Keb' Mo'

Over the past decade and a half, he has helped keep the blues alive in the constantly churning maelstrom of the pop mainstream. And if his comfortingly smooth vocals and acoustic licks are often a long way removed from the legends he frequently namechecks — like Robert Johnson, whom he portrayed in a 1998 documentary — the blues still has few better modern ambassadors than Los Angeles native Keb' Mo'. The former Kevin Moore is now a three-time Grammy winner and constant road warrior, who has eight well-regarded solo outings to draw on live — including his most recent album, 2006's aptly titled Suitcase.