The Blues Song List
This is the full list of songs that we typically have at our disposal for class. All songs are listed by beats per minute (BPM) from slowest to fastest. We've included links to YouTube when we could find the exact songs that we use and all of the links open up the blues playlist on our Down Right Dance YouTube channel.
Blues Tempos
For Blues, we typically start everyone right around the 70 BPM range. Slow tempos for Blues tend to be at the 50 BPM range while mid-tempo Blues is 75 BPM-100 BPM. Finally, a "fast" Blues tempo for this region tends to be around 125 BPM and up.
Blues Playlist
- Josh Fialkoff - Poison - 40 BPM
- Susan Tedeshi - Just Won't Burn - 44 BPM
- Robin Thicke - Dreamworld - 47 BPM
- Tab Benoit - Cherry Tree Blues - 50 BPM
- Nina Simone - Do I Move You? - 53 BPM
- Buddy Guy - Somebody's Sleeping In My Bed - 53 BPM
- Erykah Badu - A Child with the Blues - 55 BPM
- Shemekia Copeland - Salt In My Wounds - 55 BPM
- Bad Influence - Tain't Nobody's Business If I Do - 55 BPM
- Norah Jones - Turn Me On - 56 BPM
- Eric Clapton - I Want A Little Girl - 57 BPM
- Brother Yusef - Love & the Blues - 57 BPM
- Martin Sexton - Can't Stop Thinking 'Bout You - 57 BPM
- Etta James - You Shook Me - 57 BPM
- Chris Randall - St. James Infirmary Blues - 59 BPM
- Sugar Ray Norcia, Charlie Musselwhite - Life Will Be Better - 60 BPM
- Eliza Lynn - I'll Fly Away - 61 BPM
- Ike and Tina Turner - 3 O'Clock in the Morning Blues - 62 BPM
- Eva Cassidy - Ain't No Sunshine - 64 BPM
- Eric Clapton - Sinner's Prayer - 64 BPM
- Muddy Waters - Deep Down In Florida - 65 BPM
- Amy Irving - Why Don't You Do Right? - 65 BPM
- B.B. King & Eric Clapton - Ten Long Years - 66 BPM
- Cyndi Lauper - How Blue Can You Get? - 66 BPM
- Hans Zimmer & Nina Simone - I Want A Little Sugar In My Bowl - 66 BPM
- Brother Yusef - 5 Long Years - 68 BPM
- B.B. King - How Blue Can You Get - 68 BPM
- Taj Mahal/Taj Mahal Meets the Cultural Music Club of Zanzibar - Catfish Blues - 68 BPM
- The Pussycat Dolls - Feelin' Good - 69 BPM
- Diana Krall - I'm Just a Lucky So and So - 70 BPM
- Eliza Lynn - More - 70 BPM
- Keb' Mo' - Dangerous Mood - 72 BPM
- Eva Cassidy - Easy Street Dream - 72 BPM
- Brother Yusef - How Blue Can You Get - 73 BPM
- Carolina Chocolate Drops - Why Don't You Do Right? - 73 BPM
- Anthony David - Cold Turkey - 73 BPM
- Robert Palmer - I Need Your Love So Bad - 73 BPM
- Muddy Waters - Mannish Boy - 73 BPM
- Catherine Russell - Back O Town Blues - 74 BPM
- Brother Yusef - Red Rooster - 74 BPM
- J.J. Cale & Eric Clapton - Sporting Life Blues - 75 BPM
- Mos Def - Blue Black Jack - 76 BPM
- Joan Osborne - Ain't No Sunshine - 77 BPM
- Alberta Hunter - My Handy Man Ain't So Handy Anymore - 77 BPM
- Eric Clapton - Hoochie Coochie Man - 78 BPM
- Christina Aguilera - Save Me From Myself - 78 BPM
- Eric Clapton - Rocking Chair - 79 BPM
- Hugo - 99 Problems - 81 BPM
- B.B. King & Eric Clapton - Key To The Highway - 82 BPM
- Eric Clapton - Autumn Leaves - 83 BPM
- Bonnie Raitt - Blender Blues - 84 BPM
- Eric Clapton - Milkcow's Calf Blues - 85 BPM
- Popa Chubby - Sweat (SLOWER VERSION) - 86 BPM
- B.B. King and Tracy Chapman - The Thrill Is Gone - 87 BPM
- Wycliffe Gordon - Blooz... First Thaingh 'Dis Moanin' - 88 BPM
- Brother Yusef - (Got Me Runnin') Where You Want Me to Go - 90 BPM
- Earl Thomas - Give Me One Reason - 90 BPM
- Brother Yusef - I Got The Blues - 91 BPM
- Rory Block, Eric Bibb & Maria Muldaur - Don't Ever Let Nobody Drag Your Spirit Down - 93 BPM
- Buddy Guy - What Kind Of Woman Is This? - 94 BPM
- Brother Yusef - Down Home Blues - 95 BPM
- Circus Contraption - Hot Potato - 95 BPM
- Bob French's Original Tuxedo Jazz Band - Last Night On The Back Porch - 98 BPM
- Keb' Mo' - France - 101 BPM
- B.B. King & Eric Clapton - Riding With The King - 102 BPM
- Eric Clapton - Blues Before Sunrise - 103 BPM
- Muddy Waters - Don´t Go No Further - 104 BPM
- Junior Wells - Why Are People Like That? - 105 BPM
- Kenny Neal - Bring It On Home - 106 BPM
- Catherine Russell - My Man's An Undertaker - 106 BPM
- Billie Holiday - Comes Love - 106 BPM
- Keb' Mo' - Dirty Low Down And Bad - 109 BPM
- Muddy Waters - I Want To Be Loved - 112 BPM
- Taj Mahal - Cakewalk into Town - 113 BPM
- Lou Rawls - St. James Infirmary (Live) - 114 BPM
- The Commitments - Mustang Sally - 116 BPM
- The Fabulous Thunderbirds - Hard Knock - 119 BPM
- Muddy Waters - I'm Ready - 121 BPM
- Lyle Lovett - She Makes Me Feel Good - 125 BPM
- Unseen Guest - Listen My Son - 128 BPM
- Barbara Morrison - Stormy Monday Blues (Live) - 135 BPM
- James Cotton - Blues For Jacklyn - 136 BPM
- Booker T and the MGs - Green Onions - 138 BPM
- Tab Benoit - Tab Benoit - Don't Lose Your Cool - 149 BPM
- Sunpie - Sunpie's Romp and Stomp - 155 BPM
- Memphis Slim - Help Me Some - 157 BPM
- Tommy Tucker - Hi Heel Sneakers - 160 BPM
- Brother Yusef - Everyday I Have The Blues - 170 BPM