| Blues Hall of Fame Inductees from Louisiana |
| when |
who |
about |
| 1980 |
Little Walter (Marion Walter Jacobs) |
Blues harmonica player from Marksville, LA (1930-1968) |
| 1980 |
Memphis Minnie (Lizzie Douglas) |
Guitarist, vocalist, songwriter from Algiers, LA (1897-1973) |
| 1981 |
Roy Brown |
Singer and songwriter from New Orleans (1925-1981) |
| 1981 |
Professor Longhair (Henry Roeland Byrd) |
New Orleans R&B piano legend (1918–1980) |
| 1985 |
Buddy Guy |
Blues guitarist, vocalist, songwriter from Lettsworth, LA |
| 1985 |
Slim Harpo (James Isaac Moore) |
Harmonica player from Lobdell, LA (1924-1970) |
| 1986 |
Lead Belly (Leadbelly) (Huddie Ledbetter) |
Folk & blues singer, songwriter from Mooringsport, LA (1889-1949) |
| 1987 |
Percy Mayfield |
Singer and songwriter from Minden, LA (1920-1984) |
| 1989 |
Clifton Chenier |
Zydeco accordion player from Opelousas, LA (1925-1987) |
| 1990 |
Lonnie Johnson |
Blues guitar pioneer from New Orleans (1925-1987) |
| 1993 |
Champion Jack Dupree |
Blues pianist from New Orleans (1910-1992) |
| 1999 |
Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown |
Multi-genre musician from Vinton, LA (1924-2005) |
| 2003 |
Fats Domino |
New Orleans R&B pianist, singer, songwriter (1928-2017) |
| 2006 |
Bobby Rush (Emmett Ellis Jr.) |
Musician, singer, songwriter from Homer, LA |
| 2007 |
Dave Bartholomew |
New Orleans R&B songwriter, bandleader, producer (1918–2019) |
| 2007 |
Dr. John |
New Orleans R&B pianist, guitarist, songwriter (1941–2019) |
| 2007 |
Guitar Slim (Eddie Jones) * |
Guitarist, singer and songwriter (1926-1959) |
| 2009 |
Irma Thomas |
Soul Queen of New Orleans was born in Ponchatoula, LA |
| 2010 |
Lonnie Brooks (Lee Baker Jr.) |
Blues guitarist and singer from Dubuisson, LA (1933-2017) |
| 2012 |
Lazy Lester (Leslie Johnson) |
Harmonica player and guitarist from Torras, LA (1933–2018) |
| 2012 |
Allen Toussaint |
New Orleans R&B musician, songwriter, producer (1938–2015) |
| 2013 |
Cosimo Matassa |
New Orleans producer, engineer, owner of J&M Recording Studio (1926–2014) |
| 2013 |
Little Brother Montgomery |
Blues & jazz piano player from Kentwood, LA (1906-1985) |
| 2014 |
Robert Pete Williams |
Guitarist, vocalist, songwriter from Zachary, LA (1914-1980) |
| 2017 |
Johnny Copeland |
Guitarist, vocalist, songwriter from Haynesville, LA (1937-1997) |
| 2017 |
Henry Gray |
Piano player, singer, songwriter from Kenner, LA (1925-2020) |
| 2026 |
Kenny Neal |
Baton Rouge based guitarist, vocalist, harmonica player, son of Raful Neal |
| 2026 |
Marcia Ball |
Texas born, Louisiana raised pianist, singer, songwriter |
| 2026 |
Barbara Lynn |
Creole blues guitarist from Beaumont, recorded #1 hit at J&M Recording Studio |
| Blues Hall of Fame Notes:
Champion Jack Dupree's date of birth is disputed, given as July 4, July 10, and July 23, in the years 1908, 1909, or 1910. Blues piano great Roosevelt Sykes (1906-1983) was inducted in 1999. He was a native of Arkansas, but lived in New Orleans from 1954. Rock legend Little Richard (1932–2020), inducted in 2015, was from Macon, Georgia. His biggest hits were recorded at Cosimo Matassa's J&M Recording Studio in New Orleans, backed by local musicians. Electric guitar pioneer Guitar Slim, nee Eddie Jones (1926-1959), was inducted in 2007. He was a native of Mississippi, but moved to New Orleans circa 1950. The book "I Hear You Knockin': The Sound of New Orleans Rhythm and Blues", by Jeff Hannusch, was inducted in 2009. Blues legend Buddy Guy was honored with the Blues Foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010. The book "Walking to New Orleans: The Story of New Orleans Rhythm & Blues", by John Broven, was inducted in 2011.
New Orleans-based journalist, folklorist, drummer, and producer Ben Sandmel received the Keeping The Blues Alive award in Literature for 2015.
The 2026 Blues Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on May 6, 2026.
For more info and a complete list of Blues Hall of Fame inductees, visit The Blues Foundation at www.blues.org. |
