Who else would you put in this category? If I had to pick anyone it would be John Cipollina. QMS never had commercial success but was a very excellent band. He died at age 45 so who knows what "could have" happened.
The majority of commercial music sucks anyways.
I put on Highway 61 in the car this morning... for nostalgia's sake.
Nice read on Michael Bloomfield, if you are familiar with his musical history... or heard his name and wondered who in the hell is this guy.
https://www.loudersound.com/features/mike-bloomfield-tombstone-blues?fbclid=IwAR2d1noRBZ3POPcYBaxoJY2QIg1BXa3cN7VCOnX_oaO2ZHdYyWdoTSdfFKU
There was no electricity involved with the original blues masters...
Oh I agree that the blues "type" of sound is still around but the original blues masters are long gone. I'll take what I can get nowadays... which is usually 60's and up on vinyl. Youtube has a lot of clips of the true blues men too.
The old blues sound has been gone for decades... unless you're listening to 30's, 40's music from way back. What we hear now is watered down, basically "I'm trying to sound like those guys with an instrument made post 1980" or so.
Rolling Stone is a mere shadow of what it once was.
John Mayall.
Prince I find hard to mix into the blues. Fleetwood Mac would have been a better option to compare newer blues. The old blues I don't think many are doing anymore... hard to replicate that sound and feeling.
Someone above mentioned Zappa and I agree... here is a nice article if you have a few minutes to spare: https://www.loudersound.com/features/frank-zappa-people-thought-the-beatles-were-god-that-s-not-correct?fbclid=IwAR1XvgB3CopHBu3sYu9jwilt3Dm31D6oIQ1bOMnvtbSySdJjYB4_c87L-gs
Quadrophenia is an excellent example as well as Fripp's King Crimson, mostly during the 70's for my taste but all of it really is very complex.
One name I haven't seen mentioned unless I missed it is Mike Oldfield. Tubular Bells isn't something you hack out on a piano in a few hours... this took a Lot of work not in just composing it but also finding the right musicians to be able to actually play it. Guy was just 19 at the time as well...