"There's no way in the world I can feel the same blues the way I used to. When I play in Chicago, I'm playing up-to-date, not the blues I was born with. People should hear the pure blues - the blues we used to have when we had no money."~ Muddy Waters

                                                                                                                          (Muddy Waters, above)

"The blues are the roots and the other musics are the fruits. It's better keeping the roots alive, because it means better fruits from now on. The blues are the roots of all American music. As long as American music survives, so will the blues."~ Willie Dixon 

                                                                                                     Otis Rush with Willie Dixon (above)

“Them pains, when blues pains grab you, you'll sing the blues right”.~ Otis Rush

"The blues was like that problem child that you may have had in the family. You was a little bit ashamed to let anybody see him, but you loved him. You just didn't know how other people would take it." ~ B.B. King 

“Logically, when you talkin' about folk music and blues, you find out it's music of just plain people.” ~Brownie McGhee

"When I'm singing the blues, I'm singing life."~ Etta James

                                                                                                                      ( Etta James, above)

"When you ain't got no money, you've got the Blues. When you ain't got no money to pay your house rent, you've still got the Blues. A lot of people holler 'I don't like no Blues', but when you ain't got no money, and you can't pay your house rent, and can't buy no food, you damn sure got the Blues!"~ Howlin' Wolf

"Listen to the lyrics - we're singing about everyday life... rich people trying to keep money, poor people trying to get it, and everyone having trouble with their husband or wife!"~ Buddy Guy

"The blues is a feeling, you can't get it out of no book. You can't write the blues on a piece of paper, you just feel the blues."~ John Lee Hooker 

"The blues is the foundation, and it's got to carry the top. The other part of the scene - the rock'n'roll and the jazz - are the walls of the blues."~ Luther Allison 

“I don't play anything but the blues, but now I could never make no money on nothin' but the blues. That's why I wasn't interested in nothin' else.”~ Howlin' Wolf

                                                                                               (Howlin' Wolf and John Lee Hooker, above)

“When you are through with the blues, you’ve got nothing to rest on.” ~ Mahalia Jackson

“Blues is my life. It's a true feeling that comes from the heart, not something that just comes out of my mouth. Blues is what I love, and blues is what I always do”.~ Koko Taylor