1310 American Music: The Female Blues

1310 American Music: The Female Blues is an hour-long radio show that explores the history and influence of women in the blues.

The Birth of the Blues

The blues is a type of music that was created by African Americans in the early 1900s. The blues is a mix of African and European music. The blues has a lot of feeling and emotion. The blues is about life, love, and relationships.

The Mississippi Delta

The Mississippi Delta is a region of the southeastern United States that has been heavily influenced by the blues. The Delta is generally considered to be the area between the Yazoo and Mississippi rivers, stretching from Memphis, Tennessee in the north to Vicksburg, Mississippi in the south. This area includes the cities of Clarksdale, Greenville, Helena, and Natchez, as well as the state of Mississippi.

The Delta was originally inhabited by Native Americans and was first settled by Europeans in the early 1700s. The area became a hotbed for plantations and slave labor, which would go on to play a significant role in the development of the blues. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, many blacks began migrating from the Delta to Memphis and other cities in search of better opportunities. This migration led to an influx of blues musicians into these areas and helped to spread the style of music even further.

Today, the Delta is still home to a large number of blues musicians and clubs. It is also home to the famous crossroads where legend says Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil in exchange for musical talent.

W.C. Handy

W.C. Handy was born in Florence, Alabama in 1873 to former slaves. He moved to Memphis, Tennessee in 1896, where he found work as a musician and composer. In 1903, he published his first song, “Memphis Blues.” It was an instant hit, selling more than a million copies of sheet music. The song helped spread the popularity of the blues throughout the country.

The Classic Blues

The classic blues is a type of music that evolved out of the work songs and spirituals of the African American slaves. This type of music is characterized by its use of the blue note, which is a note that is played at a slightly lower pitch than the other notes in the scale. Classic blues is also characterized by its 12-bar structure and its use of the call and response pattern.

Bessie Smith

Bessie Smith was one of the most popular and successful recording artists of the 1920s. Her records sold millions of copies and she was known as “The Empress of the Blues.” Smith was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on April 15, 1894, and raised in a poor family. She began her singing career in vaudeville and circus tents, and later toured with Ma Rainey’s troupe. In 1923 she made her first recordings for Columbia Records.

Smith’s powerful voice and emotive style made her a favorite among blues fans. Her records were some of the best-selling of the decade, and she became one of the first black performers to achieve mainstream success. Smith continued to perform and record throughout the 1920s and 1930s, but her career was cut short by her untimely death in 1937.

Ma Rainey

Ma Rainey, was born Gertrude Pridgett in Columbus, Georgia, on April 26, 1886. Daughter of Thomas and Ella Allen Pridgett, she was one of the classic figures of the 1920s blues recording era. In her youth she performed in local minstrel shows and later worked in Vaudeville as a singer and comedian. She was married to William Rainey with whom she toured and recorded. They eventually divorced but kept the act together.

Billie Holiday

Billie Holiday was one of the most influential jazz singers of all time. She had a unique vocal style that incorporated elements of blues, jazz, and pop music. Holiday’s career was cut short by her untimely death at the age of 44, but her music continues to be popular with fans around the world.

Holiday was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1915. She began her singing career in the early 1930s, performing at nightclubs in New York City. Her first major hit song, “Strange Fruit,” was released in 1939. The song is a powerful protest against racism and lynching in the United States.

During the 1940s, Holiday achieved great success with her recordings of songs like “God Bless the Child” and “Body and Soul.” She also toured extensively, appearing at sold-out concerts across the country. However, her personal life was often tumultuous, and she struggled with drug addiction and poverty.

In 1959, Holiday was arrested for drug possession and sentenced to prison. After her release, she attempted to resume her singing career but her health had deteriorated considerably. She died of liver failure on July 17, 1959.

Despite her struggles, Billie Holiday’s music continues to inspire new generations of fans. She is widely considered to be one of the greatest jazz singers of all time.

The Modern Blues

American music has changed and progressed a lot since its humble beginnings. One genre that has undergone a lot of evolution is the blues. The blues started out as a way for African Americans to cope with the hardships of their lives. Blues music was originally sung by men, but eventually women began to sing the blues as well.

Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin (March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, pianist, and songwriter who began her career as a child singing gospel at New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan, where her father C. L. Franklin was minister. In 1960, at the age of 18, she embarked on a secular career, recording for Columbia Records but only achieving modest success. Following her signing to Atlantic Records in 1967, Franklin achieved commercial acclaim and success with songs such as “Respect”, “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman”, “Spanish Harlem”, and “Think”. These hits and more helped her to gain the title The Queen of Soul by the end of the 1960s decade. During this time, Franklin found success on the pop charts with songs such as “Rock Steady” and “Call Me”.

Franklin continued to record acclaimed albums throughout the 1970s and 1980s such as 1972’s Amazing Grace, 1974’s Let Me in Your Life, 1977’s Sparkle, 1980’s Aretha Arrives, 1981’s Love All the Hurt Away, 1986’s Who’s Zoomin’ Who?, 1987’s One Lord One Faith One Baptism, and 1989’s Through the Storm. In 1998, Franklin returned to pop music with the album A Rose Is Still a Rose which went platinum. Two years later she released what would become her final album So Damn Happy which received critical acclaim but only achieved moderate commercial success. After suffering from health issues that forced her to cancel several concerts in 2010 and 2011; Frankin returned to performing live in 2012 with a critically acclaimed performance at President Barack Obama’s second inauguration. She announced plans for a new album soon after but suffered from declining health once more which resulted in the cancellation of several dates on what would be her farewell tour before finally being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January 2018. She died eight months later after suffering from multiple organ failure on August 16th at 76 years old. Throughout a career that spanned over 50 years Aretha Franklin won a total of 18 Grammy Awards including one for lifetime achievement; she was awarded the National Medal of Arts and the Presidential Medal of Freedom; she was inducted into both the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Gospel Music Hall of Fame; she received a Kennedy Center Honor in 2005; she was given a star on both Hollywood Walk of Fame and Canada’s Walk of Fame; Rolling Stone magazine ranked her number one on their list of The Greatest Singers of All Time as well as number nine on their list The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time; VH1 ranked her number seventeen on their list 100 Greatest Women In Music while Billboard magazine named her both Artist Of The Century on their Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists chart as well as Woman Of The Century on their 100th anniversary issue.

Janis Joplin

Janis Joplin is considered one of the most influential and groundbreaking female artists of the twentieth century. A true pioneer in the world of rock and roll, she paved the way for other women to follow in her footsteps. Joplin’s raw and powerful voice was unlike anything that had been heard before, and her unconventional style set her apart from her contemporaries.

Born in Port Arthur, Texas, in 1943, Joplin began singing in local clubs as a teenager. In 1960, she moved to San Francisco to pursue her musical career. It was there that she met fellow musician Jerry Garcia, with whom she would later perform.

In 1967, Joplin formed the band Big Brother and the Holding Company. The group’s debut album, “Cheap Thrills,” would go on to become one of the best-selling records of all time. Joplin’s performances with the band were legendary, and she quickly became known as one of the most dynamic and charismatic performers of her generation.

In 1968, Joplin left Big Brother and strike out on her own as a solo artist. Her first album, “I Got Dem Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again Mama!,” was a commercial and critical success. She followed it up with the even more successful “Pearl.” Released just months before her untimely death from a drug overdose at the age of 27, “Pearl” would go on to become one of the best-selling albums of all time.

Janis Joplin’s legacy continues to this day. Her music has inspired generations of artists, and she remains one of the most iconic figures in popular music history.

Etta James

Etta James is one of the most iconic figures in blues history. She is best known for her hit song “At Last,” which has been covered by a number of artists over the years. James was born in Los Angeles, California in 1938, and she began her musical career in the 1950s. She rose to prominence in the 1960s with a series of hit songs that helped to define the modern blues sound. In addition to her work as a singer, James was also an accomplished pianist and songwriter. She continued to perform and record until her death in 2012.

The Legacy of the Blues

The blues is a genre of music that originated in the African-American communities in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term “blue notes” refers to the flattened third and seventh scale degrees, which gives the genre its characteristic “bluesy” sound. The blues has been a major influence on American music, influencing genres such as jazz, rock and roll, and country music.

The Influence of the Blues

The blues is a style of music that has its origins in African-American culture. It is a music genre that is characterized by its use of the blue note, which gives the music its distinctive sound. The blues has had a significant influence on other genres of music, including jazz and rock & roll. The blues began to be developed in the early 20th century in the American South. It was initially looked down upon by the mainstream American culture, but it eventually found its way into the mainstream.

The Future of the Blues

Although the originators of the blues are all gone, their music lives on. In the years since the first records were made, the blues has evolved and changed, but it remains an important part of American music. Today, there are many different styles of blues, from traditional to modern. The future of the blues is in good hands with today’s musicians.