A big part of blues is playing over a “shuffle” groove – a triplet-driven swing-eighths feel with a backbeat (accents on beats 2 and 4) – at various tempos. There are many great shuffle-based tunes.
An example of a great slow shuffle is Jimmy Reed’s Bright Lights, Big City, and a great uptempo shuffle is Memphis Slim’s Steppin’ Out, covered brilliantly by John Mayall with Eric Clapton on the Bluesbreakers’ 1966 album.
