Blues\" Is a Commonly Understood

¶ … blues" is a commonly understood term used to describe a content and style of urban music which became popular in the 1930's. This paper will cover the following areas: the origins of "Blues" and the expansion and meaning of the Blues for contemporary music.

The central intention of the paper is provide insight into not only the history of Blues, but also its significance for modern music.

The "blues" is a term that we have become accustomed to associating with a particular style and form of modern music. Yet, the term has become somewhat vague in its usage and is also linked to modern jazz styles as well as many "crossover" forms of music such as blues and hip-hop and blues and rock. The Blues as an art form has it origins in the essential meaning of the word "blue" as denoting a state of sadness or depression that is translated into musical forms. Besides this aspect, the Blues also has a distinct style and classical blues music has a fixed rhythmic musical pattern.

The Blues has also been extremely influential in the development of many forms of modern music. Its influence extends from rock and pop to jazz to Motown as well as to many other contemporary musical developments including rap. However, its origins and roots are an important part of the Blues that is always evident to some degree in the many developments of the Blues format. This paper will explore these origins and some of the results of its artistic marriage with other musical forms.

2. The Origins and the Blues

Many musical commentators and critics emphasize that the origins of modern music are deeply indebted to the Blues.

Virtually all modern music in the West owes a profound debt to the American black man. If not for the soul and expression imported so cruelly from Africa there would be no blues, no soul and no jazz - and hence no R'B, no rock and roll, no rap, no hip hop and no funk.

Story of the Blues)

As one critic states, the influences of the blues are sometimes not very obvious in many contemporary musical forms, but it is nevertheless a foundation of almost every modern musical style.

Not that you'd imagine there was a direct connection between fat, black ladies wailing gospels to Jesus and say, Alanis Morissette screaming on stage. But it's there. You just need to go back a hundred years and take a look at the evolution of modern music. Everything from the style of singing to the chord progressions to dancing on stage was invented by black American artists. (ibid)

The origins of the Blues are therefore important in understanding the origins and development of most forms of modern music. The Blues, as the name suggests, has its true roots and origins in the African slave trade and the suffering of the slaves who were brought to America to work in the plantations. While cements of the Blues therefore have their deeper origins in African culture, the type of music that developed for the confusion and suffering of the slaves was unique with many influences and motivating factors. "Joseph Machlis says that the Blues is a Native American musical and verse form, with no direct European and African antecedents of which we know.... In other words, it is a blending of both traditions. (Baker, R.M.)

It is hard to imagine the sense of loss and despair that must have been felt by the first slaves landing on the shores of the New World, with all their personal, cultural and historical ties obliterated.

They were mixed in with tribes who didn't speak the same language, families were divided and they were forced to convert to Christianity. Drums and horns were forbidden as it was feared they would communicate with other slaves." (Story of the Blues)

The only form of expression and communication open to the slaves was music and song as they labored in the fields. Church and religion became the one area where a spirit of togetherness and community could develop and be fostered. The slaves creatively used the traditional hymns of the Church and recreated them in their own spirit and according to their own musical perspectives. Another factor that fostered the development of music among the slaves was that some were encouraged by their white masters to play musical instruments such as the banjo. Thus the Blues was created out of an admixture of the expression of suffering and the sense of community and togetherness in Church gospel music.

It is important to realize that the distinctive style and nature of the blues was a result of innovative change and creativity that the African slaves brought to the music that surrounded them. An essential part of understanding the origins of the Blues was the emotions and experiences of the African-American people that were woven into the lyrics as well as into the actual structure and forms of the music itself. This was one of the reasons for the "wailing tonalities" and the change and adaptation of traditional musical scales that were to provide the "riffs" and other characteristic elements of a Blues song. Some claim that the first Blues song produced was 'Dallas Blues" published in 1912 by a white violinist named Hart Wand. However, the first popular versions of the Blues to be published were by W, C. Handy during 1911-1914. These included songs such as "Memphis Blues" (1912) and "St. Louis Blues" (1914). (ibid.)

3. The expansion of the Blues

While this form of music was at first only well-known and popular among the black people of America, it's influence soon expanded and became recognized and enjoyed by the larger population of the country. Artists such as Billie Holiday were instrumental in carrying this form of music to a larger audience. Besides the impact that excellent black artists had in promoting and popularizing this style of music, another important factor in the popularity of the Blues was that many white artists began to imitate and adopt this style and structure of expression in their own compositions and performances.

There were a number of artists that took the Blues to new heights of expression and creative innovation. One of these artists was Chuck Berry who created a sensation in the musical world which came to be known as Rhythm and Blues. A further factor was the development and popularity of radio in the United Sates. This form of communication provided the perfect platform for the dissemination of the Blues and helped to increase its audience enormously.

The new "upbeat" tempo of artists like Chuck Berry not only increased the appeal of this form of music but also influenced other artists internationally. The story of the influence and growth of the Blues really took off with its influence in other countries as well as the Unites States. Young White artists who where to become icons of modern music throughout the world, such as Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly were deeply influenced by Blues music. They "lay awake listening to the black radio stations and incorporated the raunchy passion of the music into their own compositions. They rocked the world." (Story of the Blues.)

In Britain, the Blues was to have a profound influence on artistic legends such as the Beatles, and particularly on many English musicians who began a "Blues Revival" and incorporated many of the elements of the Blues into the new form of "rock" music. Artists such as Eric Clapton and John Mayal owe their foundations and roots of their musical forms and style to the early Blues musicians such as Robert Johnson and others.

Blues is a musical form that was never static in its relationship with other musical styles and was continually evolving and developing as it encountered new modes and ways of expanding the seemingly limitless capabilities. For example, the music of James Brown incorporated a form of sexual innuendo that added to the richness of the musical form.

Motown was another extremely successful development of the Blues. In this particular incarnation of the Blues, many artists in the Unites States developed a special and characteristic brand of the Blues which became known as "soul" music. Artists such as Otis Redding and Marvin Gaye took the essential elements of the Blues and created a unique strain of the structure and form of the original music, which was to become extremely popular and influential in the musical world. The ultimate combination of Blues and progressive rock music found its chief exponent in the composition and guitar work of the legendary Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix was to have a profound effect on an entire generation of musicians. He often acknowledged the importance of the early Bluesmen and women in his work.