AMERICAN BLUES Chapter 5 Day 3

Blues Since the 1960s Record companies began recording folk-blues singers in the South in the early 1920s, bringing them out of obscurity and into homes and entertainment spots around the country Rural blues musicians began moving out of the country and into urban areas as their music became more popular This first stop out of the Mississippi Delta was Memphis, Tennessee Beale Street in particular was a hotspot for blues performers, its streets lined with shops, saloons and theaters BLUES Ch. 5

Blues since 60’s Continued…. Soon country blues musicians could be found everywhere, playing in the streets, in train stations theaters, and bars, and even at elegant parties for white socialites The Great Depression decimated the record industry and race records took a hit as well Field recording of rural blues singers was reduced to a minimum. BLUES Ch. 5

Still More blues since the 60’s It wasn’t until the 1940s that black blues entertainers appeared on the radio By 1948, some southern radio stations had switched their formats to southern blues, providing the musicians with significant exposure and rejuvenating Memphis as a blues center and the recording of blues music By the late 1940’s Billboard updated its race record category to rhythm and blues For many blues musicians though, Memphis was just a stop on the way to Chicago BLUES Ch. 5

MUDDY WATERS Born in Mississippi; he knew Robert Johnson and his style was a reflection of his Moved up to Chicago 1915 I Cant Be Satisfied https://youtu.be/oSF-T5gwdxU I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man (in book) http://youtu.be/fQ4NFsw4bOU BLUES Ch. 5

Muddy Waters, cont… Although his wasn’t the first blues group to use electric guitars, they used amplification to give themselves a rawer and more ferocious sound, instead of just making it a little louder Muddy Waters’ sound provided the link from rhythm and blues to rock and roll, something that would be completed by Chuck Berry not long afterward Waters and his fellow urban blues artists had particular influence with young British musicians; Rolling Stones, Cream BLUES Ch. 5

The Blues Brothers Dan Aykroyd , Jon Beluschi Originally a Saturday Night Live skit, the act took on a life of its own leading to a successful album and an equally successful movie in 1980 BLUES Ch. 5

The Blues Brothers, cont…. The act followed up the movie with extensive live tours Although the Blues Brothers were mainly a comic parody of a blues band, they made the blues trendy and fun to a new generation of fans Aside from blues songs, they also performed soul and R&B Dan Aykroyd had had a fascination with the blues when the idea for Blues Brothers was created; so much so that he was a co-creator of the House of Blues, a nationwide chain of venues featuring blues artists BLUES Ch. 5

Blues Brothers Tunes 1978. Soul Man Live http://youtu.be/tEKBb0UUuWk Shake A Tail Feather with Ray Charles http://youtu.be/qdbrIrFxas0 BLUES Ch. 5

Stevie Ray Vaughan - 1954 Born in Texas Blues Ch. 5 Stevie Ray Vaughan - 1954 Born in Texas Know for his virtuosic guitar playing; he could sustain long, powerful improvised solos He was also a leading musician in the blues rock sound BLUES Ch. 5

Died in a helicopter accident in 1990 BLUES Ch. 5

Riley B. King -1925 Mississippi blues guitarist and singer. BLUES Ch. 5

BB King Spent his youth as a sharecropper; he was influenced by the blues and church music of his native Mississippi delta. Recorded a number of hits during his early career. Helped bring blues into the mainstream with “The Thrill is Gone” - 1969 http://youtu.be/KyCPvQCA8ds BLUES Ch. 5

Pink Floyd Named after blues musicians Pink Anderson and Floyd Council. Notable in that their music displays a number of influences from the blues, although their music is classified as psychedelic/progressive rock. BLUES Ch. 5

Pink Floyd Also important because although the blues is an American creation, Pink Floyd is from England. Their album Dark Side of the Moon can be played simultaneously with The Wizard of Oz. Money https://youtu.be/-0kcet4aPpQ https://youtu.be/v0pKiMqBbsU?list=PLS1KtxZ-2LwW-Mksr3seeCpp861p5sJT8 BLUES Ch. 5