The Blues

ByJay Shah

Sean Singh

History of Blues

• The blues most likely began as solo singing. These solo songs may have come from "field hollers" that slaves yelled while they toiled in the fields. They also may have come from story songs, called ballads, and other songs that were sung at lively dances. Blues singers made slight changes to original melodies and rhythm in order to add emotional expression, including sounds of moaning or crying. The emotions expressed were often sad and mournful.

Construction Of The Blues

• Most blues researchers claim that the very early blues were patterned after English ballads and often had eight, ten, or sixteen bars. (Tanner 36) The blues now consists of a definite progression of harmonies usually consisting of eight, twelve or sixteen measures, though the twelve bar blues are, by far, the most common. The 12 bar blues harmonic progression (the one-four-five) is most often agreed to be the following: four bars of tonic, two of subdominant, two of tonic, two of dominant, and two of tonic. Or, alternatively, I,I,I,I,IV,IV,I,I,V,V,I,I. Each roman numeral indicates a chord built on a specific tone in the major scale.

Construction of the Blues (contd.)

• Due to the influence of rock and roll, the tenth chord has been changed to IV. This alteration is now considered standard. (Tanner 37) In practice, various intermediate chords, and even some substitute chord patterns, have been used in blues progressions, at least since the nineteen-twenties. (Machlis 578) Some purists feel that any variations or embellishments of the basic blues pattern changes its quality or validity as a blues song. For instance, if the basic blues chord progression is not used, then the music being played is not the blues.

Construction of the blues (contd.)

• Therefore, these purists maintain that many melodies with the word "blues" in the title, and which are often spoken of as being the blues, are not the blues because their melodies lack this particular basic blues harmonic construction. (Tanner 37) I believe this viewpoint to be a bit wide of the mark, because it places a greater emphasis on blues harmony than melody.

What is the Blues about

• Vocal blues are intensely personal; they often contain sexual references and deal with the pain of betrayal, desertion, and unrequited love. The lyrics consist of several 3-line stanzas, each in the same poetic and musical form. The first line is sung and then repeated to roughly the same melodic phrase; the third line has a different melodic phrase.

Ex. A : I’m going to leave baby, aint going to say good byeA’ : I’m going to leave baby, aint going to say good byeB : But I’ll write you and tell you the reason why

Instruments used in the blues

• Instruments such as the guitar, banjo, and harmonica were added to accompany solo blues singing. Eventually the piano, bass, drums, brass, and woodwind instruments were also added. Today, musicians follow a specific form or pattern of phrases when they sing or play the blues. One of America’s most famous blues singers was Bessie Smith (1894–1937).

General Events That Effected the Blues

• The Great Depression had a great effect on the formation of the blues. The Great Depression caused many people to be poor and unhealthy. When people sung the blues they sung about there problems. The Great Depression caused many unemployed and poor people to sing their problems away.

• Also slavery and segregation of colored people caused problems which eventually caused people to sing the blues. Actually, the earliest form of the blues was inhabited by African American slaves singing while they worked. Segregation also caused segregated people to sing how life was not fair and how they aren’t being treated equally.

Blues becomes a trend

• The Blues was starting to come alive when people would hear performers play and sing they would feel pain for themselves. Now almost all clubs had at least 1 blues singer performer. With this along came new types of instruments added to the blues like the trumpet, saxophone, and piano. All blues singers started to wear black suits and pants with black sun glasses.

Muddy Waters

• McKinley Morganfield, aka Muddy Waters was a major driving force behind the 1950's Chicago amplified Blues style. Morganfield's influence on the early Chicago Blues scene was nothing short of earthshaking. Born on a sharecropper farm in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, on April 4, 1915, Waters moved to Clarksdale, Mississippi, after his mothers death, teaching himself guitar and harmonica in the early 1930's.

Blues Artists• Alligator Records • Luther Allison

• Arbor Avenue Station • Billy Boy Arnold • Steve Arvey • Ernest Baker • Chico Banks • L.V. Banks • Carey Bell • Lurrie Bell • Big Time Sarah • Elvin Bishop

• Black Lone Ranger • Blind Lemon Chicken • Blind Pig Records • BLUES R&B • Blues Savant • Bob Margolin • Billy Branch • Grace Brim • John Brim • Lonnie Brooks

• Ronnie Baker Brooks • "Big" Bill Broonzy • Aron Burton • Paul Butterfield • The Buzz • Cadillac Dave • Eddie C. Campbell • Karen Carroll • Chess Brothers

• Chicago Blues Angels • Chicago Blues Angels • Chicago Playboys • Chicago Redhots

• Chicago Rhythm & Blues Kings • Otis Clay

• Eddy Clearwater • Bill Coday • Joanna Connor • James Cotton • Robert Covington • Arthur Crudup • Katherine Davis • Tyrone Davis • Delmark Records • Devil in a Woodpile • Steve Ditzell • Willie Dixon • Patrick T. Doody • Johnny Drummer • Duke Tumatoe • Little Arthur Duncan • Earwig Blues

• "Honeyboy" Edwards • Elmo's Fire Blues Band • Flying Fish Records • Billy Flynn • Steve Freund • Lacy Gibson

• Anthony Gomes Band • Liz Mandville Greeson • Greg Pasenko Band • Buddy Guy • Phil Guy • Erwin Helfer • Willie Higgins • Harmonica Hinds • Big Walter Horton

• Howard & the White Boys • Howlin' Wolf • Roy Hytower • Fruteland Jackson • Homesick James • Jan James • Joe Moss Band • Carlos Johnson • Jimmy Johnson • Luther Johnson • Syl Johnson • Lynne Jordan • Vance Kelly • Willie Kent • Buzz Kilman • Albert King • Shirley King • Kingsnakes • Kinsey Report • Bob Koester • Mary Lane • Denise LaSalle • Johnny Laws • S.P. Leary • Bonnie Lee • Lovie Lee • Sharon Lewis

• Lil' Ed & the Original Blues Imperials • Little Johnny

• Little Smokey Smothers • Little Walter

• Robert Lockwood, Jr. • Magic Sam • Magic Slim • Bob Margolin

• Quintus McCormick • Bert Mell

• Messin' with Texas • Michael Hill's Blues Mob • Mighty Blue Kings • Mississippi Heat

• Big James Montgomery • Muddy Waters

• Matt "Guitar" Murphy • Charlie Musselwhite • Dave Myers • N3PF

• Little Bobby Neely • Nick Moss and the Flip Tops

• Eric Noden • Yoko Noge

• Paul K. & the Weathermen • Merle Perkins • Pinetop Perkins • Pistol Pete • John Primer • Professor John

• Richard "Rip Lee" Pryor • Snooky Pryor • A.C. Reed • Jimmy Reed • J.B. Ritchie • Fenton Robinson • Tad Robinson • Rockin' Johnny • Freddy Roulette • Otis Rush

• Saffire: The Uppity Blues Women • Johnnie Sanders • Howard Scott • Son Seals • Deb Seitz • Eddie Shaw

• Corky Siegel's Chamber Blues • Siegel-Schwall Blues Band • Little Mack Simmons • Matthew Skoller • Sunnyland Slim • Barkin' Bill Smith • Byther Smith

• Jimi "Prime Time" Smith • Johnnie Mae Dunson Smith

• Kenny Smith • Willie "Big Eyes" Smith • Little Smokey Smothers • Sons of Blues • Pete Special • Dave Specter • Spice

• Roebuck "Pops" Staples • Nolan Struck • Studebaker John • Sugar Blue • Hubert Sumlin • Tail Dragger • Eddie Taylor • Eddie Taylor Jr. • Koko Taylor • Melvin Taylor • Vera Taylor • The Night Riders • The Transmission • Little Al Thomas • Henry Townsend • Nellie "Tiger" Travis

• Tre' • Triple Threat • Othar Turner • Phil Upchurch

• Vanessa Davis Band • Carl Weathersby • Katie Webster • Junior Wells • J.W. Williams

• Sonny Boy Williamson • Willie D.

• Charles Wilson • Mighty Joe Young