A History of the Blues
A History of the Blues will be a look at American Blues dating back to its origins including pre-American, European music, and pre-American, African music. The course focus is the development of blues as its own form, and the progression of this evolution. During the discourse the genre will be examined chronologically and geographically (i.e. Delta Blues early 1920’s, Chicago Blues 1950’s, etc) in order to understand the complex evolution of this musical form.
Week One-Predecessors to the Blues
Early Slave and European Influences
Elements of retentions of African music
Early American music (Colonial music)
Early African American Music-General Characteristics
Web Links
The Colonial Music Institute
Early African and European Influences
Spirituals
Spirituals, Seculars, Ballads and Work Songs
Download Adobe’s Acrobat PDF program for viewing the outline and musical examples for each week’s lectures.
This week’s outline in PDF format
Week Two-Classic Blues, Early Rural (Country) Blues
Classic blues
1. Characteristics (musical, social, etc)
2. Important artists
Rural Blues-Delta Blues
1. Characteristics
2. Important artists
Differences in the two above styles
Influences of recording industry on the development of these two early traditions
Web Links
The Blues Foundation
Delta Blues History
Yazoo Records
Bob Brozman
Vaudeville History
Week Three-Early Blues Continued, Musical Styles and Geography
Piedmont, Memphis, Georgia, and Texas Styles
Analysis of these styles in relation to characteristics and important artists, development of geographic differences, reasons for this, etc.
Web Links
Piedmont History
Piedmont Tradition Defined
Memphis Blues
Texas Blues Guitar
Week Four-Post World War II Music-Jump and Urban Blues
The migration of blues artists from the southern rural areas to northern urban centers
The development of electric instruments and the influence of this on the music
Further development of geographical styles (Chicago, Detroit, etc)
Web Links
Jump Blues
Detroit Blues Society
History of Hastings Street in Detroit
Week Five-Electric Blues and “The Blues Had a Baby and they Named it Rock and Roll”
Further analysis of early electric blues
Jump Blues influence on early rock and roll
Web Links
History of Aristocrat Records
Chess Records
History of Chess Records
Maxwell Street, Chicago
Blues Music Theory Overview
Week Six-The British Invasion, Blues Revivalists, and Blues Artists
A look at the “British Invasion” of rock and roll and its roots in early electric blues
The folk movement and blues revivalists of the mid sixties
Rocks influence on the blues
Week 7-Modern Funk, Soul and the Blues
Development of different styles of African American music and their influence on blues since from the 70’s to the present
Web Links
Malaco Records
Alligator Records