B R IEF, E A R L Y A OF H ISTORY B L U E S M U S I C

The story of the Blues began in the Mississippi Delta after the Civil War as a folk music; as formerly enslaved people migrated throughout the South and to other parts of the country, the musical form came with them. The genre gained popularity and could be heard in many different settings; traveling musicians accompanied traveling doctors, magicians, circuses, and other musical troupes. Musicians played juke-joints, clubs, brothels, and street corners. Because of Jim Crow laws, audiences in performances were segregated, but this allowed Black Blues artists to take ownership of the genre on their own terms.

In 1903, bandleader W.C. Handy first heard the Blues while waiting for a train and was captivated by the original and soulful sounds. Handy later said it was "the weirdest music I had ever heard." With formal musical training, Handy was able to quickly transcribe the music he heard from the street performer, capturing what we now know as the 12-bar Blues structure. He was later commissioned to write a campaign song for a mayoral candidate in his adopted home of Memphis. He composed “Memphis Blues,” the first recorded example of Blues music written and published as sheet music in 1912. Handy would later be known as “Father of the Blues.”

Just eight short years after the publishing of “Memphis Blues,” Marnie Smith’s recording of “Crazy Blues” sold over a million copies. Smith was the first Black woman to record a Blues vocal, and its success made record labels realize that so-called “race records” (aka music performed by Black artists) could be highly profitable.

The “Mother of the Blues” was singer and bandleader, Ma Rainey. Ma Rainey started her career singing in her family’s traveling act, but, like Handy, was moved by the Blues after hearing a performance. She became one of the most well-known Blues performers, mentored Bessie Smith, and played with the likes of Louis Armstrong. A fictionalized version of Ma Rainey is the centerpiece of another of August Wilson’s Century Cycle plays: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.

In the 1940s, artists who had migrated to more urban surroundings looked to electric instruments to modernize the traditional Blues sound. Musicians like Muddy Waters added electric guitars, harmonicas, drums, and bass to give their type of Blues a new sound. This new sound became popular on the radio and in record stores, but was eclipsed in the 1950s with the advent of rock n’ roll.

Blues music had a huge influence on many rock n’ roll artists and many white artists used songs originally recorded by Black artists for their own gain. While artists like The Rolling Stones championed their Blues idols, leading to renewed interest in the genre and tours for Blues artists abroad in the U.K., artists like Elvis Presley, Led Zeppelin, and many others built their brands on the backs of Black artists. One of the most famous examples is Elvis’ hit “Hound Dog,” which was originally recorded by Big Mama Thorton just four years before Elvis released the song.

Blues music may not have the popularity it once did, but its influence continues to be felt throughout the musical world. There are still many clubs and artists keeping Blues alive and making music unlike any other.

Characteristics Of Blues Music

• Guitar- or piano-based instrumentation

In addition to guitar (often slide guitar) or piano, blues combos also usually include bass and drums, and many blues singers also double on harmonica.

• Twelve-bar AAB song form

• Call and response is common to the form

• Dissonant harmonies

• Syncopated rhythm

• Most blues songs center on the major and minor pentatonic scales with flattened “blue notes” thrown in.

• Country blues is the earlier blues tradition and Urban blues evolved after The Great Migration.

• There are dozens of types of Blues music, but some of the most notable include: Delta Blues, Chicago Blues, Memphis Blues, Boogie Woogie, Jump Blues, and New Orleans Blues.