Sign In
 
 
 
 

Blues

 
 

Description of Blues

 
In 1912, W.C. Handy published the first blues composition, "Memphis Blues." But even before that, the blues had become one of the few original art forms conceived in the United States. Blues is the marriage of West African rhythms and musical sensibilities with the instruments -- and some of the musical forms -- of Northern Europe. Weaving this into folk spirituals and adding the testimony of gospel, early blues was accessible by design -- any level of talent could pound out music on almost any instrument available, although guitar and piano were the most common. The pioneers of the blues -- legendary performers Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, and B.B. King -- mastered styles that ranged from the technically brilliant to the evocatively mythic. Classic blues is played in a twelve-bar form, with repeated lyrical strains woven into improvised vocals or instrumentals. A hugely influential genre which in large part gave rise to rock 'n' roll, the blues has been embraced by countless non-African Americans as well, from guitar god Eric Clapton, to chart-topper Bonnie Raitt, to young upstarts such as Jonny Lang.
 

Blues Key Artists

 
Albert Collins

Texas and Electric Blues
god Albert Collins was an
explosive lead player and
knock-down-drag-out
shouter.

Albert King

Albert King's left-handed,
beyond-the-legal-limit guitar
bends are the aural
equivalent of a buzzing
tornado.

Alberta Hunter

Whether performing jazz
standards or deep soul
blues, Hunter's talents
reach back to the rustic
beginnings of blues. In th...

B.B. King

B.B. is nicknamed "King of
the Blues" thanks to his
weeping guitar lines and
throaty, big man vocals.
King was taught how to pl...

Bessie Smith

This sometimes sultry,
sometimes gut-wrenching
"Empress of the Blues" was
one of the genre's very first
recording artists. First rec...

Big Bill Broonzy

Over three decades,
Broonzy applied his fluid
guitar playing and down
home vocals to Acoustic,
Country and Chicago Blue...

Blind Lemon Jefferson

Pre-War blues singer and
guitarist whose rough
vocals and fleet guitar
playing produced an
archetypal form of the bl...

Charles Brown

Seminal Jazz Blues vocalist
and pianist Charles Brown is
best known for his 1945
self-penned staple "Drifting
Blues."

Elmore James

Etta James

The provocative, insatiable
Ms. Etta James sings with
unrivaled passion whether
it be soul, blues, soul-blues,
or R&B. Etta James once sai...

Freddie King

King greased up the sweet
sounds of B.B. King and
added some flash to
become a premier guitar
player in Electric Blues.

Howlin' Wolf

Delta bluesman Howlin' Wolf
was one of the most
influential musicians of the
post-World War II era, and
his electric Chicago blues...

John Lee Hooker

Blues musician John Lee
Hooker helped define the
post-World War II electric
blues with his one-chord
boogie compositions and...

Leadbelly

Generally considered the
first blues artist to have a
substantial white audience,
Leadbelly combined folk
and blues. Leadbelly is am...

Louis Jordan

Saxophonist and
bandleader Jordan was the
first to make the shuffling,
party-down sound of Jump
Blues popular in the '40s.

Mississippi Fred McDowell

Churning, treadmill slide
guitar work and somber
vocals are the trademarks
of this Delta Blues elder
statesman. Fred McDowell...

Mississippi John Hurt

An elder statesman of
Acoustic Blues, Hurt
worked a lot of folk into his
Delta-heavy music and sang
with a refined voice. Rev...

Muddy Waters

Bluesman Muddy Waters
defined Chicago's post-war
blues scene with his skillful
slide guitar and growling
vocals. Muddy Waters wa...

Otis Rush

Rush's tortured, intense
music became one of the
trademarks of Chicago
Blues. His early sides are
positively blistering.

Robert Johnson

Myths of the blues include
Satanism, crimes of passion,
and superstition. Most of
these can be attributed to
Robert Johnson. Robert J...

Sonny Boy Williamson

Influential harmonica player
Sonny Boy Williamson was a
hilarious and heartbreaking
beacon of blues until his
death in 1965.

T-Bone Walker

A stylistic influence that
cannot be measured,
Walker played smoky
Electric Blues and
practically spawned Urba...

Willie Dixon

Dixon provided the bass
bottom for countless '50s
Chess tracks; he later
performed his own
bellowing blues numbers.

Electronics

Check out the latest Rhapsody compatible
home audio systems and portable players.

Software

Download Rhapsody Software to manage all your digital music.

Need Help?

Visit our Help Center
AMG - Portions of Album Content Provided by All Music Guide © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC.
© 2001-2009 Listen.com, a subsidiary of RealNetworks