this is exactly what I’m about to see.
Marcus King
Killer guitar solos, catchy melodic phrasing, fusing a dash of other old time genres like soul and jazz all in a very sophisticated form. That’s how you steal a mainstream audience in the XXI century blues scene. One Marcus King has this recipe in his pinky finger and a mighty, soulful vocal to match it with. Marcus performs with his own band - The Marcus King Band, who have been noted as one of the fastest rising contemporary blues artists in 2023. When you stick on any of their songs, you’ll instantly find yourself tapping your foot to the groove and humming the catchy melodies for hours afterwards. Filling up the Grand Ole Opry, being nominated for Best Americana Album at the Grammy Awards all before he turned 20 - folks, we’ve got a bright star exploding in front of our own eyes.
I think it’s safe to say Marcus is one to soon be too big for this list.
Jared James Nichols
We love JJN here at guitraguitar and have had the pleasure to watch his career shoot over the last few years, blossoming from a skinny boy with a lion’s mane into a serious man channeling a true lion’s stance with one thing unchanged: his guitar tone (and his voice) are a mighty ROAR! If there’s any artist who is a testament of “being in the moment” it’s got to be Jared for me. When you see him live on stage something magical happens and you suddenly find yourself pulled to the bygone era of smoky dive bars. Jared’s larger-than-life personality really shines on stage where he truly belongs. JJN’s Blues Power army of dedicated fans are nothing but a testimony of his blues artistry. So is being a brand ambassador and endorsee for some of the biggest guitar companies in the world - Gibson and Epiphone as well as Blackstar amplification. If you missed our in-store clinics with Jared you’re very lucky as he was kind enough to film some very cool content which you can find on our YouTube channel, such as no-pick approach or blues box tricks and more! And if you'd like to find out more about this phenomenal Les Paul slinger, why not check out our exclusive interview with Jared here.
Samantha Fish
Singer, songwriter and a guitarist extraordinaire, Samantha Fish brings a fresh lease of life to the modern stage (you can check out our exclusive interview with Samantha here). Fish’s vocal tone is captivating and empowering (you’ll understand when you see her live), her guitar riffs catchy and full of groove making her shows an unforgettable experience. Samatha has coined her very own style of performances loaded with self-expressionism and feel-good energy that is truly contagious. When she isn’t slinging her Gibson SG, she’s rockin out on a cigar box - there’s nothing this woman can’t do and she does it looking like a silver screen siren too! Who says old time blues is a thing of the past?
Philip Sayce
Lauded for his technical prowess, Philip Sayce started off his guitar career as a teenager frequently gigging across Toronto’s clubs and bars. It wasn’t until he moved to Los Angeles and got recommended to join Melissa Etheridge as a guitarist in her band in 2004 that Philip’s musical journey really began to reach new heights. He performed at Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival at Madison Square Garden in 2013 and was highlighted as one of the top performances of the festival by Premier Guitar.
Although he can be seen mostly with PRS in recent years, Philip's favorite instrument is a white 1963 Fender Strat which he refers to as Mother.
You are right to think that Sayce is more of a veteran of the scene with several solo albums under his belt. But somehow his name doesn’t come up in the ranks of the usual blues’ favourites and it’s a shame, as I feel he definitely deserves more attention. That’s why I included him here today.
Dom Martin
Dom Martin is a multi award winning singer songwriter hailing from Belfast, Northern Ireland. Dom has been predominantly known for his outstanding acoustic guitar and vocal chops, winning the Acoustic Artist of The Year award in three consecutive years (2020, 2021, 2022) and eventually landing a sweet spot in the UK Blues Hall of Fame.
Martin has been compared by many to the legendary Blues/Rock guitar gods Rory Gallagher and Gary Moore. His popularity gained him a huge following which turned global after his outstanding performance whilst aboard Joe Bonamassa’s Cruise in the Summer of 2023.
Chris Buck
Chris Buck is a blues rock guitarist and songwriter from Newport, South Wales. He started playing guitar at the age of 13. Chris amassed a huge online fanbase prompted by his unique teaching approach. He is best known for his 'pick and fingers' technique - you can check out our Artist Toolkit with Chris below to get a taste of his clever teachings!
Voted ‘Best New Guitarist’ and ‘Best Blues Guitarist’ by the readers of Guitarist Magazine, Chris Buck has established his position amongst the best in business. If that wasn’t enough, his new band Cardinal Black’s debut album, ‘January Came Close’, conquered top charts in the UK in the first weeks after its launch.
It’s safe to say Chris is one of the most tastefully melodic guitarists to emerge from the UK in the last decade, incorporating chordal style with intricate lead parts. Peer admiration in the industry speaks volumes too, with names such as Adrian Smith, Bernie Marsden and even Slash, all giving this young Welsh blues-rocker the highest praise.
Ally Venable
Anyone who dares to touch Stevie Ray Vaughan’s repertoire is a brave player if you ask me. Those are big shoes to fill and you know his fans will watch you play like hawks so that you don’t ruin the master’s impeccable artwork. One Texan who fears nothing of the kind is called Ally Venable and you best believe the audience LOVES when she plays SRV because apparently Ally’s talent mesmerises them in inexplicable ways. Venable is in her early twenties yet her gift echoes the old time’s greats. Her guitar playing style is intricately expressive, blending edgy phrasing with furiously fast soloing and vibrato, all seamlessly flowing through the song; her voice has a depth and complimenting tone, all resulting in a mature blues artistry. Four albums in, Ally is only just beginning…
Joanne Shaw Taylor
Discovered by Dave Stewart of Eurythmics at the age of sixteen, Joanne Shaw Taylor is an English blues rock guitarist with a head-turning musical portfolio. You’ll mostly see Taylor slinging her favourite Telecaster (nicknamed Junior), delivering punchy, super-overdriven lead tones paired with a raspy yet soulful voice and one hell of a stage performance. Her phenomenal covers album, The Blues Album, which scored here a number 1 spot on the international Billboard charts, was co-produced by the current blues masters Joe Bonamassa & Josh Smith. Now based in Nashville, you can catch Joanne play a live show in the US more likely than Europe.
Christone 'Kingfish' Ingram
Most of us guitarists heard of Christone through a striking signature Fender Custom Kingfish Telecaster Deluxe hitting the market in 2022. So we looked him up and it turned out he’d just won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album for his 662 album earlier that year, along with multiple other awards for his previous record Kingfish. This kid was just twenty-three then! The Mississippi native has since shared the stage with Buddy Guy, Tedeschi Trucks Band to name a few. Christone’s guitar tone is described as dramatic, soulful and virtuosic. Kingfish is no doubt the Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year - not just because he literally won this award but he is really good. I would be thrilled to see him live and am looking forward to any UK tour announcements with huge anticipation!
Gráinne Duffy
Gráinne Duffy’s career began back in 2007 when she released her highly acclaimed debut album Out Of The Dark. She has been making waves on the blues and roots scene on both sides of the pond since her stupendous performance at Glastonbury Festival in 2008.
Gráinne was born in a rural Irish setting but never took to the traditional folk music as most of her peers would. Her playing style however breathes a familiar Celtic feel to a blues dominated scenario. As Gráinne says herself, “whether that’s our common sense of timing or our use of accents, whatever that is, I like it just has a Celtic feel without it being any one distinct thing too.” This naturally recalls the great talent of Rory Gallagher who was a huge inspiration for Duffy, along with Peter Green and Jimi Hendrix. Aside from her distinctive guitar style, the artist is loved for her poetic lyricism and enigmatic stage presence. In March 2018, Spotify listed Duffy in the Top 50 Women Honouring Blues.
Tyler Bryant
Tyler is yet another of those artists who, compelled by their inner need to create and being surrounded by likeminded individuals, decided to relocate to Nashville from his family town in Texas. And as in most cases, that was the decision which would determine his fate. Bryant was also a staple child prodigy, having started playing guitar at just six years old he was instantly drawn to the top shelf guitar slingers like Muddy Waters. His techniques echo those early influences and you can hear a distinct southern Americana groove in Bryant’s playing too. In 2009 he started his band Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown which rapidly became one of Nashville’s favourite live bands. With the success of their debut album Wild Child, Bryant was hailed the next best voice in the blues guitar community with fans comparing his skills to those of Jeff Beck.
Honourable mentions
The brunt of responsibility for making such lists sure does weigh heavy on the author. I gave myself a strict 13-names-only-limit. Believe me I am under no delusion that this list is missing a lot of names; some purely because they’re already somewhat etched into the canon of blues history and need no shoutouts, others simply because I may not have heard of them (yet), or some of them cross-over multiple genres and are therefore rather tricky to categorise. However, I feel it’d be utterly unfair not to mention a few more names in my honorary section below:
Derek Trucks
Susan Tedeshi
Kaleo
Gary Clark jr
Blind Boy Paxton
Kirk Fletcher
Eric Johanson
Davy Knowles
John Smith
Rhys Stygal
Final Thoughts
I hope this piece inspired you today - perhaps you discovered your next favourite artist or felt the urge to play some riffs on your guitar after reading it.
Either way, I think you'll agree that the future of the blues music looks brighter than an average music listener gives it credit - here's to the blues!
