History of Blues music
Blues music may be regarded as an African-American music used to communicate emotions as well as showcasing of music styles. Blues music may also be a rowdy dance music used to extol both success and pleasure. Its main purpose is to help people survive life challenges and situations. “Feeling blue” is an expression in songs in which the verses complains about injustice or the longing for a good life.
Among the formal, identifying musical traits of the blues are the familiar “blue notes,” a three-line AAB verse form, and a characteristic use of the familiar blues chord progression. According to history, blues began to gain relevance at the time in which the commercial recording industry began to grow.
The advent of “race” records projected at black record-buyers after 1920, as well as the migration of black Americans from the rural South to the urban North. It was also seen that a good number of the earliest black American recording stars were found to be blues singers. The blueswomen which comprise of Bessie Smith, Gertrude”Ma” Rainey and a host of others were the first to blue songs often named classic blues. They were produced in vaudeville style and it is highly jazz influenced. The Guitarists, pianists as well as small jazz combos are usually inclusive in the production.
Although the “country blues,” is often regarded as an earlier type of the genre, came up the mid-1920s. We also have lots of country blues styled in regional patterns such as Mississippi Delta which produced delta blues while Texas blues and Piedmont blues exhaled from the Southeast. Usually, a male singer records country blues who also play piano or guitar. A few list of blues musicians is Blind Boy Fuller, Charley Patton, Robert Johnson, Blind Lemon Jefferson, etc.
In the 1930s, urban culture began to influence blues musicians, and this includes popular music as well as jazz. Divers combos came up which integrated guitar, piano including percussion. However, the country, “downhome” musicians’ origin evidently show in the music. The main list of musicians in the 1930s is Little Brother Montgomery, Lonnie Johnson, Big Bill Broonzy, Leon Carr and Scrapper Blackwell, Tampa Red as well as Memphis Minnie.
Shortly after the Second World War, electrified instruments became rampant in the blues music. In the 1940s, the saxophone was integrated by some blues bands; however, most people preferred amplified harmonicas, most especially in Chicago. Chicago happens to be the predominant recording center for blues in the 1950s. Blues music within this period are often referred to as “Chicago Blues,” “urban blues,” or “electric blues,” Renowned urban blues musicians are Little Walter, Rlmore James, Howlin’ Wolf, T-Bone Walker, Muddy Waters and B. B. King.
Today, blues music is viewed in the light of contemporary American culture, as well as a form of traditional musical. Also, there are countless revivals as well as lots of reinterpretations. Producers of blues music of today usually incorporate the sounds with the rock music instrumental pyrotechnics as well as the urban soul sheen. The emotive content of the lyrics remains intact as well as the variations on the blues chord progression and the twelve-bar form.