Blues Traveler

Blues Traveler scored some big hits (including “Run-Around” and the cleverly themed “Hook”) and hasn’t had a ton of commercial success since, but as it exists on the outskirts of jamland, it’s still doing just fine. It’s hard to overstate the virtuosity of forceful frontman John Popper on harmonica, an instrument that knows many players but few greats, and he’s generally good for range (read: different harmonicas in different keys, played in different styles). The band’s last album, 2008’s North Hollywood Shootout, bizarrely featured Bruce Willis on a spoken-word track. The brand-new Suzie Cracks The Whipsettles for letting American Idol runner-up Crystal Bowersox take backup vocals on a track.

Updated 06/20/2012