West Coast Blues

Big Sandy & The Fly-Rite Boys probably qualify - both West Coast and swinging blues..

However, I'm not sure that "West Coast Blues" is the name I'd attach to your list. Gatemouth sure swings, but he's 100% Texas/Louisiana in my book. The Western Swing thing is something that I always associate with Texas, ala Bob Wills & The Texas Playboys. But, that genre usually ends up with more of a country-jazz feel, IMHO. I think Bob and the 'boys ended up recording quite a bit in California, but still, they are TEXAS playboys!

Whatever you call it, swinging blues can be great and I like your list.

Some of Danny Gatton's material qualifies, too.

Marty

John, "Where does one place Taj Mahal?"

At the top of one's list, of course!

Maybe just not this exact list.

BTW, I hosted an "after rehearsal dinner" party at Harvel's (Santa Monica) two nights before my wedding, some 8 years ago. 2,000 lbs of Blues tore it up for us. Great Band!

Marty

A couple more came to mind.

Little Charlie and the Nightcats, later Rick Estrin and the Nightcats

Rick Estrin, vocals and harp, always had been the frontman but made it official when Little Charlie, guitar, decided to get off the road. Rick's vocals may be an aquired taste so check out some samples on Amazon before buying. These guys are a great party band in the West Coast Blues style.

Check out Marcia Ball. She's not West Coast Blues but she knows how to get a party going. Her most recent, Roadside Attractions, is a great place to start. She plays in a New Orleans R&B style but draws from a lot of Blues and R&B styles.

John, it depends on which album you're talking about. Taj covers a lot of territory.

+1 on Tonny Castro and Ronnie Earl. Great choices. How about Robbie Laws. Studied under Earl I think. Very similar. Plays Portland and Seattle quite a lot.

The late Robert Lucas who hailed from Long Beach gets a nod. Late in his career he ended up fronting Canned Heat.