“GuitarOne” magazine, in their May 2005 issues, chooses four Alligator Records albums among the top 200 Greatest Guitar Recordings Of All Time. Writer Bob Gulla, picking the 30 best blues recordings, writes:

HOUND DOG TAYLOR AND THE HOUSEROCKERS, Hound Dog Taylor (1971) Remarkable for his raw slide tone and emotional power, Hound Dog was the first signing to the then fledgling Alligator label.

MIDNIGHT SON, Son Seals (1976)
'Midnight Son' has been hailed as the decade's most significant blues album.

SHOWDOWN! Robert Cray/Johnny Copeland/Albert Collins
This super-trio won the Grammy for Best Blues Album with this release, which features playful but powerful interplay.