East Coast Blues Music You Need to Hear
East Coast blues is a subgenre of blues music that originated along the East Coast of the United States. The style is characterized by its use of multiple instruments, including the piano, saxophone, and guitar.
East Coast Blues Music
The East Coast has a sound all its own when it comes to the blues. And while some might say that the West Coast has taken over the blues scene in recent years, the East Coast still has a lot to offer. Here are just a few of the East Coast blues artists that you need to check out.
What is East Coast Blues Music?
East Coast Blues is a subgenre of blues music that developed in the mid-1960s. It is characterized by a heavy backbeat and soulful vocals, and often features horns and piano. East Coast Blues was popularized by artists such as Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, and Willie Dixon, who were all based in Chicago. The sound of East Coast Blues later spread to other parts of the country, including New York City and Detroit.
The History of East Coast Blues Music
East Coast blues is a style of blues music that originated in the Northeastern United States in the early 1940s. The style is characterized by its use of electric guitars, bass, drums, and saxophones, as well as its focus on African-American performers. East Coast blues developed out of a need for New York City-based African-American musicians to find work during the Great Depression and World War II.
The first wave of East Coast blues performers included artists such as Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and Louis Jordan. These artists helped to popularize the style with mainstream audiences. In the 1950s and 1960s, East Coast blues continued to evolve with the help of performers such as James Brown,Aretha Franklin, and Ray Charles. The style began to decline in popularity in the 1970s as disco and other genres took hold of the music industry. However, East Coast blues has remained an important part of American music history.
The Different Types of East Coast Blues Music
East Coast blues is a type of blues music that originated in the United States East Coast, particularly in cities such as New York City and Philadelphia. The style is characterized by its use of electric guitars and harmonica, as well as its focus on urban themes. East Coast blues artists often incorporated jazz and R&B influences into their music.
The East Coast blues scene began to develop in the early 1950s, with artists such as Sam “The Man” Taylor and Pee Wee Crayton. In the 1960s, East Coast blues artists such as Buddy Guy and Junior Wells helped to popularize the style, while psychedelic rock bands such as the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Cream began to experiment with incorporating elements of blues into their music.
In the 1970s, artists such as Koko Taylor and Albert Collins helped to keep the East Coast blues tradition alive, while George Thorogood and the Destroyers brought the sound to a new generation of fans in the 1980s. Today, there are a number of East Coast blues festivals held each year, helping to keep the music alive and thriving.
The Artists You Need to Hear
The East Coast has always been a hotbed for blues music and there are a ton of great artists that have come out of the region. Some of the best blues guitarists in the world have come from the East Coast and there is a rich history of the genre in the area. If you are looking for some great East Coast blues music, here are a few artists you need to check out.
B.B. King
B.B. King is considered one of the most influential blues guitarists of all time, and he is also one of the best-known and most respected blues singers. Born in Mississippi in 1925, he began his career playing in clubs and bars in Memphis, Tennessee, where he developed his distinctive style of single-string guitar playing. In the 1950s, he began touring nationally and made a number of recordings for the Chicago-based Chess Records label. His hits from this period include “Sweet Little Angel” and “Three O’Clock Blues.” In the 1960s, he toured internationally and appeared at major music festivals such as Newport and Monterey. He also continued to record prolifically, releasing albums such as 1968’s Live & Well. In the 1990s and 2000s, he appeared on albums by a number of mainstream artists, including Eric Clapton, Elton John, and U2. He died in 2015 at the age of 89.
Muddy Waters
Muddy Waters is one of the most important figures in the history of blues music. He was born in Mississippi in 1915 and moved to Chicago in the 1940s, where he began to develop his unique style of electric blues. His songs “Hoochie Coochie Man” and “Got My Mojo Working” became blues classics, and he influenced a generation of musicians, including Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and the Rolling Stones. If you’re interested in exploring the origins of blues music, Muddy Waters is a great place to start.
John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi in 1917, and he was one of the most important figures in the development of the blues. He developed his own unique style of playing which was a combination of Delta blues and urban Chicago blues. His best-known songs include “Boogie Chillen” and “Boom Boom.”
The Songs You Need to Hear
The East Coast has always been known for its gritty, down-to-earth blues music. And while the West Coast may be more associated with the more polished sound of artists like B.B. King and T-Bone Walker, the East Coast has its own share of great blues musicians. Here are some of the best East Coast blues songs you need to hear.
“The Thrill is Gone” by B.B. King
B.B. King’s “The Thrill is Gone” was released in 1969 and quickly became a blues standard. The song features King’s signature guitar playing and is widely considered one of his best performances. The song has been covered by a number of artists, but none have been able to match King’s original version.
“I Can’t Be Satisfied” by Muddy Waters
Muddy Waters rose to prominence in the 1940s as the leading figure of the Chicago blues scene, and his influential style helped shape the sound of modern blues music. “I Can’t Be Satisfied” is one of Waters’s most famous songs, and it perfectly demonstrates his raw, powerful vocal delivery and guitar playing. If you’re a fan of the blues, this is one song you need to hear.
“Boom Boom” by John Lee Hooker
This song is a classic East Coast blues tune, and it’s one that you definitely need to hear. “Boom Boom” was first recorded by John Lee Hooker in 1961, and it quickly became one of his signature songs. Hooker’s unique style of playing, combined with his down-to-earth lyrics, make “Boom Boom” a must-listen for any fan of the blues.
