The origins of blues is not unlike the origins of life. For many years it was recorded only by memory, and relayed only live, and in person. The Blues were born in the North Mississippi Delta following the Civil War. Influenced by African roots, field hollers, ballads, church music and rhythmic dance tunes called jump-ups evolved into a music for a singer who would engage in call-and-response with his guitar. He would sing a line, and the guitar would answer... The blues have strongly influenced almost all popular music including jazz, country, and rock and roll and continues to help shape music worldwide...
In the early nineteen-sixties, the urban bluesmen were "discovered" by young white American and European musicians. Many of these blues-based bands like the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, the Rolling Stones, the Yardbirds, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Cream, Canned Heat, and Fleetwood Mac, brought the blues to young white audiences, something the black blues artists had been unable to do in America except through the purloined white cross-over covers of black rhythm and blues songs. Since the sixties, rock has undergone several blues revivals. Some rock guitarists, such as Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, and Eddie Van Halen have used the blues as a foundation for offshoot styles. While the originators like John Lee Hooker, Albert Collins and B.B. King - and their heirs Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, and later Eric Clapton and the late Roy Buchanan, among many others - continued to make fantastic music in the blues tradition. The latest generation of blues players like Robert Cray and the late Stevie Ray Vaughan, among others, as well as gracing the blues tradition with their incredible technicality, have drawn a new generation listeners to the blues.
"A Short Blues History" - History of Rock. Learn more about this history in the seven-part television series "The Blues" which was produced by film director Martin Scorsese and telecast by PBS in 2003. In the above video of blues guitarist and singer Son Seals' "I Can't Hear Nothing But the Blues," you will see photographs of many of the legendary blues singers.
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It is sometimes said that blues songs are longer than your typical rock song for it takes a while for a blues singer to tell his or her story - one which encompasses many different emotions. Frequently, such songs deal with heartbreak and the disappointments of life but, also, speak of a hopeful future and turning one's life around.
Blues singer/songwriter Willie Dixon once said that "Blues are the roots; everything else is the fruits." Blues music comes in many different shades and forms
What the Blues Are All About
The blues forces us to deal with the realities of life. The woman who "done me wrong," the death of friends, the strong allure of drink, smoke, and other vices. Yet at the same time, while in the fray of dealing with so much trouble, the blues points us to the hope of things to come. That glorious Sunday morning when all will be made right and salvation will surely come. link
When you think of the blues, you think about misfortune, betrayal and regret. You lose your job, you get the blues. Your mate falls out of love with you, you get the blues. Your dog dies, you get the blues.
While blues lyrics often deal with personal adversity, the music itself goes far beyond self-pity. The blues is also about overcoming hard luck, saying what you feel, ridding yourself of frustration, letting your hair down, and simply having fun. The best blues is visceral, cathartic, and starkly emotional. From unbridled joy to deep sadness, no form of music communicates more genuine emotion.
- Traditional county blues - A general term that describes the rural blues of the Mississippi Delta, the Piedmont and other rural locales.;
- Jump blues - A danceable amalgam of swing and blues and a precursor to R&B. Jump blues was pioneered by Louis Jordan.
- Boogie-woogie - A piano-based blues popularized by Meade Lux Lewis, Albert Ammons and Pete Johnson, and derived from barrelhouse and ragtime.
- Chicago blues - Delta blues electrified.
- Cool blues - A sophisticated piano-based form that owes much to jazz.
- West Coast blues - Popularized mainly by Texas musicians who moved to California. West Coast blues is heavily influenced by the swing beat.
- The Texas blues, Memphis blues, and St. Louis blues consist of a wide variety of subgenres. Louisiana blues is characterized by a swampy guitar or harmonica sound with lots of echo, while Kansas City blues is jazz oriented - think Count Basie. There is also the British blues, a rock-blues hybrid pioneered by John Mayall, Peter Green and Eric Clapton. New Orleans blues is largely piano-based, with the exception of some talented guitarists such as Guitar Slim and Snooks Eaglin. And most people are familiar with blues rock.
"Book Review: Getting the Blues: What Blues Music Teaches Us About Suffering and Salvation" - Blog Critics. "A Brief History of the Blues" - All About Jazz. Sketch credit: Dave Mott's Sketch Blog.
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In no particular order, these are some of the blues songs that I like. Were I to mention all of my favorites, the list would be endless and this diary much longer. A couple of these are not technically blues songs but are bluesy enough that I've included them.
The links are all from YouTube.
Etta James - "Walking the Backstreets" and Muddy Waters & The Rolling Stones
- "Mannish Boy"
Eva Cassidy - "Stormy Monday"
Big Joe Williams with Lightnin' Hopkins - "Blues for Gamblers"
Tina Turner - "I Smell Trouble"
Albert King with Steve Ray Vaughn - "Matchbox Blues"
Carlos Santana - "Blues for Salvador"
Champion Jack Dupree - "Junkers Blues"
Janis Joplin - "Ball and Chain"
Odetta with Dr. John - "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime"
B.B. King with Eric Clapton - "Three O'Clock Blues"
Albert Collins - "Lights Are On Nobody Home"
Susan Tedeschi - "Just Won't Burn" and Steve Ray Vaughan - "Tin Pan Alley"
Sketch credits: Creative Bone Artworks.
A Note About the Diary Poll
By no means is this a complete list of the best blues guitarists ever. If your favorite is not listed, please tell us who it is and why you like that person. Is there anything in particular that you like about the guitarist's style of playing?
For a complete list, please refer to the following web sites
Leadbelly's Sketch credit: Anthony Zierhut.