Best blues guitarist, Clapton or Green

I've seen Hendrix, Page (four times), Clapton (three times, including his show at Alpine Valley, which was SRV's final performance, when those two and Buddy Guy and Robert Cray jammed a couple tunes at the end!), and lots of other blues bands famous and unknown. Clapton's later stuff is regretably middle of the road, very commercial, and completely soulless. Hendrix remains THE figurehead of all electric guitarists, and Clapton's stuff through early 70's is unmatched for sheer innovation within the blues idiom. Any Cream song totally blows away most conventional blues music. I know they were derivative of actual black blues artists, but what they did was interpret the basic music and make it better, and Clapton was at the center of that music. He was truly inspired back then, now he just sounds tired, even contrived. SRV was never much of an innovator, and not even very technicaly adept, but he could boogie. And yes, you should check out Steve Still's first solo effort--the remastering has made it sound like a modern recording, and the music is superb, with Hendrix, Clapton, and Booker T! The top 40 song, Love the One You're With, is the worst on the whole album.

Yeah, nice take Madisonears. I'm a huge Clapton fan, always have been but I must admit I lose patience with the pop stuff, I mean Babyface-come on!!! With the work he's done in the past who would've thunk It! I think the last really good album he did IMO is Journeyman. I caught that tour twice and it was good. Behind the Cradle is pretty good too but it sucks sonically. At the same time, being an artist means creativity and a lot of times that means new - so I respect some of the stuff he's doing but I can't listen to most of it. I can't listen to more than 10 seconds of Tears in Heaven despite his message. But look at the Stones - after Exile and arguably the greatest 4 albums in rock and roll history and back to back no less, it's been hit and miss ever since. How many great songs can you write - compare Sympathy for the Devil, Jumpin Jack Flash, and Gimme Shelter just to name 3 out of a possible what, 30 classics, to the current closer "Out of control" not bad but......

You all mention great blues guitarist, buuuuut I heard that in heaven God's choice is Roy Buchanan.

Neither. Johnny Winter, hands down. Now I love Clapton and SRV and all of the other that have been mentioned, but they can't match Johnny when it comes to playing from the gut. If you want your blues to sound like it's being performed in an inner city bar at 3 in the morning by someone who is ready to dig down and get dirty, then Johnny's your man. I've seen Buddy in concert and he was an incredible showman. Clapton probably is God, and SRV was brilliant in his constantly changing variations. But Johnny at his best is better than anyone I've ever heard. Listen to the title track (Hell, listen to the whole damn CD) of "Third Degree". Johnny is not polished or practiced or precise like all of the others. His style is raw, powerful, fluid and genuine. To my mind, this is what blues is supposed to be. He has had a very up and down career. A lot of his recordings sound awful. But, IMHO, no modern blues guitarist has ever immersed himself so throughly into the blues as has Johnny Winter. And on a good day, I doubt if even "Slow Hand" could keep up with him.

Dennisn, I had a most of Johnny's Album and have replaced them with cds. I love his work with Muddy. I have a Johnny solo album "nothing but the Blue" with a great track I think its called "the sun is shining". James Cotton intros the song with some great harmonica. Guess I'll buy the CD. PS- On Guitar Slinger- the bass player and drummer are the Ice Breakers ffrom Albert Collins. They are great.