One of the best jam sessions in St. Louis takes place right here at the National Blues Museum: Sittin’ On the Porch. The jam welcomes players of all skill levels, instruments, and backgrounds (for real, new jammers, this is the jam in town for you). If you are headed to the beloved jam, one of your first questions might be, “what song should I play?” While you are totally able to just sit in with other musicians and follow after them, coming prepared with your own tune picked out to play is one of the best things you can do to get started. Also, get used to calling them “tunes,” it makes you seem cooler than saying “songs.” I would’ve called this top Blues Jam Session Tunes, but only real hip cats would see it.
There are several Blues songs that most Blues musicians are familiar with, and many Blues songs follow similar forms and structures to one another. So if you have a favorite 12-bar blues shuffle, even if its a deep cut or by an atypical artist–“Penthouse Pauper” by Creedence Clearwater Revival, for instance–you could say “alright, it’s a shuffle in C,” sing your song, and the band will just be able to follow along.
That being said, certain songs in the Blues canon are touchstones, and if you show up with one prepared, there’s a good chance musicians will be able to properly back you up. Picking out a standard Blues song or two would be the best practice for going to jams, especially for your first time. So, here is a list of songs that often get called and Blues jam sessions that you could bring to Sittin’ on the Porch:
Each song is listed with its composer and important renditions of the song in parentheses.
1. (They Call It) Stormy Monday – T-Bone Walker (Albert King, T-Bone Walker, Allman Brothers Band)
2. Everyday I Have the Blues – Pinetop and Milton Sparks (B.B. King, Joe Williams, T-Bone Walker)
3. Kansas City – Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller (Wilbert Harrison, Little Richard, The Beatles)
4. See See Rider – Ma Rainey (Lead Belly, Ma Rainey, Ray Charles, The Animals)
5. How Many More Years – Howlin’ Wolf
6. Got My Mojo Working – Red Foster (Muddy Waters, Ann Cole)
7. Dust My Broom – Robert Johnson (Elmore James, Robert Johnson, Fleetwood Mac)
8. Before You Accuse Me – Ellas McDaniels (Bo Diddley, CCR, Eric Clapton)
9. I Just Want to Make Love to You – Willie Dixon (Muddy Waters, Rolling Stones, Etta James)
10. Farther Up the Road – Robey/Vesey (Bobby Blue Bland, Eric Clapton)
11. Hoochie Coochie Man – Willie Dixon (Muddy Waters, Allman Brothers Band, Jimmy Smith)
12. Born Under A Bad Sign – Booker T. Jones (Albert King, Cream)
13. Sweet Home Chicago- Robert Johnson
14. I Ain’t Superstitious – Willie Dixon (Howlin’ Wolf, Jeff Beck)
15. The Thrill is Gone – Roy Hawkins (B.B. King)
16. Caldonia – Fleecie Moore (Louis Jordan)
17. My Baby Left Me – Arthur Crudup (Arthur Crudup, Elvis Presley, CCR)
18. Pride and Joy – Stevie Ray Vaughan
19. You Can’t Judge a Book by the Cover – Bo Diddley
20. Johnny B. Goode – Chuck Berry
21. Hound Dog – Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller (Big Mama Thornton, Elvis Presley)
22. I Don’t Know – Willie Mabon (Albert King/Otis Rush, Buddy Guy/Junior Wells, Blues Brothers)
23. Spoonful – Willie Dixon (Howlin’ Wolf, Etta James, Cream)
24. Cross Road Blues – Robert Johnson (Robert Johnson, Cream, Elmore James)
25. Baby What You Want Me to Do – Jimmy Reed (Jimmy Reed, Elvis Presley, Etta James)
26. Evil (Is Going On) – Willie Dixon (Howlin’ Wolf)
27. I’m a King Bee – Slim Harpo (Slim Harpo, Muddy Waters, Rolling Stones)
28. Long Tall Sally – Blackwell/Johnson/Richard (Little Richard, The Beatles, The Kinks)
29. Killing Floor – Howlin’ Wolf (Howlin’ Wolf, Led Zeppelin)
30. Yonder Wall – James Clark (Elmore James, Junior Parker, Junior Wells/Buddy Guy)
31. Why I Sing the Blues – B.B. King (B.B. King, Aretha Franklin)
32. Crosscut Saw – N/A (Albert King, Tommy McClennan, Otis Rush)
33. The Sky Is Crying – Elmore James (Elmore James, Albert King, Stevie Ray Vaughan)
34. Little Red Rooster – Willie Dixon (Howlin’ Wolf, Rolling Stones, Sam Cooke)
35. Love In Vain – Robert Johnson (Robert Johnson, The Rolling Stones)
36. Maybellene – Chuck Berry
37. Ramblin’ on My Mind – Robert Johnson (Robert Johnson, Lucinda Williams, John Mayall)
38. No Particular Place to Go – Chuck Berry
39. Something Inside Me – Elmore James
40. Sitting on Top of the World – Vinson/Chatmon (Howlin’ Wolf)
41. Come On In My Kitchen – Robert Johnson
42. Ball and Chain – Willie Mae Thornton (Big Mama Thornton, Janis Joplin)
43. Boom Boom – John Lee Hooker (John Lee Hooker, The Animals)
44. Baby, Please Don’t Go – Traditional (Big Joe Williams, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Muddy Waters)
45. Louise – Howlin’ Wolf (Big Bill Broonzy, Howlin’ Wolf)
This list is only the start of all the great blues songs out there you can bring to the National Blues Museum’s jam session, or any blues jam session! If you’re in St. Louis, make sure to stop by the National Blues Museum, one of the best things to do in St. Louis indoors and one of the best places to see live music in St. Louis. The museum features a chronological history of blues music, and has a variety of exciting regular concerts. THE JAM SESSION IS ALWAYS FREE, and many of the National Blues Museum’s summer events, such as are weekly outdoor Blues on the Block series (every Saturday) are free as well. Some of the best free things to do in St. Louis occur at the National Blues Museum. Check out our calendar for the latest regional and national blues acts playing at the museum in our state of the art venue, the Legends Room, each Friday as part of our Howlin’ Fridays concert series. We hope to see you at the jam session, hear your passion for the blues, and get a chance to show you around the museum.
