Remarkable Facts About the History of Blues
There are lots of stories surrounding blues music. It is known as one of the major kind of music which cropped up in the United States.
Blues music has been a part of the American culture, and it is still so till date. Some of the great facts about blues music are listed below;
Chess Records
Aristocrat records became known as Chess Records in the year 1950. It was owned by the brothers Phil and Leonard Chess. The studio was situated in Chicago, Illinois. They were responsible for signing an overwhelming number of blues greats which included renowned artists like Wille Dixon, Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry and a host of others. Chess record was eventually sold off in 1969.
The Father of the Blues
The first blues song to be published for commercial basis was Memphis Blues by W.C. Handy who was born in Alabama, in the year 1873. He also created numerous blues compositions in the coming years. The critical role he played in introducing blues music to the public got him the name “Father of the Blues.”
The Mother of the Blues
The woman who got the title of Mother of the Blues was Gertrude Pridgett. She was born in 1886, and her family had a performance in a ministerial show. She made her initial appearance on stage in the year 1900. She became known as Ma Rainey when she got married in 1902. She continued to perform in numerous ministerial shows alongside her husband all around the south. She signed up with Paramount Records in 1923, and she recorded over 90 songs between the years 1923 and 1928.
The Devil and Robert Johnson
Robert Johnson who was born in Mississippi in the year 1911 has the most mysterious stories surrounding him. He was asked to stick to playing the harmonica the first time he played the guitar for Wille Brown and Son House. He left and arrived some years later and played for them again, this time showing the talent that was even more than theirs. It was at this point the rumors of Johnson selling his soul to the devil cropped up.
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.