Blues Music

Blues Defined: This age old word refers to a feeling of depression or melancholy. Blues music was born out of a need to express those feelings we associate with the blues.

Over time it has become more than just a style of music, it has become a way of thinking, a way of looking at the world, a hard worn philosophy of life. It has influenced numerous other styles of music and it helped give birth to the greatest of all American music, Rock-n-Roll. What is the philosophy for the blues? Times are hard and deal with it, or that times are hard and I am out of luck?

Beginnings of the Blues Its birth can be traced back to the African slaves of early America. Most of the tribes of early West Africa had a special person who served as the tribe’s historian/teacher and served as the messenger of all information. Their job would include such tasks as telling stories, singing songs, spreading gossip, etc. They were called “Griots.”

One of the most famous griots was Sundiata.

Between 1505 and 1870 an estimated 10 million Africans were captured and sold into slavery. Once in slavery the Griots invented new songs of celebration that addressed their new terrifying circumstances. Songs about slave ships, hardships of labor, separation of families, etc. were quite common. Why would Griots try to get slaves to think about their capture as celebration? What would there be to celebrate while being a slave?

Why sing songs of celebration? Rejoicing in our feelings of being sad is therapeutic to the human soul and embraced a sense of pride to endure the suffering. They took these songs with them to the plantations and the cotton fields. This style of singing in the fields became known as the Field Holler. A Field Holler is a word or chant repeated while doing strenuous work. Po’ Lazarus O Brother Where art thou?

Modern Use of ‘Field Holler’ in Blues https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjSabjZ1zdQ&noredirect=1

Again, it was a song of joy that seemed to help one get through a long day of strenuous and back breaking work. It was also a way of complaining without receiving the wrath of a whip. Field hollers also had a way of passing the time, telling simple stories common to everyday life.

Cover of the “field holler” Black Betty

The Field Holler beings to change Many slave owners felt it necessary to impose Christianity on their slaves, believing it would drive out their pagan ways and make them more civilized. African Americans began to embrace Christianity and its traditions, mainly because of the many similarities between their lives and the lives of the people of the Old Testament. List one reason why it might be bad to impose Christianity and one reason why it might be good to impose Christianity on slaves… Based on the song you hear, what happens in Christian history that would be similar to what is happening to African slaves?

The Field Holler style of singing was adapted to religious subject matter, and the Spiritual was born. The spiritual is also known as Gospel music.

Recent Influences

Civil War and a promise for a new life By the end of the Civil War, African Americans had hopes of a new life of freedom and prosperity. For most, life would actually become more difficult. Many would begin traveling the roads looking for work wherever they could. Many would use music as a means of survival. The guitar would become the instrument of choice for these musicians. It was cheap, portable and it sounded better than a banjo.

These artists would adapt the guitar to their style of music by taking an object such as a broken bottleneck or a small piece of pipe and sliding it across the strings, creating a bent sound. Normal musicians jump from one note to another, blues musicians glide from one note to another blending the sound. This bent sound would reflect more of what they were feeling inside and the turmoil of being a black person in America. Robert Johnson, Track 08 Alice in Chains

The Blues are Born Playing with this “blended” sound these musicians took the influences of the Field Holler and the Spiritual and created a form of music now referred to as “call-and-response.” A singer engages in a call-and-response with their guitar. They would sing a line, and then guitar would seem to answer them. This is the earliest form of what we today call the Blues. The pains of betrayal, desertion, unrequited love, being jobless, hungry, broke, lonely, or downhearted because of an unfaithful lover are among the popular themes. L.A. Woman, the Doors and Bad to the Bone, George Thoughogood

Modern Influences: Call and Response

Typical Blues Form Classic blues are typically written in Iambic Pentameter. A Blues song is composed of three lines per verse. The first two lines are the same. The third line is different and typically finishes the thought or idea of the first two lines. Therefore, a song would look like this: 1st verse: AAB 2nd verse: AAB 3rd verse: AAB ETC.

A Gimme one reason to stay here, and I’ll turn right back around Example of AAB or Iambic Pentameter: A Gimme one reason to stay here, and I’ll turn right back around B Said I don’t want to leave you lonely, you better make me change my mind…

Example of AAB or Iambic Pentameter: A I wish I was a headlight on a north bound train B I’d shine my light through the cool Colorado rain

On October 2, 1944, the first demonstration of a totally mechanical cotton picking machine was presented in Clarksdale, Mississippi. This revolutionary machine would cost thousands of African Americans their jobs and would ignite a mass migration to northern cities. In cities like City blues music wouChicago, New York and Kansas City take on its own persona. No longer would it just be music, now it would become a culture of its own.

Plugging In The blues would become electrified in the late 1950’s with the introduction of the amplified guitar. Pioneering artists such as Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Howlin’ Wolf and Elmore James made the electric guitar the new sound for blues listeners.

Getting A Blues Name Nicknames became part of the culture of a popular Blues artist. In order to have a nickname, an artist would take a characteristic about themselves, their singing style or their physical appearance and attach it to their name. If they couldn’t use one of those, they would choose famous presidents, fruit or other shocking names to gather interest about their performance.

Blues Falls from Mainstream This style of music would soon be copied, reworked and changed into a new form of music called rock-n-roll. While Rock-n-Roll dominated the air waves for many years, Blues became old hat and began to become the music of the older generation. Add some facts about Elvis, transition, etc..

In the 1960’s young white bands such as the Rolling Stones, Cream, Fleetwood Mac and the Paul Butterfield band introduced the blues to a new generation of young listeners. These bands helped bring blues back to the mainstream and made it a popular force in American music once again. Grab sample songs for listening/videos

Jimmi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Doors, and other bands of the hippie generation all played and celebrated the blues. Grab more sample songs

The Blues Revived Today the blues are as popular as ever. Artists such as B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt, Eric Clapton and Keb Mo continue to pump new blood into this fascinating style of music. The Blues have more recent influences. Fix this slide to be more current

Modern Influences: White Stripes

Modern Influences: The Black Keys

Modern Influences: Blackwater Fever

Final Thoughts The Blues are a way of accepting life and realizing that bad things do happen. The Blues take life for what it is and calls it as it sees it. The Blues attempts to rejuvenate the spirit through confirmation of our loneliest moments and celebrates the hopelessness and despair of the human soul. The Blues ultimately make us feel better about life.