Good "female" blues songs

[big_z_in_miami]

My band has a female singer, the band is strongly blues based, but play just about anything as long as we can groove and actually play it through. We do lean toward three chord basic structure stuff, so 12 bar forms are preferred out of simplicity.

We recently learned Give Me One Reason (Tracy Chapman) which is a quick IV 12 bar format and I would like to find other "low hanging fruit" to add to our blues list that a female vocalist can fit into to.

Any ideas or artists appreciated. Particularly sultry blues soul stuff fits our sound, but I look at anything.

[sleepytime]

It doesn't get any more sultry than this.

Hot!

[mike phillips]

look into koko taylor, ruth brown, marcia ball, shamica copeland, anna popovic, bessie smith. there is a start.

[Deathblade Eric]

Originally Posted by mike phillips

look into koko taylor, ruth brown, marcia ball, shamica copeland, anna popovic, bessie smith. there is a start.

I'd add Etta James & Aretha Franklin into the mix.

Aretha may be 'The 1st Lady of Soul', but there's a load of blues stuff in her repertoire. Try this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aahRYqtnGnI (II-V-I turnaround)

Bonnie Raitt, too.

[GL797]

Originally Posted by sleepytime

It doesn't get any more sultry than this.

Hot!

That was fantastic, thanks I've never heard it before.

imo it's pretty hard to beat the original of any song.

[JTE]

My last good band had two female vocalists. Here's a set list I just found yesterday with the songs the ladies sang.

1st Set
Get Ready (Temps)
Gimme Shelter
Gotta Serve Somebody (Dylan, we learned it from something with Booker T & The MG's)
Rock Steady (Aretha)
Son Of A Preacher Man (we worked from both Dusty Springfield and Joan Osborne)
Think (Aretha again)
Use My Imagination (Gladys Knight)
Knock On Wood/In The Midnight Hour (Eddie Floyd/Wilson Picket)
Crossroads (yeah, Robert Johnson via Cream)
Who's Makin' Love
RESPECT (Aretha)

Set 2
Down Home Blues (ZZ Hill?)
Midnight Train To Georgia (Gladys)
Proud Mary (Ike & Tina's version was the starting point)
Sweet Home Chicago
Chain of Fools (Aretha)
Beast of Burden (Stones)
Runaway (yeah, the old Del Shannon song, but listen to Bonnie Raitt's version)
I'm Losing You (Temps)
Love and Happiness (Al Green)
I Feel Good (GFOS)
Soul Man (Sam & Dave, Blues Bros.)
Brown Sugar (yes, a black woman wanted to sing this one)

Set 3
I've Got The Music In Me (Kiki Dee)
Give Me One Reason (Traci Chapman)
Can't Get Next To You (Temps again)
Play That Funky Music (Wild Cherry?)
I Will Survive (Disco at its "get the young girls out there shaking nubile young flesh" best!!)
Let's Stay Together (Al Green)
Come Together (The Beatles, but I think the drummer was coming from Joey Kramer more than Ringo)
It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (Stones)
You Can Leave Your Hat On (Joe Cocker et. al.)
Closing Medley of "Life In The Fast Lane" (the Eagles) then "Thank You (Falletine Me Be Mice Elf, Again)" (Sly & The Family Stone), then "We Want The Funk (Tear The Roof Off...)" by P-Funk.

Dig into early Bonnie Raitt, Delany & Bonnie, and Joan Osborne stuff. Dig up some Shamekia Copeland, Johnny Copeland's daughter and find some stuff by Saphire, The Uppity Blues Women. Don't be afraid to cover songs traditionally sung by men.

John

[BluesMan1]

Janis Joplin comes to mind.

[Jazz Ad]

Originally Posted by GL797

That was fantastic, thanks I've never heard it before.

imo it's pretty hard to beat the original of any song.

Get Jail and Ball'n'Chain right now. Both incredible albums.

[lowendfriend]

Turn up the Heat by Shemekia Copeland is a great one for a woman to belt.

Another interesting one is Black Velvet by Alannah Myles.

Pride N Joy in G is a good female vocal.

[warnergt]

Good Times (Let the Good Times Roll) by Phoebe Snow.
Awesome female blues tune.
It's a little more complicated than your regular 12-bar blues but you can do it.

[warnergt]

By the way, Good Times is written by Sam Cooke in case you're looking
for the chords. I think he did it in D but Phoebe Snow does it in E.

[sleepytime]

Originally Posted by GL797

That was fantastic, thanks I've never heard it before.

imo it's pretty hard to beat the original of any song.

The sultry part may have been a bit tongue in cheek, but she does belt that song out.

[mcrracer]

Nellie "Tiger" Travis (out of Chicago)