STEPHEN FRY

I used to mainly like Indie-slash-rock-slash-alternative-slash-folk-slash-modern Country-slash-Classic Rock. I've never particularly liked Slash, though. He's a Heavy Metal singer, isn't he?

But...

Several months ago, I bought Hugh Laurie's blues album, as a matter of course, because I liked him in 'A Bit of Fry and Laurie.'

I was blown away. Halfway down the street, as a matter of fact - it was a very windy day. But when I got back to my feet and dusted myself off, I listened to the album.

And I immediately became obsessed with Blues music. It's been a brilliant thing, discovering a whole new genre and getting excited about it, but it's also been shaming, because I've realised how little I actually know about the music I enjoy and its influences - most of it, I see now, has its roots in Blues.

The biggest gobsmacking thing in all of this is that I've always loved Tom Waits, and I wasn't even aware of half of his influences. I'm so ashamed never to have heard of Howlin' Wolf.

This is my list of favourite Blues musicians:

Lightnin' Hopkins
Howlin' Wolf
Professor Longhair
Sonny Boy Williamson I
Sonny Boy Williamson II
Son House
Blind Lemon Jefferson
Blind Willie McTell
Muddy Waters
Elmore James
Kokomo Arnold
Robert Lockwood
Bukka White

Lightnin' Hopkins is so good because his songs are so sinister, but they've got such a sense of humour - 'Black Cat Bone' makes a shiver run down my spine, and I don't think I've heard a song with a more gleeful reference to lesbianism than 'Let Me Play With Your Poodle.' Then there's that lyric in 'Shinin' Moon,' - 'Don't the shinin' moon look pretty, shinin' down through the trees?/I can see my baby when she don't see me.' How creepy is that?