Originally Posted by Salami

This really is much more like it - I wasn't even prepared to talk about anything which didn't have Bob in the top ten. He's managed to write the highest standard of songs continuously for over four decades, and no matter how gritty his voice gets he can still use it for a great effect.
And if we are going to have pioneers in here, Robert Johnson is an absolute essential name, because nearly all blues artists who followed him were in some way or other following his lead.