A History of the Blues

The Blues

I've got the blues." Has anyone ever said that to you? Have you ever had the blues?

For a long time now the word "blue" has been used to describe something more than one of our favorite colors. When people feel lonely and sad, cheated and confused, they can have the blues. African-Americans living in America's southern states started this music almost one hundred years ago. Many of these Americans were poor and treated unfairly and they took comfort in making music that let them talk about their feelings.

Musicians used guitars, banjos and harmonicas to accompany their singing and often performed at outdoor parties or on street corners. Some became quite well known and made the first blues records. They enjoyed using nick names to help people remember them. Robert Johnson was called "The King of the Delta Blues" and Bessie Smith was the "Empress of the Blues."

In the 1940's, blues music became popular in the northern city of Chicago. The audience wanted the music faster and louder, so a new invention called the electric guitar was used along with piano and drums. People could really dance to this music, and began to call it rhythm & blues. One of the famous Chicago blues musicians had the interesting name "Muddy Waters." Ray Charles was singing rhythm & blues long before he said "You've got the right one baby, unh huh."

In the 1950's, teenagers were ready for another change. A few musicians took the blues and wrote happier words and made it even faster. After Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley got their hands on the blues, music was changed forever. These wild performers had invented rock 'n roll!

Today musicians are still playing all styles of blues. You may have heard of Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt or Robert Cray, who all play old and new songs based on the blues. Blues can be played and sung in many ways and is now popular around the world.

Monk Rowe
P.O. Box 174
Washington Mills, NY 13479
Phone: (315) 724-1452
E-Mail: info@monkrowe.com