Furry Lewis - probably the only pre-war bluesman where I have a relatively strong preference for his revival-period material... not that his '20s stuff is bad by any stretch, but it's mostly somewhat formulaic adherence to the blues form, and I tend to prefer stuff that is more idiosyncratic. Liike this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCqbKdnHZTs - same thing as the Son House one, how much he gets out of the guitar with so little playing.

Skip James - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYK40D_us5g. GOD DAMN. No wonder he had the ego he did.

Lonnie Johnson - one of the most fluid players of the '20s and '30s, equally at home playing jazz and blues and hybridizing the two, and a pioneer in single-string soloing, which he does impressively here without losing any of the bottom end, even in the solo format: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uH9GSERDAFI&feature=related

Tommy McClennan - a different Deep Blue Sea Blues - despite the fact that Muddy came to own this song under two different titles, this is my favorite version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rc61tRO2PXM

Rev. Gary Davis - I had listened to If I Had My Way a hundred times, and always imagined the good Reverend's guitar style as a manic, frenzied approach. When I finally got to see a video of him playing it, I was amazed at how calm, cool and collected he was. It's a shame there aren't more recordings of him as a young man. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGDZdy8lDmc

Blind Willie Johnson - fun to compare and contrast his version of If I Had My Way with the Davis version... similarities and differences, but also The Complete Package: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_HjTWVZNQg - awesome boogie lines under the verses, wicked swing throughout.