The Blues

Cornerstone Of African American Music

The Roots of Blues Music

Influenced by early slave field hollers, work songs and spirituals, the blues grow out of the souls of those who yearned to be free from life’s troubles

The blues are the essence of the African American laborer For many years it was recorded only by memory and relayed only live in person

It’s origins can be traced back to the North Mississippi Delta following the Civil War

Early In The Mornin’ (Old work song )

The call-and-response style used in work songs and spirituals is a traditional sound of the blues

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 commentary on or response to the first or with a lead singer will would sing a line and the other would sing it back.

The Sound Of the Blues The use of “blue notes” usually the 3rd,5th, and 7th flattened notes for expressive purposes are sung or played flattened or gradually bent in relation to the pitch of the major scale, this is a signature sound of the blues as well as the call-and-response style. The typical instruments of the blues are: Guitar Bass guitar Piano Drums Saxophone Trumpet Trombone

The Founding Father and mother of the Blues W.C Handy (1873-1958) Handy is considered the “Father of the Blues”. He was the first to publish a song with the term “Blues” in the title and the first to use the blue notes. The song was “Memphis Blues” published in 1912. Handy's second hit “St. Louis Blues” in 1914 helped to bring the genre to the mass pubic.

Mamie Smith (1883-1946) Mamie was the first black woman vocalist to record the blues. The 1920 song “Crazy Blues” was a hit selling over a million copies in less then a year. She opened the market to blues music with record labels and talent scouts scouring the country for more blues singers to record.

Born in the fertile Mississippi Delta where cotton was king, the first style of playing the blues was called the “Delta Blues”. This sound was fine tuned by artists like; Charley Patton Robert Johnson Leadbelly

Kokomo Arnold

The defining characteristic of Delta blues is is instrumentation and an emphasis on rhythm and "bottleneck" slide

The dominant instruments used in playing the “Delta Blues” is the Guitar, harmonica and slide guitar (usually on the steel guitar) being a hallmark of the style. The vocal styles range from introspective and soulful to passionate and fiery.

The earliest blues recordings were by the major record labels and consist mostly of one person singing and playing an instrument, though the use of a band was more common during live performances.

One of these great Delta bluesmen was “Leadbelly”

Leadbelly survived a life that included brutalizing poverty and long stretches in prison to become a great folk singer and musician.

Leadbelly lived the Blues and his songs reflect his life’s troubles.

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Huddie “Leadbelly” Ledbetter (1885 -1949)

Born 1885 in rural northwest Louisiana, Lead Belly rambled across the Deep South from the age of 16. While working in the fields and odd jobs, he absorbed a vast repertoire of songs and styles. Leadbelly mastered primordial blues.

Leadbelly was known to have a hot temper and enormous strength and

was convicted on charges of murder in 1917 and attempted murder in 1930 but because of his talents he literally sang his way to freedom, receiving pardons from the governors of Texas and Louisiana.

Leadbelly was known as the “King of the 12-string Guitar” His powerful percussive guitar playing commanded attention as well.

Leadbelly is renowned for his songs. The best of which include “Rock Island Line,” “Goodnight, Irene,” “The Midnight Special” ,“Cotton Fields” and “House of the Rising Sun”

IF some of Leadbelly’s songs sound familiar that is because they have been covered by: The Beach Boys, the Animals, Creedence

Clearwater Revival, Abba, Pete Seeger, Harry Belafonte, Johnny

Cash, Tom Petty, Dr John, Ry Coodey , Grateful Dead, Gene Autry, Billy

Childish (who named his son Huddie), Mungo Jerry, Paul King, Led Zeppelin,

Van Morrison, Michelle Shocked, Tom Waits, Rod Stewart, Ernest Tubb, Nick

Cave and the Bad Seeds, The White Stripes, The Doors, Old Crow Medicine

Show, Meat Loaf, Ministry, the Sensational Alex Harvey Band,

Deer Tick, Hugh Laurie, X and Nirvana among many others.

Here is two examples of Leadbelly’s songs being covered by The Animals ( “ House of the Rising Sun” )and Creedence Clearwater Revival ( “Cotton Fields” )

In the late 1940’s and 1950’s a new style of the blues migrated to the Northern cities of America This is called,

“CHICAGO BLUES”

Chicago electrified the blues

Benefiting from the migration of Delta blues musicians to the big city, the Chicago blues were shaped by a mix of rural roots and urban life.

Originally, the Chicago Blues was a street-corner based music. But quickly gained popularity to become a giant commercial enterprise.

As legendary guitarist Robert Johnson put it, Chicago has been a “sweet home” for the blues.

The Chicago sound was taking the basic acoustic guitar and harmonica and making them louder with an amplifier. The electric guitar, amplified bass guitar, drums, piano, harmonica and sometimes saxophone and or trumpet was now the band of the Chicago blues scene.

Chicago Blues has a more extended palette of notes than the standard six-note blues scale; often, notes from the major scale and dominant 9th chords are added, which gives the music a more of a "jazz feel" while remaining in the confines of the blues genre. Chicago blues is also known for its heavy rolling bass.

Some of the most legendary blues artists was from this period of the blues.

Muddy Waters Junior Wells

Howlin' Wolf

Buddy Guy

The single the most important presence on the postwar Chicago scene was

Willie Dixon ( 1915 – 1992)

What distinguished Willie from most others of his day was his ability to read, write, compose, and arrange music . His talents moved him to legendary status among bluesmen and fans.

Dixon is arguably best known as one of the most prolific songwriters of his time.

A short list of his most famous songs include "Little Red Rooster", "Hoochie Coochie Man", "Evil", "Spoonful", "Back Door Man", "I Just Want to Make Love to You", "I Ain't Superstitious", "My Babe", "Wang Dang Doodle", and "Bring It On Home". They were written during the peak of Chess Records, 1950–1965.

“I can’t quit you babe” Willie playing double bass

Willie was also an important link between the blues and rock and roll, working with Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley in the late 1950s.

Willie was known as “the father of modern Chicago blues.”

Willie was quoted was saying,

“The blues are the roots and the other music's are the fruits. It’s better keeping the roots alive, because it means better fruits from now on. The blues are the roots of all American music. As long as American music survives, so will the blues.”

Early rock artists grew up on the blues from Chicago and the Mississippi Delta and by incorporating it into their music they created the genre known as

“Blues-Rock”

The style began to develop in the mid-1960s in England and the United States.By combining bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and adding extended boogie jams with rock and roll styles and you have blues rock sound.

The sound of blues rock is created by the electric guitar, piano, bass guitar and drum kit.

UK and American Bands in the early 1960’s experimented with music from the older American bluesmen, like Howlin' Wolf, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, and B.B. King.

The video is the blues rockband Cream covering a Willie Dixon song “Spoonful”

Blues rock guitarist Eric Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and influential guitarists of all time. Clapton ranked fourth in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and fourth in Gibson's Top 50 Guitarists of All Time.

In the mid 1960s, Clapton played with several blues rock bands until pursuing a solo career. Below are a few of the bands; The Yardbirds Cream

John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers. (Clapton gained the nickname “Slowhand” while playing with Mayall )

Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream.

The Future of the blues is in good hands.

There are a handful of bands today that are keeping the blues style alive .

The picture is of Derrick Trucks

The 32 year old Trucks is a Grammy Award-winning American guitarist, songwriter, and record producer. He is the founder of The Derek Trucks Band. He is married to fellow modern blues musician Susan Tedeschi. Rolling Stone has described him as "the most awe-inspiring electric slide guitar player performing today"

Here are a few modern blues bands to check out;

Joe Bonamassa The Breeze Kings

Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears Band of Skulls Radio Moscow Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Magic Slim and the Teardrops The Derek Trucks Band