The blues began as an acoustic style of music played mostly in rural areas of the American southeast. It grew in three different regions of the south during the late 1800s.
- In Georgia and the Carolinas a style of blues developed that incorporated elements of popular white music, this style is sometimes referred to as the Piedmont style. Blind Willie McTell is an example of a blues artist in this style.
- In Texas a style was developed that featured high pitched vocals and a focus on string-picking rather than playing chords. Lightnin Hopkins is one of the most popular Texas blues musicians of the early Texas style.
- In the Mississippi Delta, a different style of blues developed that focused more on speech-like vocals and rhythmic guitar playing, usually accompanied by a slide or bottleneck. The slide is typically used by wearing it on your pinky finger and “sliding” it across the neck of the guitar as you strum. Robert Johnson and Son House are famous examples of blues artists in the Delta Blues style.
After the depression and World War II there was a dispersal of the population as millions of rural southern blacks moved to industrial areas in the north. The blues became loud and electric and began to take on more urban themes. Rather than bluesmen traveling alone from town to town, blues artists began playing with assembled bands that might include guitars, drums, bass, horns or harmonica. Electric blues was powerful and intense and grew in popularity with famous blues artists like Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf, Elmore James, and Little Walter just to name a few.
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Blues music has influenced almost every popular musical genre. Jazz and Blues music have many similar qualities including the featured use of flat notes. Legendary jazz musicians like Louis Armstrong have incorporated blues elements into their songs. Country music has many similarities, as well, intact Country and Blues have been referred to as musical cousins since they come from the same geographic location. Almost any song that incorporates a 12-bar structure can be said to have been influenced by the blues. Rock music has been greatly influenced by the blues in that many popular bands have recorded standard and obscure blues songs. The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, are just a few that have credited the blues as early influences.
Today the blues is alive and more exciting than ever with a global fan base and a diverse and energetic generation of blues artists playing music for a whole new digital, world-wide audience.
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