The Black Keys

USA, 2001–now

Akron, Ohio duo of Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney, formed in 2001. Rooted in North Mississippi hill-country blues and fuzzed-out garage, records like Rubber Factory and the breakthrough Brothers / El Camino turned lo-fi blues-rock into arena-filling success.

MusicRoots documents 6 artists who influenced The Black Keys and 0 artists The Black Keys influenced in turn. Every connection cites a published source.

Who influenced The Black Keys?

• Howlin' Wolf — Dan Auerbach came up on the blues — Howlin' Wolf among the electric-blues giants behind the Black Keys' raw, riff-driven sound.
• Muddy Waters — The Black Keys reached back to Chicago-blues bedrock — their debut The Big Come Up covered Muddy Waters alongside Junior Kimbrough and R.L. Burnside.
• Captain Beefheart — Captain Beefheart's warped, primitive blues is part of the off-kilter garage-blues palette Auerbach brought to the Black Keys.
• Robert Johnson — One of the blues roots Dan Auerbach's playing draws on, with Junior Kimbrough and Howlin' Wolf.
• Steppenwolf — Part of the range Auerbach's influences cover, between the bluesmen and the glam end.
• T. Rex — The glam end of Auerbach's influences, a long way from Junior Kimbrough.