It’s that time of year again. The days are getting shorter, the air is turning crisp, and leaves are beginning to fall. Before long, children dressed as hobgoblins will be knocking on doors, demanding treats to spare homeowners from potential tricks. Halloween is here.
The roots of this costume- and candy-filled holiday stretch back into ancient history. But this isn’t a history lesson. Regardless of how one celebrates Halloween, most can agree that there’s always a hint of darkness in the air at this time of year.
Blues music has long embraced these themes, perhaps because local pastors dubbed it the “devil’s music.” Stories of ghosts and eerie folklore contribute to this atmosphere, along with graveyards, black cats, and tribal rituals that can feel unsettling.
We’re presenting ten blues songs that perfectly capture the spirit of the season.
Skip James – “Devil Got My Woman”
Bentonia, Mississippi bluesman Skip James made his first recordings for the Paramount label in 1931, and this classic was among them. The haunting blend of his open D-minor guitar and chilling falsetto creates a spine-tingling experience.
Muddy Waters – “Got My Mojo Working”
McKinley Morganfield, better known as Muddy Waters, made his way from the Stoval Plantation to the Windy City. In 1956, his cover of this Red Foster song about a failed hoodoo charm became arguably his most popular recording.
Tampa Red – “Witchin’ Hour Blues”
Hudson “Tampa Red” Whittaker, came to Chicago from Smithville, Georgia by way of Tampa, Florida. One of the first black musicians to play a National resonator guitar, he recorded this song in the mid-1930s. It’s a tale of his deceased wife coming back to haunt him on a regular basis.
Dr. John – “I Walk on Guilded Splinters”
Written, and recorded by New Orleans native Mac Rebennack in 1967, this is another nod to voodoo, astrology, and metaphysics. It was released as Dr. John the Night Tripper on the album Gris-Gris in 1968.
Johnny Winter – “Black Cat Bone”
While Europeans consider black cats to be unlucky, African hoodoo practitioners believe that each one has one magic bone. Powerful enough to bring fame, followed by an untimely death, they are a powerful charm. Various versions were recorded by artists such as Lightnin’ Hopkins and Albert Collins. Our Halloween favorite came from Texas slide master and growling bluesman Johnny Winter.
St. Louis Bessie (Mae Smith) – “Ghost Creepin’ Blues”
St. Louis Bessie had a number of mysterious songs in the late 1920s and early 1930s. “Creepin’ Eel Blues,” “My Daddy’s Coffin Blues,” and “Death Valley Moan” were among them. This late ’20s song, possibly with Roosevelt Sykes on piano, is a quintessential Halloween treat.
John Lee Hooker – “Graveyard Blues”
In 1959, Hooker recorded the album Burning Hell. It was, inexplicably, not released in the US until 1992. A mixture of original songs and brilliant covers, it contained this unearthly masterpiece.
Howlin’ Wolf – “Evil”
Written by Willie Dixon, “Evil” was recorded by Howlin’ Wolf in 1954, and again in 1969, when it became the last charting single of his career. His signature growling voice breaks into falsetto, creating a truly sinister effect.
Screamin’ Jay Hawkins – “I Put a Spell on You”
Written by Hawkins, and originally recorded as a blues ballad in 1955, it was his re-recording of the song for the Okeh label in 1956 that made the screaming, former opera singer a Halloween cult hero. Covered hundreds of times by artists such as Nina Simone, Annie Lennox, CCR, and the weird Sanderson Sisters for the movie Hocus Pocus, Hawkins’ original is the benchmark.
Robert Johnson – “Hell Hound on My Trail”
No Halloween influenced blues list would be complete without at least one song from Robert Johnson. Legendarily making a Faustian deal at a mythological crossroads, Johnson recorded this song during his second Texas sessions, a year before his mysterious and untimely death.
