4 Forgotten Blues Hits From the 1950s That Your Parents Couldn’t Stop Playing

The blues was the genre of the decade back in the 1950s, and plenty of young people that decade couldn’t get enough of it. But if you were born a bit later, you might have missed the blues boom entirely. Let’s take a look at a few blues hits from the 1950s that you might have forgotten or missed, but your parents probably listened to them often.

“Don’t Start Me Talkin’” by Sonny Boy Williamson II (1955)

This blues song was a smash hit on the charts, but the youngest among us may have never heard it. “Don’t Start Me Talkin’” by Sonny Boy Williamson II is a Chicago blues classic, one that made it all the way to No. 3 on the R&B chart in the US. Some big names can be heard in the song’s instrumentation, like Muddy Waters on guitar and Willie Dixon on bass.

“Smokestack Lightning” by Howlin’ Wolf (1956)

Alright, if you have even the most minor interest in classic blues, you’ve heard this song. But a lot of people who haven’t taken the time to give blues a chance might have missed it, so I’m including it on our list of forgotten blues hits from the 1950s. “Smokestack Lightning” by Howlin’ Wolf was an enormously popular song in 1956 and would become one of Howlin’ Wolf’s signature tunes. It peaked at No. 11 on the R&B chart and did similarly well in the UK by the 1960s.

“I Wish You Would” by Billy Boy Arnold (1955)

This hit Chicago blues track didn’t make it to the big charts. But it sold quite well and became a bit of a commercial hit back in the mid-1950s. “I Wish You Would” by Billy Boy Arnold has a very Bo Diddley vibe. Which makes sense, since the song was composed when Arnold was performing with the icon. This song is so timeless, I’m not surprised that bands like The Yardbirds have since covered it.

“Farther Up The Road” by Bobby “Blue” Bland (1957)

This entry on our list of forgotten blues hits from the 1950s was Bobby “Blue” Bland’s first chart-topper, leading to quite the career in blues music. “Farther Up The Road” is a memorable Texas shuffle song that made it to No. 1 on the R&B chart. Blues lovers like Eric Clapton still cover it regularly.

(Photo by Gems/Redferns)