Blues is a vocal and instrumental form of music based on the use of the blue notes. Folk music can have a number of different meanings including Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous A work song is typically a Rhythmic A cappella Song sung by people working on a physical and often repetitive task Folk music can have a number of different meanings including Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous Country music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles The piano is a Musical instrument played by means of a keyboard that produces sound by striking steel strings with Felt covered hammers A harmonica is a free reed Wind instrument which is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes (reed chambers or The electric bass guitar (also called electric bass, or simply bass; ˈbeɪs as in "base" is a Stringed instrument played primarily with the The drum is a member of the percussion group technically classified as a Membranophone. The saxophone (commonly referred to simply as sax) is a conical- bored transposing Musical instrument considered a member of the Woodwind Vocal music is Music performed by one or more Singers with or without non-vocal instrumental accompaniment The trombone is a Musical instrument in the brass family Like all brass instruments it is a lip-reed Aerophone: sound is produced when the player’s Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African Blues can be categorized into a number of genres. There are also genres of music that are not blues but which can be described as blues-like or bluesy. Boogie-woogie is a style of Piano -based Blues that became very popular in the late 1930s and early 1940s but originated much earlier and was extended from piano The classic female Blues spanned from 1920 to 1929 with its peak from 1923 to 1925 Country blues (also folk blues, rural blues, backwoods blues, or downhome blues) refers to all The Delta blues is one of the earliest styles of Blues music. The electric blues is a type of Blues music distinguished by the amplification of the Guitar, the Bass guitar, and/or the Harmonica Fife and drum blues is a rural derivation of traditional Country blues. Jump blues is a type of Up-tempo Blues music influenced by Big band sound Piano blues refers to a variety of Blues styles sharing only the characteristic that they use the Piano as the primary musical instrument Blues-rock is a hybrid musical genre combining Bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and extended Boogie jams with Rock Jazz blues is a Musical style that combines Jazz and Blues. The term also refers to any tune that follows the standard 12-bar blues chord progression Punk blues (or blues punk) denotes a Rock music fusion of Punk rock and Blues. Soul blues is a style of Blues music developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s that combines elements of Soul music and urban contemporary music A British blue is also a type of cat The British blues is a type of Blues music that originated in the late 1950s "Canadian blues" refers to the Blues and blues-related music performed by blues bands and performers in Canada. The Chicago blues is a form of Blues music that developed in Chicago Illinois by taking the basic acoustic guitar and Harmonica -based Delta blues This article discusses the Music of Detroit Michigan. World renowned for its Detroit Symphony Orchestra and music celebrities the area has a long and rich heritage East Coast blues casts a wide net covering all of Piedmont blues --a style that relied on fast virtuosic Fingerpicking and added influences such as Ragtime Kansas City blues is a genre of Blues music It has spawned the Kansas Blues & Jazz festival and the Kansas Blues Society The Louisiana Blues are a 2006-2007 expansion American Basketball Association franchise in New Orleans Louisiana. The Memphis blues is a style of Blues music that was created in the 1920s and 1930s by Memphis-area musicians like Frank Stokes, Sleepy John Estes, New Orleans blues is a combination of Dixieland music and rhythms derived from Caribbean music, typically performed on Piano or a Horn instrument The Piedmont blues (also known as Piedmont fingerstyle or East Coast' blues) is a type of Blues music characterized by a unique fingerpicking method on the The St Louis blues is a type of Blues music It is usually more Piano -based than other forms of the blues and is closely related to the Jump blues Swamp blues is a form of Blues music that is highly evolved and specialized Texas Blues is a subgenre of the Blues, and of course is not limited to Texas-based musicians The West Coast blues is a type of Blues music characterized by Jazz and Jump blues influences strong Piano -dominated sounds and jazzy guitar Blues can be categorized into a number of genres. There are also genres of music that are not blues but which can be described as blues-like or bluesy. Performers in the Blues style range from primitive one-chord Delta players to Big bands to Country music to Rock and roll to classical The term blues scale is used describe a few scales with differing number of pitches and related characteristics A jug band is a band employing a jug player and a mix of traditional and home-made instruments Little is known about the exact origins of the music we now know as the Blues. Vocal music is Music performed by one or more Singers with or without non-vocal instrumental accompaniment Music is an Art form in which the medium is Sound organized in Time. In Jazz and Blues, a blue note (also "worried" note is a Note sung or played at a slightly lower pitch than that of the It emerged in African-American communities of the United States from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads. African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa The music of the United States reflects the country's multi-ethnic population through a diverse array of styles Spirituals (or Negro spirituals) are songs which were created by African slaves in America. Field Hollers as well as Work songs were African American styles of music from before the American Civil War, this style of music is closely related to Spirituals A ballad is a Poem usually set to Music; thus it often is a story told in a Song. The use of blue notes and the prominence of call-and-response patterns in the music and lyrics are indicative of African influence. In Music, a call and response is a succession of two distinct phrases usually played by different Musicians where the second phrase is heard as a direct The blues influenced later American and Western popular music, as it became the roots of jazz, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, bluegrass, hip-hop, and other popular music forms. Popular music is Music belonging to any of a number of musical styles that are accessible to the general public and are disseminated by one or more Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African Hip hop music, also referred to as rap music, is a Music genre typically consisting of a rhythmic vocal style called rap which is accompanied with Popular music is Music belonging to any of a number of musical styles that are accessible to the general public and are disseminated by one or more

Etymology

The phrase "the blues" is a reference to the the blue devils, meaning 'down' spirits, depression and sadness. An early reference to "the blues" can be found in George Colman's farce Blue devils, a farce in one act (1798). George Colman ( October 21, 1762 &ndash October 17, 1836) known as " the Younger," English dramatist A farce is a Comedy written for the stage or film which aims to Entertain the audience by means of unlikely extravagant and improbable situations disguise and mistaken ^[1] Later during the 19th century, the phrase was used as a euphemism for delirium tremens and the police, and was not uncommon in letters from homesick Civil War soldiers. A euphemism is a substitution of an agreeable or less offensive expression in place of one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant to the listener or in the case of doublespeak Delirium tremens (colloquially the DTs, " the horrors " " the fear "" the shakes "" jazz hands "" Police are agents or agencies usually of the executive, empowered to enforce the law and to effect public and social order through the legitimatized use of force

Though the use of the phrase in African American music may be older, it has been attested to since 1912, when Hart Wand's "Dallas Blues" became the first copyrighted Blues composition. African American music (also called black music) is an umbrella term given to a range of Music and Musical genres emerging from or influenced by the "Dallas Blues", written by Hart A Wand was the first true blues song ever published ^[2][3] In lyrics the phrase is often used to describe a depressed mood. In the fields of Psychology and Psychiatry, the terms depression or depressed refer to both expected and pathologically chronic or severe ^[4]

Stylistic and cultural origins

Main article: Origins of the blues

There are few characteristics common to all blues, because the genre takes its shape from the idiosyncrasies of individual performances. Little is known about the exact origins of the music we now know as the Blues. ^[5] However, there are some characteristics that were present long before the creation of the modern blues.

An early form of blues-like music were call-and-response shouts, which were a "functional expression. . . style without accompaniment or harmony and unbounded by the formality of any particular musical structure. "^[6] A form of this pre-blues was heard in slave field shouts and hollers, expanded into "simple solo songs laden with emotional content". As a social-economic system slavery is a legal institution under which a Person (called "a slave" is compelled to work for another ^[7] The blues, as it is now known, can be seen as a musical style based on both European harmonic structure and the African call-and-response tradition, transformed into an interplay of voice and guitar. In Western music, harmony is the use of different pitches simultaneously and chords actual or implied in Music. ^[8]

Many blues elements, such as the call-and-response format and the use of blue notes, can be traced back to the music of Africa. The music of Africa is as vast and varied as the continent's many regions, nations and Ethnic groups Although there is no distinctly pan-African The Diddley bow, a homemade one-stringed instrument found in parts of the American South in the early twentieth century, and the banjo, are African-derived instruments that may have helped in the transfer of African performance techniques into the early blues instrumental vocabulary. The diddley bow is an American String instrument of African origin The Southern United States &mdashcommonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South &mdashconstitutes a large distinctive The banjo is a Stringed instrument developed by enslaved Africans in the United States, adapted from several African instruments

Robert Johnson, a highly influential Delta blues musician

Blues music later adopted elements from the "Ethiopian airs", minstrel shows and Negro spirituals, including instrumental and harmonic accompaniment. Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8 1911 – August 16 1938 is among the most famous of Delta blues musicians The Delta blues is one of the earliest styles of Blues music. The minstrel show, or minstrelsy, was an American entertainment consisting of comic skits variety acts dancing, and Music, Spirituals (or Negro spirituals) are songs which were created by African slaves in America. ^[9] The style also was closely related to ragtime, which developed at about the same time, though the blues better preserved "the original melodic patterns of African music". Ragtime (alternately spelled Rag-time) is an American musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918 ^[10]

Blues songs from this period, such as Lead Belly's or Henry Thomas's recordings, show many different structures. Huddie William Ledbetter, (January 1888 – December 6 1949 was an American folk and Blues Musician, notable for his clear and forceful singing Henry Thomas (1874-1950s? was an American pre- World War II, country Blues Singer, Songster and Musician. The twelve-, eight-, or sixteen-bar structure based on tonic (I), subdominant (IV) and dominant chords (V) became the most common forms. An eight bar blues is a typical Blues chord progression taking eight 4/4 bars to the verse The tonic is the first note of a musical scale in the tonal method of Musical composition. In Music, the subdominant is the technical name for the fourth tonal degree of the Diatonic scale. In Music, the dominant is the Fifth degree of the scale. For example in the C Major scale (white keys on a piano starting with C the ^[11] What is now recognizable as the standard 12-bar blues form is documented from oral history and sheet music appearing in African American communities throughout the region along the lower Mississippi River, in Memphis, Tennessee's Beale Street, and by white bands in New Orleans. Oral history can be defined as the recording preservation and interpretation of historical information, based on the personal experiences and opinions of the speaker Sheet music is a hand-written or printed form of Musical notation; like its analogs -- books pamphlets etc The Mississippi River is the second longest River in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to Memphis is a City in the southwest corner of Tennessee, and the County seat of Shelby County. Beale Street is a street in downtown Memphis Tennessee, which runs from the Mississippi River to East Street a distance of approximately. New Orleans (nʲuːˈɔrliənz nʲuːˈɔrlənz French: La Nouvelle-Orléans) is a major United States port city and the largest city in Louisiana

Lyrics

The original lyrical form of the blues was probably a single line, repeated four times. In the folk tradition there are many traditional blues verses that have been sung over and over by many artists It was only later that the current, most common structure of a line, repeated once and then followed by a single line conclusion, became standard. ^[12] These lines were often sung following a pattern closer to a rhythmic talk than to a melody. Talking blues is a sub genre of the Blues Music genre. It is characterised by rhythmic speech or near-speech where the Melody is free but the

Early blues frequently took the form of a loose narrative. The singer voiced often his or her "personal woes in a world of harsh reality: a lost love, the cruelty of police officers, oppression at the hands of white folk, [and] hard times". ^[13] Many of the oldest blues records contain gritty, realistic lyrics, in contrast to much of the popular music being recorded at the time. For example, "Down in the Alley" by Memphis Minnie, is about a prostitute having sex with men in an alley. " Down In The Alley " is a Blues song performed by Memphis Minnie. Memphis Minnie McCoy-Lawler (born Lizzie Douglas, June 3, 1897 in Algiers, Louisiana; died Prostitution is the act of performing Sexual activity in exchange for Money.

Music such as this was called "gut-bucket" blues, a term which refers to a type of homemade bass instrument made from a metal bucket used to clean pig intestines for chitterlings (a soul food dish associated with slavery). WashtubBassjpg|180px|thumb|A four-string washtub bass with a wooden bridge and fingerboard]]The washtub bass, or "gutbucket" is a stringed instrument used in American Chittlins (often ˈtʃɪtlɪnz and sometimes spelled chitlins in vernacular are the Intestines and rectum of a Pig that have been prepared as Soul food is an American Cuisine, a selection of Foods and is the traditional cuisine of African-Americans of the Southern United States and of "Gut-bucket" blues songs are typically "low-down" and earthy, about rocky or steamy man-woman relationships, hard luck and hard times. Gut-bucket blues and the rowdy juke-joint venues where it was played, earned blues music an unsavory reputation; church-goers shunned it and some preachers railed against it.

Author Ed Morales has claimed that Yoruba mythology played a part in early blues, citing Robert Johnson's "Cross Road Blues" as a "thinly veiled reference to Eleggua, the orisha in charge of the crossroads". The Yoruba religion is the religious beliefs and practices of the Yoruba people both in Africa (chiefly in Nigeria and Benin Republic) Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8 1911 – August 16 1938 is among the most famous of Delta blues musicians " Cross Road Blues " is one of Delta Blues singer Robert Johnson 's most famous Songs The Lyrics plainly have the narrator attempting Eshu (other names include Exú, Esu Eleggua, Esu Elegbara, Eshu Elegbara, Elegba, Legba, and Eleda An Orisha (also spelled Orisa or Orixa) is a spirit or deity that reflects one of the manifestations of Olodumare (God in the Yoruba spiritual ^[14] However, many seminal blues artists such as Son House, or Skip James had in their repertoire several religious songs or spirituals. Eddie James "Son" House Jr ( March 21 1902 – October 19 1988) was an American Blues singer and Guitarist Nehemiah Curtis "Skip" James ( June 21, 1902 – October 3, 1969) was an American Delta blues singer guitarist Reverend Gary Davis and Blind Willie Johnson are examples of artists often categorized as blues musicians for their music but whose lyrics clearly belong to the spirituals. Reverend Gary Davis, also Blind Gary Davis, ( April 30, 1896 &ndash May 5, 1972) was a Blues and gospel singer "Blind" Willie Johnson ( January 22, 1897  &ndash September 18, 1945) was an American Singer and Guitarist

Although the blues gained an association with misery and oppression, the blues could also be humorous and raunchy as well:

"Rebecca, Rebecca, get your big legs off of me,

Rebecca, Rebecca, get your big legs off of me,

It may be sending you baby, but it's worrying the hell out of me. "

In particular, Hokum blues celebrated both comedic lyrical content and a boisterous, farcical performance style. This article refers to a particular song type of American Blues music and a comedic style prevalent in Blues and Country music. Tampa Red's classic "Tight Like That" is a sly wordplay with the double meaning of being "tight" with someone coupled with a more salacious physical familiarity. Tampa Red ( January 8 1904 - March 19 1981) born Hudson Woodbridge but known from childhood as Hudson Whittaker, was an influential

Lyrical content of music became slightly simpler in post war blues in which focus was often almost exclusively on singer's sexual worries. Many lyrical themes that frequently appeared in pre war blues such as economic depression, transportation, technology, horses, cows, devils, gambling, magic, floods and dry periods were mostly left out in post war blues.

Musical style

During the first decades of the twentieth century blues music was not clearly defined in terms of a chord progression. There were many blues in 8-bar form, such as "How Long Blues", "Trouble in Mind", and Big Bill Broonzy's "Key to the Highway. An eight bar blues is a typical Blues chord progression taking eight 4/4 bars to the verse Big Bill Broonzy ( 26 June 1898 &ndash 14 August 1958) was a prolific American Blues Singer, songwriter " Idiosyncratic numbers of bars are also encountered occasionally, as with the 9 bar progression in Howlin' Wolf's "Sitting on Top of the World". Chester Burnett redirects here For the American football player see Chester Burnett (American football Chester Arthur Burnett ( June 10, 1910 " Sitting on Top of the World " (also rendered as " Sittin' on Top of the World " is a folk-blues song written by Walter Vinson (also known as The basic twelve-bar lyric framework of a blues composition is reflected by a standard harmonic progression of twelve bars, in 4/4 or (rarely) 2/4 time. A chord progression (also chord sequence and harmonic progression or sequence) is a series of chords played in order Slow blues are often played in 12/8 (4 beats per measure with 3 subdivisions per beat).

By the 1930s, twelve-bar blues became the standard. There would also be 16 bar blues, as in Ray Charles's instrumental "Sweet 16 Bars", and in Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man". Ray Charles Robinson ( September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) known by his Stage name Ray Charles, was an American Herbert Jeffrey Hancock ("Herbie" born April 12 1940 is a Jazz Pianist and Composer. The blues chords associated to a twelve-bar blues are typically a set of three different chords played over a twelve-bar scheme:

where the Roman numbers refer to the degrees of the progression. This article describes musical chords in traditional Western styles Roman numerals are a Numeral system originating in ancient Rome, adapted from Etruscan numerals. In Music theory, a scale degree is the name of a particular note of a scale in relation to the tonic (the note of the scale that is considered That would mean, if played in the tonality of C, the chords would be as follows:

(When the IV chord is played in bar 2, the blues is called a "Quick-Change" blues). Tonality is a system of Music in which specific hierarchical pitch relationships are based on a key "center" or tonic.

In this example, C is the tonic chord, F the subdominant. The tonic is the first note of a musical scale in the tonal method of Musical composition. In Music, the subdominant is the technical name for the fourth tonal degree of the Diatonic scale. Much of the time, some or all of these chords are played in the harmonic seventh (7th) form. The harmonic seventh interval, also known as the septimal minor seventh, is one with an exact 74 ratio (about 969 cents Frequently, the last chord is the dominant (V or in this case G) turnaround making the transition to the beginning of the next progression. In Jazz, a turnaround is a Passage at the end of a Section which leads to the next section

The use of the harmonic seventh interval is a characteristic of blues, and is popularly called the "blues seven" ^[15]. The harmonic seventh interval, also known as the septimal minor seventh, is one with an exact 74 ratio (about 969 cents At a 7:4 ratio, it is not close to any interval, minor or major, on the conventional Western diatonic scale ^[16]. However, through convenience or necessity it is often approximated by a minor seventh interval, or in terms of chords, a dominant seventh chord. A minor seventh ( is the smaller of two commonly occurring Musical intervals that span seven Diatonic scale degrees A seventh chord is a chord consisting of a triad plus a note forming an interval of a Seventh above the chord's root.

A minor pentatonic scale; play (help·info)

The lyrics generally end on the last beat of the tenth bar or the first beat of the eleventh bar, and the final two bars are given to the instrumentalist as a break; the harmony of this two-bar break, the turnaround, can be extremely complex, sometimes consisting of single notes that defy analysis in terms of chords. A pentatonic scale is a musical scale with five pitches per Octave in contrast to an heptatonic (seven note scale such as the Major scale The final beat, however, is almost always strongly grounded in the dominant seventh (V7), to provide tension for the next verse.

Sheet music from "St. Louis Blues" (1914)

Melodically, blues is marked by the use of the flatted third, fifth and seventh (the so-called blue or bent notes) of the associated major scale. " St Louis Blues " is an American popular Song composed by William Christopher Handy in the Blues style In Music, a melody (from Greek μελῳδία - melōidía, "singing chanting" also tune, voice, or In Music, flat means "lower in pitch" More specifically in Music notation, flat means "lower in pitch by a Semitone A minor third ( is the smaller of two commonly occurring musical intervals compounded of two steps of the Diatonic scale. The tritone ( Tri - or three and tone) is a Musical interval that spans three whole tones. A minor seventh ( is the smaller of two commonly occurring Musical intervals that span seven Diatonic scale degrees In Jazz and Blues, a blue note (also "worried" note is a Note sung or played at a slightly lower pitch than that of the In Music theory, the major scale or Ionian scale is one of the diatonic scales It is made up of seven distinct Notes plus an eighth ^[17] These scale tones can replace the natural scale tones or be added to the scale, as in the case of the minor pentatonic blues scale, where the flatted third replaces the natural third, the flatted seventh replaces the natural seventh and the flatted fifth is added in between the natural fourth and natural fifth. A pentatonic scale is a musical scale with five pitches per Octave in contrast to an heptatonic (seven note scale such as the Major scale While the twelve-bar harmonic progression had been intermittently used for centuries, the revolutionary aspect of blues was the frequent use of the flatted third, flatted seventh, and even flatted fifth in the melody, together with crushing—playing directly adjacent notes at the same time, i. e. , diminished second—and sliding—similar to using grace notes. A grace note is a kind of Music notation used to denote several kinds of musical ornaments. ^[18]

The blue notes allow for key moments of expression particularly during the cadences, melodies, and embellishments of the blues. Where the three line verses end, for example, there is a falling cadence that approaches just shy of the tonic, merely suggesting it, and combining the falling of a speaking voice with the shape of the blues scale in a unique, expressive way. This melodic fall, placed at the turnaround (end of the verse), is employed most clearly in the modern, Chicago blues sound. A similar sound occurs in gospel and R&B but not to the same effect, where it is usually termed a melisma.

Whereas a classical musician will generally play a grace note distinctly, a blues singer or harmonica player will glissando, "crushing" the two notes and then releasing the grace note. " Glissando " (plural glissandi abbreviated gliss is a glide from one pitch to another In blues chord progressions, the tonic, subdominant and dominant chords are often played as harmonic seventh chords, the harmonic seventh being an important component of the blues scale. The harmonic seventh interval, also known as the septimal minor seventh, is one with an exact 74 ratio (about 969 cents (NB: While the harmonic seventh may be voiced easily, on equally tempered instruments like the guitar, it is approximated by means of a minor seventh, which is a third of a semitone higher. ) Blues is also occasionally played in a minor key, such as in the style of Paul Butterfield. Minor Scale was a test conducted by the United States Defense Nuclear Agency (now part of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency) involving the detonation Paul Butterfield ( December 17 1942 – May 4 1987) was an American Blues Harmonica player and Singer The scale differs little from the traditional minor, except for the occasional use of a flatted fifth in the tonic, often sung or played by the singer or lead instrument with the perfect fifth in the harmony. The perfect fifth ( is the Musical interval between a note and the note seven Semitones above it on the musical scale

• Janis Joplin's rendition of "Ball and Chain", accompanied by Big Brother and the Holding Company, provides an example of this technique. Janis Lyn Joplin ( January 19, 1943  – October 4, 1970) was an American singer songwriter and music arranger from Big Brother and the Holding Company is an American rock band that formed in San Francisco in 1965 as part of the psychedelic music scene
• Minor-key blues is often structured in sixteen bars rather than twelve, in the style of gospel music, as in "St. James Infirmary Blues" and Trixie Smith's "My Man Rocks Me. Gospel music is Music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life as well as (in terms of the varying music styles to " St James Infirmary Blues " is an American Folksong of anonymous origin though sometimes credited to the songwriter Joe Primrose (a pseudonym Trixie Smith (born 1895 Atlanta, Georgia; died September 21 1943, New York City New York) was an American "

Blues shuffles reinforce the trance-like rhythm and call-and-response, and form a repetitive effect called a "groove". Groove is the sense of propulsive Rhythmic "feel" or sense of " Swing " created by the interaction of the music played by a band's Rhythm section The simplest shuffles commonly used in many postwar electric blues, rock-and-rolls, or early bebops were a three-note riff on the bass strings of the guitar. The electric blues is a type of Blues music distinguished by the amplification of the Guitar, the Bass guitar, and/or the Harmonica Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African Bebop or bop is a form of Jazz characterized by fast Tempos and Improvisation based on Harmonic structure rather than Melody In Music, a riff is an Ostinato figure a repeated Chord progression, pattern refrain or melodic figure, often played by the Rhythm When this riff was played over the bass and the drums, the groove "feel" is created. The walking bass is another device that helps to create a "groove" . In Popular music, a walking bass is a style of bass accompaniment or line common in jazz which creates a feeling of regular quarter note movement akin to the regular The last bar of the chord progression is usually accompanied by a turnaround that makes the transition to the beginning of the next progression.

Shuffle rhythm is often vocalized as "dow, da dow, da dow, da" or "dump, da dump, da dump, da"^[19] as it consists of uneven, or "swung", eighth notes. On a guitar this may be done as a simple steady bass or may add to that stepwise quarter note motion from the fifth to the sixth of the chord and back. An example is provided by the following guitar tablature for the first four bars of a blues progression in E:^[20][21]

   E7                  E7                  A7                  A7
E |-------------------|-------------------|-------------------|---------------------|
B |-------------------|-------------------|-------------------|---------------------|
G |-------------------|-------------------|-------------------|---------------------|
D |-------------------|-------------------|---2-2--4-4--2-2--4|4--2-2--4-2--5-2--4-2|
A |2--2-4--4-2--2-4--4|2--2--4--2--5--2--4|2--0-0--0-0--0-0--0|0--0-0--0-0--0-0--0-0|
E |0--0-0--0-0--0-0--0|0--0--0--0--0--0--0|0------------------|---------------------|

Blues in jazz is much different from blues in other types of music (such as Rock, R&B, Soul, Funk, and Blues in its own category). Tablature (or Tabulature) is a form of Musical notation, which tells players where to place their fingers on a particular instrument Jazz blues normally stays on the V chord through bars 9 and 10, emphasizing the dominant - tonic resolution over the subdominant - tonic structure of traditional blues. Jazz blues is a Musical style that combines Jazz and Blues. The term also refers to any tune that follows the standard 12-bar blues chord progression This final V-I cadence lends itself to many variations, the most basic of which is the ii-V-I progression in bars 9, 10 and 11. From that point, both the dominant approach (ii-V) and the resolution (I) can be altered and "substituted" nearly endlessly, including, for instance, doing away with the I chord altogether (bars 9–12: ii | V | iii, vi | ii, V |) In this case, bars 11 and 12 function as an extended turn-around to the next chorus.

History of the blues genres

Origins

Main article: Origins of the blues

The rough guides has its own blues-roots cd too

Okahumkee On The Ocklawaha, 1890s photo of the tourist steamer out of Palatka in Florida with guitar toting blacks

Blues has evolved from an unaccompanied vocal music and oral traditions of African-American slaves (imported from West Africa; principally Mali, Senegal; the Gambia and Ghana^[22][23])and rural blacks into a wide variety of styles and subgenres, with regional variations across the United States and, later, Europe and Africa. Little is known about the exact origins of the music we now know as the Blues. Mali, officially the Republic of Mali (République du Mali is a Landlocked nation in Western Africa. Senegal (le Sénégal officially the Republic of Senegal, is a country south of the Sénégal River in western Africa. The Republic of Ghana is a country in West Africa. It borders Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast to the west Burkina Faso to the north Togo to the The musical forms and styles that are now considered the "blues" as well as modern "country music" arose in the same regions during the nineteenth century in the southern United States. Country music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. Recorded blues and country can be found from as far back as the 1920s, when the popular record industry developed and created marketing categories called "race music" and "hillbilly music" to sell music by blacks for blacks and by whites for whites, respectively. African American music (also called black music) is an umbrella term given to a range of Music and Musical genres emerging from or influenced by the Old-time music is a form of North American Folk music, with roots in the Folk musics of many countries including England, Scotland,

At the time, there was no clear musical division between "blues" and "country," except for the ethnicity of the performer, and even that was sometimes documented incorrectly by record companies. ^[24] Studies have situated the origin of black spirituals inside slaves' exposure to their white Hebridean-originated gospels. See also Hebrides (disambiguation The Hebrides (ˈhɛbrɨˌdiːz "HEB-ri-deez" Gaelic: Innse Gall) comprise a widespread and diverse African-American economist and historian Thomas Sowell also notes that the southern, black, ex-slave population was acculturated to a considerable degree by and among their Scots-Irish "redneck" neighbours. Thomas Sowell (born June 30, 1930) is an American Economist, social commentator and author of dozens of books Redneck refers to a Stereotype of usually Rural, Caucasian (i However, the findings of Kubik and others also clearly attest to the essential Africanness of many essential aspects of blues expression.

The social and economic reasons for the appearance of the blues are not fully known. ^[25] The first appearance of the blues is not well defined and is often dated between 1870 and 1900, a period that coincides with Emancipation, the development of juke joints as a refuge for blacks separate from the white society,^[26] and the transition from slavery to sharecropping, small-scale agricultural production and the expansion of railroads in the southern United States. Abolitionism was a political movement of the 18th and 19th century which sought to make Slavery illegal particularly in the United States and British West Indies Juke joint (or jook joint) is the Vernacular term for an informal establishment featuring music dancing gambling and drinking primarily operated by

Several scholars characterize the early 1900s development of blues music as a move from group performances to a more individualized style. They argue that the development of the blues is associated with the newly acquired freedom of the enslaved people. According to Lawrence Levine,^[27] "there was a direct relationship between the national ideological emphasis upon the individual, the popularity of Booker T. Washington's teachings, and the rise of the blues. Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5 1856 &ndash November 14 1915 was an American educator orator author and leader of the African-American community " Levine states that "psychologically, socially, and economically, Negroes were being acculturated in a way that would have been impossible during slavery, and it is hardly surprising that their secular music reflected this as much as their religious music did. "

Prewar blues

The American sheet music publishing industry produced a great deal of ragtime music. Sheet music is a hand-written or printed form of Musical notation; like its analogs -- books pamphlets etc Ragtime (alternately spelled Rag-time) is an American musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918 By 1912, the sheet music industry published three popular blues-like compositions, precipitating the Tin Pan Alley adoption of blues elements: "Baby Seals' Blues" by "Baby" F. Tin Pan Alley is the name given to the collection of New York City -centered music publishers and Songwriters who dominated the popular Seals (arranged by Artie Matthews), "Dallas Blues" by Hart Wand and "The Memphis Blues" by W. C. Handy. Artie Matthews ( November 15, 1888 - October 25, 1958) was a Songwriter, Pianist, and Ragtime composer Hart A Wand (1887-1960 born in Kansas of German extraction was an early fiddler and bandleader from Oklahoma City Oklahoma. "The Memphis Blues" is a song described by its composer W William Christopher Handy ( November 16 1873 &ndash March 28 1958) was a Blues Composer and Musician, often ^[28]

Handy was a formally trained musician, composer and arranger who helped to popularize the blues by transcribing and orchestrating blues in an almost symphonic style, with bands and singers. He became a popular and prolific composer, and billed himself as the "Father of the Blues"; however, his compositions can be described as a fusion of blues with ragtime and jazz, a merger facilitated using the Cuban habanera rhythm that had long been a part of ragtime;^[29][14] Handy's signature work was the "St. Louis Blues". The habanera is a musical style or genre from Cuba with a characteristic "Habanera rhythm" it is one of the oldest mainstays of Cuban music and the first " St Louis Blues " is an American popular Song composed by William Christopher Handy in the Blues style

In the 1920s, the blues became a major element of African American and American popular music, reaching white audiences via Handy's arrangements and the classic female blues performers. The blues evolved from informal performances in bars to entertainment in theaters. Blues performances were organized by the Theater Owners Bookers Association in nightclubs such as the Cotton Club, and juke joints, such as the bars along Beale Street in Memphis. Theater Owners Booking Association, or TOBA, was the Vaudeville circuit for African American performers in the 1920s and 1930s A nightclub (or "night club" or "club" is a drinking, dancing, and entertainment venue which does its primary business after dark Juke joint (or jook joint) is the Vernacular term for an informal establishment featuring music dancing gambling and drinking primarily operated by Beale Street is a street in downtown Memphis Tennessee, which runs from the Mississippi River to East Street a distance of approximately. This evolution led to a notable diversification of the styles and to a clearer division between blues and jazz. Several record companies, such as the American Record Corporation, Okeh Records, and Paramount Records, began to record African American music. The American Record Corporation, often known as ARC Records or simply ARC, was a United States based Record company. Okeh Records began as an Independent record label based in the United States of America in Paramount Records was an American Record label, best known for its recordings of African-American Jazz and Blues in the 1920s and

As the recording industry grew, country blues performers like Bo Carter, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Lonnie Johnson, Tampa Red and Blind Blake became more popular in the African American community. Armenter "Bo Carter" Chatmon ( March 21 1893 &mdash September 21 1964) was a popular early Blues Musician "Blind" Lemon Jefferson ( September 24, 1893 or October 26, 1894 or July 1897 &ndash December 1929 was an influential Alonzo "Lonnie" Johnson ( February 8, 1899 – June 16, 1970) was an American Blues and Jazz Tampa Red ( January 8 1904 - March 19 1981) born Hudson Woodbridge but known from childhood as Hudson Whittaker, was an influential "Blind" Blake (born Arthur Blake, circa 1893 Jacksonville Florida; died circa 1933 was an influential Blues Singer and Guitarist Sylvester Weaver was the first to record the slide guitar style, in which a guitar is fretted with a knife blade or the sawed-off neck of a bottle. Sylvester Weaver (born July 25 1897 in Louisville Kentucky; died April 4 1960 in Louisville Kentucky was an American Blues Slide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the Guitar. The slide guitar became an important part of the Delta blues. The Delta blues is one of the earliest styles of Blues music. ^[30] The first blues recordings from the 1920s were in two categories: a traditional, rural country blues and more polished 'city' or urban blues. Country blues (also folk blues, rural blues, backwoods blues, or downhome blues) refers to all

Country blues performers often improvised, either without accompaniment or with only a banjo or guitar. There were many regional styles of country blues in the early 20th century. The (Mississippi) Delta blues was a rootsy sparse style with passionate vocals accompanied by slide guitar. Slide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the Guitar. Robert Johnson,^[31] who was little-recorded, combined elements of both urban and rural blues. Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8 1911 – August 16 1938 is among the most famous of Delta blues musicians Along with Robert Johnson, influential performers of this style were his predecessors Charley Patton and Son House. Charlie Patton, better known as Charley Patton ( May 1, 1891 - April 28, 1934) is best known as an American Delta Eddie James "Son" House Jr ( March 21 1902 – October 19 1988) was an American Blues singer and Guitarist Singers such as Blind Willie McTell and Blind Boy Fuller performed in the southeastern "delicate and lyrical" Piedmont blues tradition, which used an elaborate fingerpicking guitar technique. William Samuel McTell, better known as Blind Willie McTell ( May 5, 1898 (sometimes reported as 1901 or even 1903 – August 19, 1959 Blind Boy Fuller (born Fulton Allen) ( July 10, 1907 - February 13, 1941) was an American Blues Guitarist The Piedmont blues (also known as Piedmont fingerstyle or East Coast' blues) is a type of Blues music characterized by a unique fingerpicking method on the Fingerstyle guitar is the technique of playing the Guitar by plucking the strings directly with the fingertips fingernails or picks attached to fingers as opposed to Georgia also had an early slide tradition. ^[32]

The lively Memphis blues style, which developed in the 1920s and 1930s around Memphis, Tennessee, was influenced by jug bands, such as the Memphis Jug Band or the Gus Cannon's Jug Stompers. The Memphis blues is a style of Blues music that was created in the 1920s and 1930s by Memphis-area musicians like Frank Stokes, Sleepy John Estes, Memphis is a City in the southwest corner of Tennessee, and the County seat of Shelby County. A jug band is a band employing a jug player and a mix of traditional and home-made instruments The Memphis Jug Band was an American musical group in the late 1920s and early to mid 1930s Gus Cannon ( 12 September 1883 — 15 October 1979) was an American Blues Musician who helped to popularize Performers such as Frank Stokes, Blind Old Tom Anderson, Sleepy John Estes, Robert Wilkins, Big Boy Brazier, Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie used a variety of unusual instruments such as washboard, fiddle, kazoo or mandolin. Frank Stokes ( January 1 1888 &ndash September 12 1955) was a Blues Musician, Songster, and Blackface John Adam Estes — 5 June 1977) commonly known as Sleepy John Estes or Sleepy John, was a U Robert Timothy Wilkins ( 16 January 1896 – 26 May 1987) was a seminal Blues Kansas Joe McCoy ( May 11 1905 – January 28 1950) was an African American Blues Musician and Songwriter Memphis Minnie McCoy-Lawler (born Lizzie Douglas, June 3, 1897 in Algiers, Louisiana; died A washboard is a tool designed for hand washing clothing With mechanized cleaning of clothing becoming more common by the end of the 20th century the washboard has become better known Classical music Since the Baroque era the violin ( Baroque violin) has been one of the most important of all instruments in classical music, for several The kazoo is a simple Musical instrument ( Membranophone) that adds a "buzzing" timbral quality to a player's voice when one vocalizes into it A mandolin is a musical instrument in the Lute family (plucked or strummed Memphis Minnie was famous for her virtuoso guitar style. Pianist Memphis Slim began his career in Memphis, but his quite distinct style was smoother and contained some swing elements. John "Memphis Slim" Chatman (born September 3, 1915, Memphis, Tennessee; died February 24, 1988, in Many blues musicians based in Memphis moved to Chicago in the late 1930s or early 1940s and became part of the urban blues movement which blended country music and electric blues.

Bessie Smith was a very famous early blues singer. Bessie Smith (July 9 1892 or April 15 1894&ndash September 26 1937 was an American Blues singer

City or urban blues styles were more codified and elaborate. ^[33] Classic female urban or vaudeville blues singers were popular in the 1920s, among them Mamie Smith, Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Victoria Spivey. The classic female Blues spanned from 1920 to 1929 with its peak from 1923 to 1925 Vaudeville was a Genre of variety entertainment prevalent on the stage in the United States and Canada, from the early 1880s Mamie Smith ( May 26, 1883, Cincinnati Ohio &ndash September 16, 1946, New York City) was an American Gertrude Malissa Nix Pridgett Rainey, better known as Ma Rainey ( April 26, 1886 – December 22, 1939) was one of the earliest known Bessie Smith (July 9 1892 or April 15 1894&ndash September 26 1937 was an American Blues singer Victoria Spivey ( 15 October 1906 - 3 October 1976) was an American Blues Singer and Songwriter Mamie Smith, more a vaudeville performer than a blues artist, was the first African- American to record a blues in 1920; her "Crazy Blues" sold 75,000 copies in its first month. ^[34]

Ma Rainey, called the "Mother of Blues", and Bessie Smith sang ". . . each song around centre tones, perhaps in order to project her voice more easily to the back of a room. " Smith would ". . . sing a song in an unusual key, and her artistry in bending and stretching notes with her beautiful, powerful contralto to accommodate her own interpretation was unsurpassed". ^[35] Urban male performers included popular black musicians of the era, such Tampa Red, Big Bill Broonzy and Leroy Carr. Tampa Red ( January 8 1904 - March 19 1981) born Hudson Woodbridge but known from childhood as Hudson Whittaker, was an influential Big Bill Broonzy ( 26 June 1898 &ndash 14 August 1958) was a prolific American Blues Singer, songwriter Leroy Carr ( March 27 1905 – April 29 1935 The success of his first release resulted in more Vocalion recordings. Before WWII, Tampa Red was sometimes referred to as "The Guitar Wizard. " Carr made the then-unusual choice of accompanying himself on the piano. ^[30]

A typical boogie-woogie bassline

Boogie-woogie was another important style of 1930s and early 1940s urban blues. Boogie-woogie is a style of Piano -based Blues that became very popular in the late 1930s and early 1940s but originated much earlier and was extended from piano While the style is often associated with solo piano, boogie-woogie was also used to accompany singers and, as a solo part, in bands and small combos. Boogie-Woogie style was characterized by a regular bass figure, an ostinato or riff and shifts of level in the left hand, elaborating each chord and trills and decorations in the right hand. In Music, an Ostinato (derived from Italian: "stubborn" see also Oscillation) is a motif or phrase which is persistently In Music, a riff is an Ostinato figure a repeated Chord progression, pattern refrain or melodic figure, often played by the Rhythm A level (van der Merwe 1989 also "tonality level" Kubik's "tonal step" and John Blacking 's " Root progression " is a temporary Boogie-woogie was pioneered by the Chicago-based Jimmy Yancey and the Boogie-Woogie Trio (Albert Ammons, Pete Johnson and Meade Lux Lewis). James Edwards "Jimmy" Yancey ( February 20, 1898 - September 17, 1951) was an African American Pianist, composer Albert Ammons ( September 23 1907 — December 2 1949) was an American Pianist. Peter (Pete Johnson ( 24 March 1904 - 23 March 1967) was an American Jazz Pianist, best known as a leading Meade Anderson "Lux" Lewis ( September 3, 1905 – June 7, 1964) was a United States pianist and composer noted for his work Chicago boogie-woogie performers included Clarence "Pine Top" Smith and Earl Hines, who "linked the propulsive left-hand rhythms of the ragtime pianists with melodic figures similar to those of Armstrong's trumpet in the right hand". Clarence Smith, better known as Pinetop Smith or Pine Top Smith ( 11 June, 1904 - 15 March, 1929) was an influential American Earl Kenneth Hines, universally known as Earl "Fatha" Hines, ( 28 December, 1903 Duquesne Pennsylvania &ndash 22 April ^[33]

In the 1940s, the jump blues style developed. Jump blues is a type of Up-tempo Blues music influenced by Big band sound Jump blues is influenced by big band music and uses saxophone or other brass instruments and the guitar in the rhythm section to create a jazzy, up-tempo sound with declamatory vocals. A big band is a type of Musical ensemble associated with playing jazz music and which became popular during the Swing Era from the early 1930s until the late The saxophone (commonly referred to simply as sax) is a conical- bored transposing Musical instrument considered a member of the Woodwind A brass instrument is a Musical instrument whose tone is produced by vibration of the lips as the player blows into a tubular Resonator. Jump blues tunes by Louis Jordan and Big Joe Turner, based in Kansas City, Missouri, influenced the development of later styles such as rock and roll and rhythm and blues. Louis Jordan ( July 8, 1908 – February 4, 1975) was a pioneering American Jazz, Blues and Rhythm & blues For the Ice hockey player see Joe Turner Big Joe Turner (born Joseph Vernon Turner Jr Kansas City Missouri only Items for the metro area Kansas City Kansas or North Kansas City MO should go on their respective pages Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African ^[36] The smooth Louisiana style of Professor Longhair and, more recently, Dr. John blends classic rhythm and blues with blues styles. Professor Longhair (born Henry Roeland Byrd, also known as Roy "Bald Head" Byrd and as Fess) ( December 19, 1918 - January Dr John (also Dr John Creaux) is the Stage name of Malcolm John Rebennack Jr

Early postwar blues

After World War II and in the 1950s, new styles of electric blues music became popular in cities such as Chicago, Detroit and St. Louis. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The electric blues is a type of Blues music distinguished by the amplification of the Guitar, the Bass guitar, and/or the Harmonica Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. Electric blues used amplified electric guitars, electric bass, drums, and harmonica. Chicago became a center for electric blues in the early 1950s. Chicago blues is influenced to a large extent by the Mississippi blues style, because many performers had migrated from the Mississippi region. The Chicago blues is a form of Blues music that developed in Chicago Illinois by taking the basic acoustic guitar and Harmonica -based Delta blues The Delta blues is one of the earliest styles of Blues music. Mississippi ( is a state located in the Deep South of the United States Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, and Jimmy Reed were all born in Mississippi and moved to Chicago during the Great Migration. Chester Burnett redirects here For the American football player see Chester Burnett (American football Chester Arthur Burnett ( June 10, 1910 For the album by Redman, see Muddy Waters (album. For the college football coach see Muddy Waters (football coach. William James "Willie" Dixon ( July 1, 1915 &ndash January 29, 1992) was a well-known American Blues Bassist Mathis James "Jimmy" Reed ( September 6 1925 - August 29 1976) was an American Blues Singer notable See also Second Great Migration (African American The Great Migration was the movement of approximately seven million African-Americans out of the Their style is characterized by the use of electric guitar, sometimes slide guitar, harmonica, and a rhythm section of bass and drums. A harmonica is a free reed Wind instrument which is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes (reed chambers or J. T. Brown who played in Elmore James's or J. B. Lenoir's bands, also used saxophones, but these were used more as "backing" or rhythmic support than as solo instruments. J T Brown ( April 2 1918, Mississippi — November 24 1969, Chicago) was a tenor Saxophone Musician Elmore James ( January 27, 1918 &ndash May 24, 1963) was an American Blues Guitarist, Singer J B Lenoir ( March 5 1929 &ndash April 29 1967) was an African- American Blues Guitarist, Singer

Muddy Waters, described as "the guiding light of the modern blues school"^[37]

Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Miller) are well known harmonica (called "harp" by blues musicians) players of the early Chicago blues scene. For the album by Redman, see Muddy Waters (album. For the college football coach see Muddy Waters (football coach. For the radio personality see Little Walter DeVenne. Little Walter (born Marion Walter Jacobs in Marksville LA and raised Aleck "Rice" Miller ( December 5 1899 or March 11 1908 – May 25 1965) a There are numerous techniques available for Harmonica. A few are described here Other harp players such as Big Walter Horton were also influential. Big Walter Horton or Walter "Shakey" Horton ( April 6, 1917 – December 8, 1981) was an American Blues Harmonica Muddy Waters and Elmore James were known for their innovative use of slide electric guitar. B. B. King and Freddie King (no relation), who did not use slide guitar, were influential guitarists of the Electric blues style, even though they weren't from Chicago. B B King (born Riley B King, September 16 1925 is an American Blues Guitarist and Singer-songwriter. Freddie "The Texas Cannonball" King ( September 3 1934 &ndash December 28 1976) was an influential American Blues Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters were known for their deep, "gravelly" voices.

Bassist and composer Willie Dixon played a major role on the Chicago blues scene. He composed and wrote many standard blues songs of the period, such as "Hoochie Coochie Man", "I Just Want to Make Love to You" (both penned for Muddy Waters) and, "Wang Dang Doodle" and "Back Door Man" for Howlin' Wolf. " Hoochie Coochie Man " (sometimes referred to as " (I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man " is a 1954 song (see 1954 in music) written by Willie Dixon " I Just Want to Make Love to You " is a 1954 blues song (see 1954 in music) written by Willie Dixon and first recorded by Muddy Waters Wang Dang Doodle is a blues song written by Willie Dixon for Howlin' Wolf at Chess Records in Chicago. " Back Door Man " is a Blues song written by Willie Dixon for Howlin' Wolf, released on Chess Records as a B-side to Most artists of the Chicago blues style recorded for the Chicago-based Chess Records label. Chess Records was an American Record label based in Chicago Illinois. Other prominent blues labels of this era included J.O.B. Records and Vee-Jay Records. JOB Records was a Chicago based Record label, founded by St Louis Jimmy Oden and Joe Brown in mid 1948, and specialized in Southern Vee-Jay Records was a Record label founded in the 1950s specializing in Blues, Jazz, Rhythm and blues and Rock and roll.

In the 1950s, blues had a huge influence on mainstream American popular music and in particular on the development of rockabilly. Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of Rock and roll music and emerged in the early 1950s While popular musicians like Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry were influenced by the Chicago blues, their enthusiastic playing styles departed from the melancholy aspects of blues. Bo Diddley ( December 30 1928 &ndash June 2 2008, born Ellas Otha Bates) was an original and influential American Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry (born October 18 1926 in St Diddley and Berry's approach to performance was one of the factors that influenced the transition from the blues to rock 'n' roll. Rock and roll emerged as a defined musical style in America in the 1950s though elements of rock and roll can be seen in Rhythm and blues records as far back Elvis Presley and Bill Haley were more influenced by the jump blues and boogie-woogie styles. This article is specifically about the singer For detailed information about his rock and roll group see Bill Haley & His Comets. They popularized rock and roll within the white segment of the population. Chicago blues also influenced Louisiana's zydeco music, with Clifton Chenier using blues accents. The State of Louisiana ( or, État de Louisiane, pronounced) is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America Zydeco ( French "les haricots" English "snap beans" is a form of American roots or folk music, that evolved from The jure during Clifton Chenier ( June 25 1925 - December 12 1987) a Creole French speaking native of Opelousas, Louisiana, was an Zydeco musicians used electric solo guitar and cajun arrangements of blues standards. Cajuns ('keʒən les Cadiens are an Ethnic group mainly living in Louisiana, consisting of the descendants of Acadian exiles and peoples of other

Other blues artists, such as T-Bone Walker, Michael Walton and John Lee Hooker, had influences not directly related to the Chicago style. Aaron Thibeaux Walker or T-Bone Walker or Oak Cliff T-Bone ( May 26 1910 — March 15 1975 Walker's recording John Lee Hooker ( August 22, 1917 &ndash June 21, 2001) was an influential American Post-war Blues singer Dallas-born T-Bone Walker is often associated with the California blues style, which is smoother than Chicago blues and is a transition between the Chicago blues, the jump blues and swing with some jazz-guitar influence. The West Coast blues is a type of Blues music characterized by Jazz and Jump blues influences strong Piano -dominated sounds and jazzy guitar Swing music, also known as swing jazz, is a form of Jazz music that developed in the early 1930s and had solidified as a distinctive style by 1935 in the United The term jazz guitar may refer to either a type of guitar or to the variety of playing styles used in the various genres which are commonly termed " Jazz John Lee Hooker's blues is more "personal", based on Hooker's deep rough voice accompanied by a single electric guitar. Though not directly influenced by boogie woogie, his "groovy" style is sometimes called "guitar boogie". His first hit "Boogie Chillen" reached #1 on the R&B charts in 1949. " Boogie Chillen' " is an Electric blues song written by John Lee Hooker. ^[38]

By the late 1950s, the swamp blues genre developed near Baton Rouge, with performers such as Slim Harpo, Sam Myers and Jerry McCain. Swamp blues is a form of Blues music that is highly evolved and specialized Baton Rouge (French Bâton-Rouge ˌbætən ˈruːdʒ in English, and in French) is the capital city of Louisiana. Slim Harpo ( 11 January, 1924 – 31 January, 1970) was a Blues musician Sam Myers ( February 19 1936 &ndash July 17 2006) was an American Blues musician and songwriter Jerry McCain, noted Blues performer was born in 1930 in Gadsden Alabama. Swamp blues has a slower pace and a simpler use of the harmonica than the Chicago blues style performers such as Little Walter or Muddy Waters. Songs from this genre include "Scratch my Back", "She's Tough" and "I'm a King Bee". " (I'm a King Bee " is a 1957 song by blues musician Slim Harpo released as his debut single in 1957

Blues in the 1960s and 1970s

By the beginning of the 1960s, genres influenced by African American music such as rock and roll and soul were part of mainstream popular music. African American music (also called black music) is an umbrella term given to a range of Music and Musical genres emerging from or influenced by the Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African Soul music is a Music genre that combines Rhythm and blues and Gospel music, originating in the United States. White performers had brought African-American music to new audiences, both within the US and abroad. In the UK, bands emulated US blues legends, and UK blues-rock-based bands had an influential role throughout the 1960s.

Blues legend B.B. King with his guitar, "Lucille"

Blues performers such as John Lee Hooker and Muddy Waters continued to perform to enthusiastic audiences, inspiring new artists steeped in traditional blues, such as New York-born Taj Mahal. B B King (born Riley B King, September 16 1925 is an American Blues Guitarist and Singer-songwriter. John Lee Hooker ( August 22, 1917 &ndash June 21, 2001) was an influential American Post-war Blues singer For the album by Redman, see Muddy Waters (album. For the college football coach see Muddy Waters (football coach. Henry Saint Clair Fredericks (born May 17, 1942) who goes by the Stage name Taj Mahal, is an internationally recognized Blues musician John Lee Hooker blended his blues style with rock elements and playing with younger white musicians, creating a musical style that can be heard on the 1971 album Endless Boogie. John Lee Hooker ( August 22, 1917 &ndash June 21, 2001) was an influential American Post-war Blues singer B. B. King's virtuoso guitar technique earned him the eponymous title "king of the blues". B B King (born Riley B King, September 16 1925 is an American Blues Guitarist and Singer-songwriter. In contrast to the Chicago style, King's band used strong brass support from a saxophone, trumpet, and trombone, instead of using slide guitar or harp. Tennessee-born Bobby "Blue" Bland, like B. Tennessee ( is a state located in the Southern United States. Robert Calvin Bland (born January 27, 1930) better known as Bobby “Blue” Bland, is an American singer of Blues and soul B. King, also straddled the blues and R&B genres. During this period, Freddie King and Albert King often played with rock and soul musicians (Eric Clapton, Booker T & the MGs)and had a major influence on those styles of music.

The music of the Civil Rights and Free Speech movements in the US prompted a resurgence of interest in American roots music and early African American music. The American Civil Rights Movement (1955–1968 refers to the reform movements in the United States aimed at abolishing racial discrimination against African The Free Speech Movement (FSM was a Student protest which took place during the 1964-1965 school year on the campus of the University of California Berkeley under The American folk music revival was a phenomenon in the United States in the 1950s to mid-1960s As well as Jimmi Bass Music festivals such as the Newport Folk Festival brought traditional blues to a new audience, which helped to revive interest in prewar acoustic blues and performers such as Son House, Mississippi John Hurt, Skip James, and Reverend Gary Davis. The Newport Folk Festival is an American annual folk -oriented Music festival in Newport Rhode Island, which began in 1959 Eddie James "Son" House Jr ( March 21 1902 – October 19 1988) was an American Blues singer and Guitarist "Mississippi" John Smith Hurt ( July 3 1893 or March 8, 1892, Teoc, Carroll County, Mississippi - November Nehemiah Curtis "Skip" James ( June 21, 1902 – October 3, 1969) was an American Delta blues singer guitarist Reverend Gary Davis, also Blind Gary Davis, ( April 30, 1896 &ndash May 5, 1972) was a Blues and gospel singer Many compilations of classic prewar blues were republished by the Yazoo Records. Yazoo Records is a Record label founded in the late 1960s by Nick Perls. J. B. Lenoir from the Chicago blues movement in the 1950s recorded several LPs using acoustic guitar, sometimes accompanied by Willie Dixon on the acoustic bass or drums. J B Lenoir ( March 5 1929 &ndash April 29 1967) was an African- American Blues Guitarist, Singer William James "Willie" Dixon ( July 1, 1915 &ndash January 29, 1992) was a well-known American Blues Bassist His songs commented on political issues such as racism or Vietnam War issues, which was unusual for this period. List of racism-related topics|Racism by country Racism, by its simplest definition is the belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia His Alabama Blues recording had a song that stated:

I never will go back to Alabama, that is not the place for me (2x)
You know they killed my sister and my brother,
and the whole world let them peoples go down there free

White audiences' interest in the blues during the 1960s increased due to the Chicago-based Paul Butterfield Blues Band and the British blues movement. Paul Butterfield ( December 17 1942 – May 4 1987) was an American Blues Harmonica player and Singer A British blue is also a type of cat The British blues is a type of Blues music that originated in the late 1950s The style of British blues developed in the UK, when bands such as Fleetwood Mac, John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, and Cream performed classic blues songs from the Delta or Chicago blues traditions. A British blue is also a type of cat The British blues is a type of Blues music that originated in the late 1950s Fleetwood Mac are a British / American John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers are a pioneering English blues band led by Singer, Songwriter, and The Yardbirds are an English rock band noted for starting the careers of three of rock's most famous Guitarists Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck Cream were a 1960s British rock band The Delta blues is one of the earliest styles of Blues music. The Chicago blues is a form of Blues music that developed in Chicago Illinois by taking the basic acoustic guitar and Harmonica -based Delta blues

The British blues musicians of the early 1960s inspired a number of American blues-rock fusion performers, including Canned Heat, Janis Joplin, Johnny Winter, The J. Geils Band, Ry Cooder and The Allman Brothers Band. Blues-rock is a hybrid musical genre combining Bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and extended Boogie jams with Rock Canned Heat is a Blues-rock /boogie band that formed in Los Angeles in 1965 Janis Lyn Joplin ( January 19, 1943  – October 4, 1970) was an American singer songwriter and music arranger from John Dawson "Johnny" Winter III (born on 23 February, 1944 in Beaumont Texas, USA is an American Blues guitarist The J Geils Band was an American rock band who were formed in 1967 in Worcester Massachusetts, that had a successful R&B -influenced Ryland "Ry" Peter Cooder (born 15 March 1947, in Los Angeles, California) is an American Guitarist, Singer, and The Allman Brothers Band is a Southern rock band based in Macon, Georgia. Many of Led Zeppelin's earlier hits were renditions of traditional blues songs. Led Zeppelin were One blues-rock performer, Jimi Hendrix, was a rarity in his field at the time: a black man who played psychedelic rock. Blues-rock is a hybrid musical genre combining Bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and extended Boogie jams with Rock James Marshall Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix) (November 27 1942 – September 18 1970 was an American Guitarist, Singer and Songwriter Psychedelic rock is a style of Rock music that attempts to replicate the mind-altering experiences of hallucinogenic drugs. Hendrix was a skilled guitarist, and a pioneer in the innovative use of distortion and feedback in his music. A distortion is the alteration of the original shape (or other characteristic of an object image sound waveform or other form of information or representation Feedback is a circular causal Process whereby some proportion of a system's output is returned (fed back to the Input. ^[39] Through these artists and others, blues music influenced the development of rock music. Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums.

In the late 1960s, the West Side style blues emerged in Chicago with Magic Sam, Magic Slim and Otis Rush. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. Samuel "Magic Sam" Gene Maghett ( February 14 1937 – December 1 1969) was born in Grenada and learned to play the Magic Slim (born Morris Holt, 7 August 1937, Granada, Mississippi) is a Blues Singer and Guitarist Otis Rush (born April 29, 1934 in Philadelphia Mississippi) is a blues Musician, Singer and Guitarist. West Side style has strong rhythmic support from a rhythm guitar, bass electric guitar, and drums. Albert King, Buddy Guy, and Luther Allison had a West Side style that was dominated by amplified electric lead guitar. Albert King ( April 25 1923 &ndash December 21 1992) was an American Blues Guitarist and Singer George "Buddy" Guy (born July 30, 1936) is a five-time Grammy Award-winning American Blues and rock Guitarist Luther Allison ( August 17 1939 — August 12 1997) was an American Blues Guitarist.

Since the early 1970s, The Texas rock-blues style emerged which used guitars in both solo and rhythm roles. Texas Blues is a subgenre of the Blues, and of course is not limited to Texas-based musicians In contrast with the West Side blues, the Texas style is strongly influenced by the British rock-blues movement. Major artists of the Texas style are Johnny Winter, Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, and ZZ Top. John Dawson "Johnny" Winter III (born on 23 February, 1944 in Beaumont Texas, USA is an American Blues guitarist Stephen "Stevie" Ray Vaughan ( October 3, 1954 August 27, 1990) was an American Blues-rock Guitarist The Fabulous Thunderbirds are a Blues-rock band, formed in 1974. ZZ Top (ˌziːziːˈtɒp is an American rock band formed in late 1969 in Houston Texas. These artists all began their musical journey in the 1970s, but they wouldn't achieve major international success until the next decade.

Blues from the 1980s to the present

Since the 1980s, there has been a resurgence of interest in the blues among a certain part of the African-American population, particularly around Jackson, MS and other deep South regions. The Deep South is a descriptive category of cultural and geographic subregions in the American South. Often termed "soul blues" or "Southern Soul," the music at the heart of this movement was given new life by the unexpected success of two particular recordings on the Jackson-based Malaco label: Z. Z. Hill's Down Home Blues (1982) and Little Milton's The Blues is Alright (1984). Soul blues is a style of Blues music developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s that combines elements of Soul music and urban contemporary music Southern soul is a type of Soul music that emerged from the Southern United States. Malaco is a Swedish brand of confectionery products owned by Leaf, their products are sold in Norway, Denmark and Finland as well as Sweden Arziel Hill ( September 30 1935, Naples, Texas — April 27 1984, Dallas Texas) known popularly as Z Milton "Little Milton" Campbell Jr ( September 7, 1934 &mdash August 4, 2005) was a Blues and Soul vocalist and Contemporary African-American performers who work this vein of the blues include Bobby Rush, Denise LaSalle, Sir Charles Jones, Bettye LaVette, Marvin Sease and Peggy Scott-Adams. Bobby Rush (born November 10, 1940) is an American Blues and R&B musician composer and singer Denise LaSalle (born Denise Allen 16 July 1939, Leflore County, Mississippi) is an American Urban, R&B / Sir Charles Jones is an American Singer associated with the " Southern Soul " and contemporary Blues music scenes Bettye LaVette (born Betty Haskins in Muskegon, Michigan, 1946 is an American soul singer who cut her first record at 16 but achieved Marvin Sease was born on February 16, 1946 in Blackville South Carolina, where he became a gospel artist. Peggy Scott-Adams (born ? is a Soul and R&B African-American female singer

Texas blues guitarist, Stevie Ray Vaughan

During the 1980s, blues also continued in both traditional and new forms. Stephen "Stevie" Ray Vaughan ( October 3, 1954 August 27, 1990) was an American Blues-rock Guitarist In 1982, the album Strong Persuader revealed Robert Cray as a major blues artist. Released in 1986 Strong Persuader was Robert Cray 's breakthrough album to the mainstream Robert Cray (born August 1, 1953) is an American Blues musician Guitarist, and Singer. The first Stevie Ray Vaughan recording Texas Flood was released in 1983, and the Texas based guitarist exploded onto the international stage. Stephen "Stevie" Ray Vaughan ( October 3, 1954 August 27, 1990) was an American Blues-rock Guitarist Texas Flood is an Electric blues album by Blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan and his band Double Trouble released in 1983 (see 1983 1989 saw a revival of John Lee Hooker's popularity with the album The Healer. John Lee Hooker ( August 22, 1917 &ndash June 21, 2001) was an influential American Post-war Blues singer The Healer is a Blues album by John Lee Hooker, released in 1989 Eric Clapton known for his performances with the Blues Breakers and Cream, made a comeback in the 1990s with his album Unplugged, in which he played some standard blues numbers on acoustic guitar. Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE (born 30 March 1945 is an English Blues-rock Guitarist, singer Songwriter and Composer John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers are a pioneering English blues band led by Singer, Songwriter, and Cream were a 1960s British rock band Unplugged is an Album by Eric Clapton released in 1992. It was recorded live in England for the MTV Unplugged series

In the 1980s and 1990s, blues publications such as Living Blues and Blues Revue began to be distributed, major cities began forming blues societies, outdoor blues festivals became more common, and^[40] more nightclubs and venues for blues emerged. Living Blues, is a bi-monthly journal of the African-American Blues tradition A nightclub (or "night club" or "club" is a drinking, dancing, and entertainment venue which does its primary business after dark ^[41]

In the 1990s, blues performers explored a range of musical genres, as can be seen, for example, from the broad array of nominees of the yearly Blues Music Awards, previously named W. The Blues Music Awards are presented by the Blues Foundation, a non-profit organization set up to foster the Blues and its heritage C. Handy Awards^[42] or of the Grammy Awards for Best Contemporary and Traditional Blues Album. The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album has been awarded since 1988 The Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album has been awarded since 1983 Contemporary blues music is nurtured by several blues labels such as: Alligator Records, Ruf Records, Chess Records (MCA), Delmark Records, NorthernBlues Music, and Vanguard Records (Artemis Records). Alligator Records is a Chicago -based independent Blues Record label founded by Bruce Iglauer in 1971. Ruf Records is an Independent record label which was founded in 1994 by Luther Allison ’s manager Thomas Ruf to promote his longstanding artist Chess Records was an American Record label based in Chicago Illinois. MCA Inc (or Music Corporation of America) was an American Corporation in the music and television businesses Delmark Records is the oldest Independent record label in the United States. NorthernBlues Music is a Canadian Independent record label, which specializes in Blues music. Vanguard Records is a Record label set up in 1950 by brothers Maynard and Seymour Solomon in New York. Artemis Records was a New York -based Independent record label, founded in July 1999 by former Chairman / CEO Danny Goldberg Some labels are famous for their rediscovering and remastering of blues rarities such as Arhoolie Records, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings (heir of Folkways Records) and Yazoo Records (Shanachie Records). Arhoolie Records ( El Cerrito California) is a small Record label run by Chris Strachwitz. Folkways Records is a Record label that documents folk and world music Folkways Records is a Record label that documents folk and world music Yazoo Records is a Record label founded in the late 1960s by Nick Perls. Shanachie Records was founded in 1976 by Richard Nevins and Dan Collins ^[43]

Young blues artists today are exploring all aspects of the blues, from classic delta to more rock-oriented blues, artists born after 1970 like Sean Costello,John Mayer, Anthony Gomes, Shemekia Copeland, Jonny Lang, Corey Harris, Susan Tedeschi,Joe Bonamassa,The White Stripes, North Mississippi Allstars, The Black Keys, Bob Log III, Jose P and Hillstomp developing their own styles. Sean Costello ( April 16 1979 &ndash April 15 2008) was an American Blues guitarist and singer John Clayton Mayer (; born October 16 1977 is an American musician Anthony Gomes (born in 1970 is a Canadian Blues and Blues-rock Guitarist and Singer. Shemekia Copeland (b Harlem, New York City 10 April 1979) is an American Blues Singer. Jonny Lang (born Jon Gordon Langseth Jr, January 29 1981 in Fargo North Dakota) is a Grammy Award -winning American Corey Harris (born February 21 1969, Denver, Colorado) is a Bates College educated Blues and Reggae Musician Susan Tedeschi (pronounced te-DES-ki ( November 9, 1970 in Boston Massachusetts) is an American Blues and soul artist Joe Bonamassa (born May 8, 1977) is an American Blues Guitarist singer The White Stripes is an American Garage rock band, formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan. North Mississippi Allstars is a Blues - rock / jam band from Hernando Mississippi, founded in 1996 The Black Keys is a Blues-rock music duo consisting of Dan Auerbach ( vocals and Guitar) and Patrick Carney ( drums and Bob Log III is an American lo-fi Punk blues Musician, Singer and Songwriter who surfaced in the 1990s as Hillstomp is a punk - Blues duo from Portland Oregon, known for unique versions of traditional material and energetic live performances ^[44]

In another cotton-producing community, Memphis, Texas, not Memphis, Tennessee, William Daniel McFalls, or Blues Boy Willie, is attempting to revive the past popularity of blues to contemporary society. Memphis is a city in Hall County, Texas, in the United States. William Daniel McFalls, better known as Blues Boy Willie (born November 28, 1946) is an African-American blues Singer

Musical impact

Cover of the original sheet music of the two piano version of Rhapsody in Blue. Rhapsody in Blue is a musical composition by George Gershwin for solo piano and jazz band written in 1924 which combines elements of classical music with

Blues musical styles, forms (12-bar blues), melodies, and the blues scale have influenced many other genres of music, such as rock and roll, jazz, and popular music. Prominent jazz, folk or rock performers, such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Bob Dylan and the White Stripes have performed significant blues recordings. Louis Armstrong (August 4 1901 &ndash July 6 1971 nicknamed Satchmo or Sachimo and Pops, was an American Jazz Trumpeter Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29 1899 &ndash May 24 1974 was an American Composer, Pianist, and Bandleader. Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26 1926 &ndash September 28 1991 was an American Jazz Trumpeter, Bandleader, and Composer. Bob Dylan (born Robert Zimmerman, May 24 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota) is an American singer-songwriter author poet and painter who has been a major The White Stripes is an American Garage rock band, formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan. The blues scale is often used in popular songs like Harold Arlen's "Blues in the Night", blues ballads like "Since I Fell for You" and "Please Send Me Someone to Love", and even in orchestral works such as George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" and "Concerto in F". Popular music is Music belonging to any of a number of musical styles that are accessible to the general public and are disseminated by one or more Harold Arlen ( February 15, 1905 – April 23, 1986) was an American Composer of popular music The blues ballad creates the sound of the Blues using a Blues scale and blues style chord progressions with a bridge using a different bluesy chord progression in George Gershwin (September 26 1898 &ndash July 11 1937 was an American Composer. Rhapsody in Blue is a musical composition by George Gershwin for solo piano and jazz band written in 1924 which combines elements of classical music with

The blues scale is ubiquitous in modern popular music and informs many modal frames, especially the ladder of thirds used in rock music (e. This article is about modal frames in music for Modal logic see Kripke semantics. A ladder of thirds (van der Merwe 1989 adapted from Curt Sachs) is similar to the Circle of fifths, though ladders of thirds differ in being composed of thirds g. , in "A Hard Day's Night"). " A Hard Day's Night " is a song by British rock band The Beatles. Blues forms are used in the theme to the televised Batman, teen idol Fabian's hit, "Turn Me Loose", country music star Jimmie Rodgers' music, and guitarist/vocalist Tracy Chapman's hit "Give Me One Reason". Batman is a 1960s American Television series, based on the DC Comic book character of the same name. ‎ Teen idols refers to someone idolized by teens a teen idol is often young but in many cases no longer teenaged Fabiano Anthony Forte (born February 6, 1943) better known as Fabian, is a former American Teen idol of the late 1950s and early Country music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. Jimmie Rodgers ( September 8, 1897 – May 26, 1933) an early purveyor of Delta blues, known as "The Singing Brakeman" Tracy Chapman (born March 30, 1964) is an American Singer-songwriter, best known for her singles " Fast Car " "

R&B music can be traced back to spirituals and blues. Spirituals (or Negro spirituals) are songs which were created by African slaves in America. Musically, spirituals were a descendant of New England choral traditions, and in particular of Isaac Watts's hymns, mixed with African rhythms and call-and-response forms. History See also History of New England New England's earliest inhabitants were Algonquian -speaking Native Americans including the Isaac Watts ( July 17, 1674 – November 25, 1748) is recognised as the "Father of English Hymnody" as he was the first prolific and A hymn is a type of Song, usually religious specifically written for the purpose of praise adoration or Prayer, and typically addressed to a deity/deities Spirituals or religious chants in the African-American community are much better documented than the "low-down" blues. Spiritual singing developed because African-American communities could gather for mass or worship gatherings, which were called camp meetings. The camp meeting as a Christian gathering originated in the United States of America.

Early country bluesmen such as Skip James, Charley Patton, Georgia Tom Dorsey played country and urban blues and had influences from spiritual singing. Nehemiah Curtis "Skip" James ( June 21, 1902 – October 3, 1969) was an American Delta blues singer guitarist Charlie Patton, better known as Charley Patton ( May 1, 1891 - April 28, 1934) is best known as an American Delta Thomas Andrew Dorsey ( July 1, 1899, Villa Rica Georgia - January 23, 1993, Chicago) is known as "the father Dorsey helped to popularize Gospel music. Gospel music is Music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life as well as (in terms of the varying music styles to Gospel music developed in the 1930s, with the Golden Gate Quartet. The Golden Gate Quartet (aka The Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet) is the most successful of all of the African-American Gospel music In the 1950s, soul music by Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and James Brown used gospel and blues music elements. Soul music is a Music genre that combines Rhythm and blues and Gospel music, originating in the United States. Sam Cooke ( January 22, 1931 &ndash December 11, 1964) was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and Ray Charles Robinson ( September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) known by his Stage name Ray Charles, was an American James Joseph Brown Jr (May 3 1933 – December 25 2006 commonly referred to as "The Godfather of Soul" the "King of Funk" and "The In the 1960s and 1970s, gospel and blues were these merged in soul blues music. Soul blues is a style of Blues music developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s that combines elements of Soul music and urban contemporary music Funk music of the 1970s was influenced by soul; funk can be seen as an antecedent of hip-hop and contemporary R&B. Funk is an American musical style that originated in the mid- to late-1960s when African American musicians blended Soul music, Soul

Duke Ellington straddled the big band and bebop genres. Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29 1899 &ndash May 24 1974 was an American Composer, Pianist, and Bandleader. A big band is a type of Musical ensemble associated with playing jazz music and which became popular during the Swing Era from the early 1930s until the late Bebop or bop is a form of Jazz characterized by fast Tempos and Improvisation based on Harmonic structure rather than Melody Though Ellington was a jazz artist, he used the blues form extensively.

Before World War II, the boundaries between blues and jazz were less clear. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Usually jazz had harmonic structures stemming from brass bands, whereas blues had blues forms such as the 12-bar blues. A brass band is a Musical group generally consisting entirely of Brass instruments, most often with a percussion section However, the jump blues of the 1940s mixed both styles. After WWII, blues had a substantial influence on jazz. Bebop classics, such as Charlie Parker's "Now's the Time", used the blues form with the pentatonic scale and blue notes. Bebop or bop is a form of Jazz characterized by fast Tempos and Improvisation based on Harmonic structure rather than Melody

Bebop marked a major shift in the role of jazz, from a popular style of music for dancing, to a "high-art," less-accessible, cerebral "musician's music". The audience for both blues and jazz split, and the border between blues and jazz became more defined. Artists straddling the boundary between jazz and blues are categorized into the jazz-blues sub-genre. Jazz blues is a Musical style that combines Jazz and Blues. The term also refers to any tune that follows the standard 12-bar blues chord progression

The blues' twelve-bar structure and the blues scale was a major influence on rock-and-roll music. Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African Rock-and-roll has been called "blues with a back beat". In Music, back beat (also backbeat) is a term applied both to a specific style of Rhythmic Accentuation with accent on even Carl Perkins called rockabilly "blues with a country beat". Carl Lee Perkins ( April 9, 1932 &ndash January 19, 1998) was an American pioneer of Rockabilly music a mix of Rhythm Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of Rock and roll music and emerged in the early 1950s Country music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. Rockabillies were also said to be twelve-bar blues played with a bluegrass beat. Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and is a sub-genre of Country music. "Hound Dog", with its unmodified twelve-bar structure (in both harmony and lyrics) and a melody centered on flatted third of the tonic (and flatted seventh of the subdominant), is a blues song transformed into a rock-and-roll song. " Hound Dog " is a Twelve-bar blues written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and originally recorded by Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton Jerry Lee Lewis's style of rock 'n' roll was heavily influenced by the blues and its derivative boogie woogie. Jerry Lee Lewis (born September 29, 1935) is an American Rock and roll and Country music Singer, Songwriter His style of music was not exactly rockabilly but it has been often called real rock 'n' roll (this is a label he shares with several African American rock 'n' roll singers).

Early country music has also been blues-soaked. Country music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. Jimmie Rodgers, Moon Mullican, Bob Wills, Bill Monroe and Hank Williams have all described themselves as blues singers and their music has a blues feel that is different to the country pop of say Eddy Arnold. Aubrey Wilson Mullican ( March 29, 1909 - January 1, 1967) known as Moon Mullican, was an American Country and western James Robert (Bob Wills ( March 6, 1905 &ndash May 13, 1975) was an American Western swing musician Songwriter William Smith Monroe ( September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) was an American musician who developed the style of music known as Hank Williams ( September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American Singer-songwriter and Musician who has Richard Edward Arnold (known as Eddy Arnold) ( May 15, 1918  &ndash May 8, 2008) was an American Country music A lot of the later outlaw country music by Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings also borrowed from the blues. Willie Nelson (born April 30, 1933) is an American country Singer-songwriter and Actor. Waylon Arnold Jennings ( June 15, 1937 &ndash February 13, 2002) was an influential American Country music Singer When Jerry Lee Lewis returned to country after the decline of 1950s style rock 'n' roll, he sang his country with a blues feel and often included blues standards on his albums. Jerry Lee Lewis (born September 29, 1935) is an American Rock and roll and Country music Singer, Songwriter Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African Many early rock-and-roll songs are based on blues: "That's All Right Mama", "Johnny B. Goode", "Blue Suede Shoes", "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On", "Shake, Rattle, and Roll", and "Long Tall Sally". " That's All Right (Mama " is the name of the first single released by Elvis Presley, written and originally performed by blues singer Arthur Crudup. " Johnny B Goode " is a seminal 1958 Rock and roll Song by Chuck Berry, ranked by Rolling Stone as the seventh greatest " Blue Suede Shoes " is a Rock and roll standard written and first recorded by Carl Perkins in 1955. " Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On " (also rendered "Whole Lotta Shaking Going On" is a Song best known in the 1957 Rock and roll hit version " Shake Rattle and Roll " is a prototypical Twelve bar blues -form Rock and roll song written in 1954 by Jesse Stone under his assumed songwriting " Long Tall Sally " is a Rock and roll 12-bar blues song written by Robert "Bumps" Blackwell, Enotris Johnson and Richard Penniman The early African American rock musicians retained the sexual themes and innuendos of blues music: "Got a gal named Sue, knows just what to do" ("Tutti Frutti", Little Richard) or "See the girl with the red dress on, She can do the Birdland all night long" ("What'd I Say", Ray Charles). " Tutti Frutti " is a song by Little Richard, which became his first hit record in 1955 Rev Richard Wayne Penniman (born December 5 1932 better known by the Stage name Little Richard, is an American Singer, Songwriter "What'd I Say" or "What I Say" is a two-part recording that was released in 1959 by R&B / soul singer-songwriter Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson ( September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) known by his Stage name Ray Charles, was an American Even the subject matter of "Hound Dog" contains well-hidden sexual double entendres. " Hound Dog " is a Twelve-bar blues written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and originally recorded by Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton Not to be confused with Puns which employ multiple phrases A double entendre is a Figure of speech similar to the Pun, in

More sanitized early "white" rock borrowed the structure and harmonics of blues, although there was less harmonic creativity and sexual frankness (e. g. , Bill Haley's "Rock Around the Clock"). For the movie named after the song see Rock Around the Clock (film. Many white musicians who performed black songs changed the words; Pat Boone's performance of "Tutti Frutti" changed the original lyrics ("Tutti frutti, loose booty . Charles Eugene "Pat" Boone (born June 1 1934) is an American Singer whose smooth style made him a popular performer of the 1950s . . a wop bop a lu bop, a good Goddamn") to a tamer version.

In popular culture

The music of Taj Mahal for the 1972 movie Sounder marked a revival of interest in acoustic blues.

Like jazz, rock and roll, heavy metal music, hip hop music, reggae, country music, and pop music, blues has been accused of being the "devil's music" and of inciting violence and other poor behavior. Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African Hip hop music, also referred to as rap music, is a Music genre typically consisting of a rhythmic vocal style called rap which is accompanied with Reggae is a Music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s Country music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. Pop music as a genre features a noticeable rhythmic element catchy melodies and hooks, a mainstream style and conventional structure Satan, ( Standard Hebrew Satan'el, English accuser) is a term that originates from the Abrahamic faiths, being traditionally ^[45] In the early 20th century, the blues was considered disreputable, especially as white audiences began listening to the blues during the 1920s. ^[29] In the early twentieth century, W.C. Handy was the first to popularize blues-influenced music among non-black Americans. William Christopher Handy ( November 16 1873 &ndash March 28 1958) was a Blues Composer and Musician, often

During the blues revival of the 1960s and '70s, acoustic blues artist Taj Mahal and legendary Texas bluesman Lightnin' Hopkins wrote and performed music that figured prominently in the popularly and critically acclaimed film Sounder (1972). Henry Saint Clair Fredericks (born May 17, 1942) who goes by the Stage name Taj Mahal, is an internationally recognized Blues musician Sam "Lightnin’" Hopkins ( March 15 1912 — January 30 1982 Houston's poet -in-residence for 35 years Hopkins Sounder is a 1972 film starring Cicely Tyson, Paul Winfield, Kevin Hooks, Carmen Mathews, Taj Mahal, and The film earned Mahal a Grammy nomination for Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture and a BAFTA nomination. The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA is a British charity that hosts annual awards shows for film television television craft video games and forms of animation ^[46] Almost 30 years later, Mahal wrote blues for, and performed a banjo composition, claw-hammer style, in, the 2001 movie release "Song Catcher," which focused on the story of the preservation of the roots music of Appalachia.

In 2003, Martin Scorsese made significant efforts to promote the blues to a larger audience. He asked several famous directors such as Clint Eastwood and Wim Wenders to participate in a series of documentary films for PBS called The Blues. Clinton "Clint" Eastwood Jr (born May 31 1930 is a four-time Academy Award winning American Actor and Filmmaker. Ernst Wilhelm ("Wim" Wenders (born August 14, 1945) is a German Film director, Playwright, Author, The Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS) is a Non-profit Public broadcasting Television service with 354 member TV stations in the ^[47] He also participated in the rendition of compilations of major blues artists in a series of high-quality CDs.

Grammy-winning blues guitarist and vocalist Keb' Mo' performed his blues rendition of "America, the Beautiful" in 2006 to close out the final season of the popular television series "The West Wing. Keb' Mo' (born October 3, 1951 in South Central Los Angeles, California as Kevin Moore) is an American Blues " America the Beautiful " is an American Patriotic song. "

See also: List of films based on blues music

References

• William Barlow (1993). Films dealing with Blues history or prominently featuring blues music as a theme include St "Cashing In". Split Image: African Americans in the Mass Media: 31.  
• Bransford, Steve. "Blues in the Lower Chattahoochee Valley" Southern Spaces 2004
• Clarke, Donald (1995). The Rise and Fall of Popular Music. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-11573-3.  
• Dicaire, David (1999). Blues Singers: Biographies of 50 Legendary Artists of the Early 20th Century. McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-0606-2.  
• Ewen, David (1957). Panorama of American Popular Music. Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-13-648360-7.  
• Ferris, Jean (1993). America's Musical Landscape. Brown & Benchmark. ISBN 0-697-12516-5.  
• Garofalo, Reebee (1997). Rockin' Out: Popular Music in the USA. Allyn & Bacon. ISBN 0-205-13703-2.  
• Morales, Ed (2003). The Latin Beat. Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-306-81018-2.  
• Schuller, Gunther (1968). Early Jazz: Its Roots and Musical Development. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-504043-0.  
• Southern, Eileen (1997). The Music of Black Americans. W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. ISBN 0-393-03843-2.  
• Muslim Roots of the Blues. SFGate. Retrieved on August 24, 2005. Events 49 BC - Julius Caesar 's General Gaius Scribonius Curio is defeated in the Second Battle of the Bagradas River

Further reading

• Brown, Luther. "Inside Poor Monkey's" Southern Spaces June 22 2006.
• Oakley, Giles (1976). The Devil's Music: a History of the Blues. BBC, 287 pages. ISBN 0-563-16012-8.  
• Oliver, Paul (1998). The Story Of The Blues, new edition, Northeastern University Press, 212 pages. ISBN 1-55553-355-8.  
• Palmer, Robert (1981). Robert Franklin Palmer Jr ( June 19, 1945 &ndash November 20, 1997) was a 20th century American writer Musicologist, Deep Blues. Viking, 310 pages. ISBN 0-670-49511-5.  
• Rowe, Mike (1973). Chicago Breakdown. Eddison Press, 226 pages. ISBN 0-85649-015-6.  
• Titon, Jeff Todd (1994). Early Downhome Blues: a Musical and Cultural Analysis, 2nd edition, University of North Carolina Press, 318 pages. ISBN 0-8078-4482-9.  

Notes

See also

• African American culture
• All Music Guide to the Blues
• Blues Hall of Fame
• Blues in New Zealand
• Blues Matters Magazine
• Blues musicians, List of
• Blues standard
• British blues musicians, List of
• Canadian blues
• Mississippi Blues Trail
• 20th century music
• Blues dance

External links

• The Blues Radio Series
• Your guide to the blues
• The Blue Shoe Project - Nationwide (U.S.) Blues Education Programming
• "The Blues", documentary series by Martin Scorsese, aired on PBS
• American Blues Network, a Blues and R&B radio service.
• The Blues Foundation
• Blues.media.pl
• The Memphis Blues Society
• The Delta Blues Museum
• The Florida Memory Project, Blues Music from the Florida Folklife Collection, available free for public use from the State Archives of Florida
• The Fort Smith Arkansas Riverfront Blues Society- Blues in the Schools, Barry Ratliff Memorial Scholarship
• Mississippi Delta Blues Society of Indianola
• The Music in Poetry — Smithsonian Institution lesson plan on the blues, for teachers
• Los Angeles MusicAgency