Blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form originating in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. It incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the African-American culture.
Origins & History
Blues emerged from African-American communities in the South post-Civil War. Country blues artists like Blind Lemon Jefferson recorded in the 1920s. Electric Chicago blues developed in the 1940s-50s with Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf. Blues heavily influenced rock and roll and modern music.
Deep South, USA (Mississippi Delta)
1860s-1870s
Musical Characteristics
- •12-bar blues progression
- •Blue notes (flattened 3rd, 5th, 7th)
- •Call and response pattern
- •Themes of sadness, heartache, and struggle
- •Guitar-driven (acoustic or electric)
- •Improvised vocal and instrumental expression
Subgenres
Delta blues
Chicago blues
Country blues
Electric blues
Texas blues
Piedmont blues
Related Genres
Blues Songs
No songs found in this genre yet. Help us by submitting some!