Blues Music A Rich History
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Blues Music has a rich history dating back in time. It’s a rich mix of African American and European vocals and instrumental music that when put together creates the unique sounds of the Blues. Perhaps that’s why the popularity of blues music continues to grow.
Blues has a unique sound all to its own that no other form of music can copy although western music has certainly learned to mix blues in with other types of music such as rhythm and blues, bluegrass, big band, jazz, ragtime, country, and even some rock and roll.
We’ve all heard the phrase “I’ve got the blues,” meaning your in a funk, depressed, sad, or in low spirits. That’s exactly how blues music got its name in the beginning. It was the voice of a singer telling her or her personal woes about a harsh world, the lost of love, the oppression by the whites, or even the cruel nature of the police.
Some of the earliest blues lyrics were gut wrenching true stories of the cruelty faces. A prime example is Memphis Minnie’s “Down in the Alley,” which tells about a prostitute having sex with men in a back alley. Blues was real soul food about deprivation and slavery. In fact it was often referred to as gut-bucket blues because it was so emotionally low. Because it dealt with the hardships of life it became associated with misery.
Church folks, preachers, and entire church communities protested against it claiming it to be sinful. However those that sang there blues felt it was anything but sinful, it was reality! However the blues was and still is much more than tales about misery. It’s funny, it’s provocative, its truth, and it’s even raunchy sometimes.
Not all blues music shares the same characteristics. Its individuality has led to inconsistencies in characteristics that would classify it as blues. The earliest forms of blue were considered a functional expression without accompaniment and not tied to any formal music structure. Pre blues began in the fields where slaves would shout out their tunes filled with emotion. The blues style as we know it today is a style based on both West African call and response traditions combined with the European harmonic structures.
Both the use of blue notes and the call and response form can be traced back to African music. The nasal tones connect the music of West and Central Africa directly to blues. Even the popularized guitar playing with a knife blade that Handy was so famous for can be dated back to Africa where a knife is used to press against the strings of the kora.
A Delta blues singer by the name of Robert Johnson is credited with the 12 bar blues standardization. Other well known blues artist’s such as Son House or Joshua White were influence by the music of Christianity. By the 1930s the 12 bar blues was considered standard. However 8 bar blues were still commonly found as were 16 bar blues which were commonly used by Ray Charles.
Charley Patton, Memphis Minnie, Blind Boy, Bessie Smith, Leroy Carr, Doctor John, Willie Dixon, Jimmy Reed where all early blues artists that were well known for their music. By the 1950s Blues has reached across to touch mainstream American music. Musicians like From Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley were strongly influenced by the Chicago blues and the Mississippi influence. During the 1950s Chicago had became the blues capital of America.
By the early 1960s rock and roll and soul which was the modern version of blues had become very popular. White musicians had delivered black music to an entire new audience. Blues was now popular especially when combined with rock and roll, gospel, soul, and R&B. B.B. King’s “Lucille” was probably the biggest blues hit of the era.
The list of artists continues to grow Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Bob Dylan, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers have all included a significant amount of blues in their music. And of course let’s not forget others such as George Gershwin, The Blues Brothers, Jimmie Rodgers, Tracy Chapman, and well the list could go on forever. The blues has had many powerful influences over the years.
Blues has evolved from a music sung by poor black slaves in a variety of complex harmonies to modern blues which crosses over into country, rock, and soul. In fact blues has crossed into almost any genre. Today the popularity of blues music continues to grow.
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