The History of The Blues

By Vicki Lynn

The Blues originated in the Deep South of the USA by African-American peoples brought to the country to do the work of privileged white folks, and even though most did not own slaves, the poor still felt superior for they may have been poor, they weren't slaves or black, they were privileged simply by being white. The slave, on-the-other-hand was destitute, poor, and rundown. And their music reflected the racial discriminations they endured, reflected their strong spiritual faith, and their belief that they would be free someday from the harsh conditions under which they worked and were enslaved.

Mississippi Fred McDowell in 1960

The Blues can be found in jazz music, rhythm and blues music, and rock and roll music; and is often characterized by a call-and-response pattern heard on the plantations and in the fields of the Deep South in the 19th century. A common pattern can be illustrated by the song; "I'm Tore Down" written by Sonny Thompson in 1961, if it would have been sung 100 years earlier, you may have heard it in the fields. "I'm tore down; I'm almost level with the ground. I'm tore down; I'm almost level with the ground. Well, I feel like this when my baby can't be found". Out in the field a singer or a group would sing, "I'm tore down; I'm almost level with the ground." And further down the field another singer or group would respond with, "Yea, I'm tore down; I'm almost level with the ground". And both singers or groups would sing, "Well, I feel like this when my baby can't be found"; thus the call-and-response pattern.

Ma Rainey, Mother of the Blues in 1923

The twelve-bar blues is a common blues progression incorporating the call-and-response pattern, the blues scale and blues chord progressions. The blue notes, "worried notes", are usually thirds, fifths or sevenths flattened in pitch. Early blues started out consisting of a single line repeated four times and by the 20th century the structure was altered to what we know today as the AAB pattern consisting of a line sung for the first four bars, repeated over the next four bars and then a longer concluding line over the last bar. This pattern of call-and-response and the use of blue notes can be traced back to Africa, and was associated with the religious music from Africa.

Album of Songs by Lead Belly

In 1908 the first sheet music publication of blues music was printed, and the first copyrighted blues song was Hart Wand's "Dallas Blues" in 1912. Since then the music has evolved from the basic vocal music of African slaves to country blues like Delta blues, Piedmont blues, and urban styles like Chicago blues and West Coast blues. And by the mid 1940s the blues transitioned from acoustic to electric blues, which was the turning point when blues began to move to a wider white audience; and by the 60s and 70s blues rock was formed combining blues with rock music.

Billie Holiday, Downbeat New York, N.Y. in 1946

In the early blues African-American singers sang narratives of the harsh reality of lost love, personal troubles, hard times, and the cruelty of the police agencies whose primary role was to eradicate the black population. Billie Holiday starts out in the song "Strange Fruit" in 1939 with the lyrics, "Southern trees bear strange fruit, blood on the leaves and blood at the root, black bodies swinging in the southern breeze, strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees".

B.B. KING, King of the Blues

Although the blues is often associated with pain and misery the lyrics can often be witty and dirty as heard in the hokum, or dirty blues song, "Banana in Your Fruit Basket" by Bo Carter. "I got a brand new skillet, I got a brand new lead, all I need is a little woman, just to burn my bread. I'm tellin' you baby, I sure ain't gonna deny, let me put my banana in your fruit basket, then I'll be satisfied; now, I got the washboard, my baby got the tub, we gonna put 'em together, gonna rub, rub, rub".

Little Richard in 2007

Popular blues musicians during the 1920s and 1930s helped spread the popularity of the 12-bar blues progressions, although other forms like the 8-bar blues was performed in such hits as "How Long Blues", and "Key to the Highway", and 16-bar blues as in Ray Charles' "Sweet 16 Bars", and Walter Vinson's 9-bar blues song "Sitting on Top of the World".

Jimi Hendrix, Hague, Netherlands in 1967

Rock and roll, which was heavily influenced by the blues grew in popularity during the 1960s with white performers like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, brought the blues originators to the forefront like Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, and country blues musician, Big Bill Broonzy.

The Rolling Stones in 1967

Traditional blues artist like Muddy Waters, B. B. King, known as king of the blues, Bobby "Blue" Bland, and John Lee Hooker began performing to wider white audiences, and performing alongside Eric Clapton and Booker T & the MGs.

Blues Master Josh Smith

British Blues gained popularity in the U. K. with musicians like Fleetwood Mac, Cyril Davies, the Rolling Stones, John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, the Yardbirds, the Animals, Cream, Rory Gallagher, and early Jethro Tull. And in turn the British Blues artist brought the blues back to America in the likes of Janis Joplin, Johnny Winter, Ry Cooder, Canned Heat, and the Allman Brothers Band. And Jimi Hendrix who was in a class by himself, and considered by many to be the greatest guitar played to have lived.

A Performance at the White House: Red, White and Blues concert in 2012. Participants from left: Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews, Jeff Beck, Derek Trucks, B.B. King, and Gary Clark, Jr.

The 1970s Texan Blues, which was heavily influenced by British rock-blues, gained popularity with Stevie Ray Vaughan, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Johnny Winter, and ZZ Top. During the 1980s musicians like Tracy Chapman with her hit "Give Me One Reason", and Eric Clapton with his "Unplugged" album made a huge impact in the field of blues music.

House of Blues Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Blues music is primarily about raw emotions and consequentially not about perfection and sanitation, as seen in the wild child of the blues, rock and roll.

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The History of The Blues

By Vicki Lynn

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Today's Issue		Friday 18th April 2025