A Brief History of the Blues

Self-proclaimed "Father of the Blues" W.C. Handy first heard the music in 1903 in the Mississippi Delta. By the late 1920s, the blues were being heard throughout the Delta at fish fries and juke joints, performed by such bluesmen as Charley Patton, Son House, Willie Brown, Bo Carter and the Mississippi Sheiks and Tommy Johnson. Delta bluesman John Lee Hooker is famous for "Boogie Chillun", first recorded for VeeJay records in 1948.

In the early 1930s the most popular blues singer was Leroy Can, a pianist who was accompanied with uncanny rapport by the guitarist Scrapper Blackwell. Their approach had a strong southern character, but their lyrics had a considered, reflective quality, colored by disappointment rather than bitterness and reflecting the mood of many of their listeners. Carr was widely copied, and his classic performances, such as "How Long, How Long Blues" and "Midnight Hour Blues" were recorded by numerous singers, even in the 1970s long after his death in 1935.

In the 1940s, the heart of the blues scene shifted to Chicago’s south side. There, greats like Elmore James, Willie Mabon, Jimmy Rogers, Sonny Boy Williamson, Otis Spann, Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf. Songs like "Hoochie Coochie Man", "Mannish Boy", "Sloppy Drunk", and "Don’t Start Me Talkin" are representative of this time.

Who Plays the Blues?
There is an ongoing debate among blues enthusiasts: Can people who are not African American truly enjoy and/or play the blues? Purists insist that white people cannot truly appreciate the blues, while others argue that the feeling within blues music comes from personal hardship — a lesson learned by people of all backgrounds.

Many rock ‘n roll bands mention bluesmen as early influences. When the Beatles arrived in the United States, they wanted to meet Muddy Waters and Bo Didley (and were astonished that mainstream America was not aware of these artists). The Rolling Stones took their name from the song by Muddy Waters and Keith Richards said that early on, their aim was to turn people on to Muddy Waters. Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Alvin Lee, Steve Miller and Jimi Hendrix also paid homage to the great bluesmen through their music.


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