First, can you tell us what region of the country you are in?

Cider apples tend to be a regional crop and produce best in their native region. Down here in Central VA zone 7, my recommendations would be an Albemarle Pippin (Newton Pippin) and an Ashmead's Kernel. Both are great all around apples for eating and cider. The Ashmead's Kernel has a strong following and is a bit more of a general purpose apple than the Albemarle Pippin. The Albemarle Pippin can be used to make a single variety cider, though as you said, blended ciders tend to be more common than single variety ciders.

An excellent expert on Cider apples is Tom Burford, who really helped get the cider industry established in Virginia. You can buy his book(s) online and see articles he has been interviewed for about the cider industry.

Michael Phillips' book "The Apple Grower" is a great source about organic apple growing and cider production with an emphasis on Northern cider apples.

Best of luck.