It's another exclusive from . . .

. . . Living Blues magazine. Here are the 50 most played blues CD's for 1998, as reported by the program directors and hosts of blues shows at more than 200 radio stations around the world.

The top 50 is based on monthly reports to Living Blues through all of 1998. The rankings don't weigh too heavily on monthly chart position, but overall reporting status throughout the year. So those discs that were reported most consistently do better here.

Are you a program director or blues radio host? Are you not reporting your playlists to Living Blues each month? So what's your problem? Click here!

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Living Blues Magazine's Top 50 Blues CD's for 1998

1. Shemekia Copeland Turn The Heat Up (Alligator)

2. Various Artists Hound Dog Taylor: A Tribute (Alligator)

3. Susan Tedeschi Just Won't Burn (Tone-Cool)

4. Magic Slim Black Tornado (Blind Pig)

5. Marcia Ball/Irma Thomas/Tracy Nelson Sing It! (Rounder)

6. Jimmy Thackery Switching Gears (Blind Pig)

7. E.C. Scott Hard Act To Follow (Blind Pig)

8. Johnnie Bassett Cadillac Blues (Cannonball)

9. Dave Myers You Can't Do That (Black Top)

10. W.C. Clark Lover's Plea (Black Top)

11. John Hammond Long As I Have You (Pointblank)

12. Roomful Of Blues There Goes The Neighborhood (Bullseye Blues)

13. Saffire: The Uppity Blues Women Live And Uppity (Alligator)

14. Carey Bell Good Luck Man (Alligator)

15. Etta James Love, Life & The Blues (Private Music)

16. Paul DeLay Nice & Strong (Evidence)

17. Big Jack Johnson All The Way Back (MC)

18. Buddy Guy Heavy Love (Silvertone)

19. Guy Davis You Don't Know My Mind (Red House)

20. Smokin' Joe Kubek Take Your Best Shot (Bullseye Blues)

21. Keb' Mo' Slow Down (OKeh)

22. Otis Rush Any Place I'm Going (House Of Blues)

23. Guitar Shorty Roll Over Baby (Black Top)

24. Radio Kings Money Road (Bullseye Blues)

25. Johnny Adams Man Of My Word (Rounder)

26. Phillip Walker I Got A Sweet Tooth (Black Top)

27. Robert Lockwood Jr. I Got To Find Me A Woman (Verve)

28. Deborah Coleman Where Blue Begins (Blind Pig)

29. Elvin Bishop The Skin I'm In (Alligator)

30. Eddy Clearwater Cool Blues Walk (Bullseye Blues)

31. Little Charlie & The Nightcats Shadow Of The Blues (Alligator)

32. B.B. King Deuces Wild (MCA)

33. Larry Garner Standing Room Only (Ruf)

34. Lucky Peterson Move (Verve)

35. Anson Funderburgh & The Rockets That's What They Want (Black Top)

36. Hubert Sumlin Wake Up Call (Blues Planet)

37. Michael Hill's Blues Mob New Your State Of Blues (Alligator)

38. Mighty Sam McClain Journey (Audioquest)

39. George "Harmonica" Smith Now You Can Talk About Me (Blind Pig)

40. B.B. King Blues On The Bayou (MCA)

41. Sugar Ray Sweet & Swingin' (Bullseye Blues)

42. Joanna Conner Slidetime (Blind Pig)

43. Mark Hummel Low Down To Uptown (Tone-Cool)

44. Joe Beard For Real (Audioquest)

45. Chris Thomas King Red Mud (Black Top)

46. Angela Strehli Deja Blue (House Of Blues)

47. Big Joe & The Dynaflows I'm Still Swingin' (Severn)

48. Larry McCray Born To Play The Blues (House Of Blues)

49. Sax Gordon Have Horn, Will Travel (Bullseye Blues)

50. Kinsey Report Smoke And Steel (Alligator)