Nothing But the Blues – The Music and the Musicians by Lawrence Cohn

Nothing But the Blues is a comprehensive guide to the music and its performers, from the early days of the genre to the present. Written by Lawrence Cohn, one of the world’s foremost authorities on blues music, this book is essential reading for any fan of the blues.

The Birth of the Blues

The blues is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The style is characterized by blue notes, call-and-response hollers, field hollers, work songs, spirituals, and often a 12-bar verse-chorus form.

The late 1800s – early 1900s

The late 1800s and early 1900s were critical years in the development of the blues. Although the three principal cities in which the blues developed – New Orleans, Memphis, and St. Louis – were all located in the Mississippi Delta region, each city had its own distinct style and flavor.

In New Orleans, a style known as “barrelhouse” or “piano blues” developed. This style was characterized by a slow, grinding rhythm played on a piano or guitar, with repetitive bass patterns and simple melodies. The lyrics often dealt with subjects such as hard times, women, and drinking. Some of the most famous barrelhouse blues musicians include Jelly Roll Morton and Professor Longhair.

Memphis blues was heavier and more guitar-driven than barrelhouse blues. The Memphis style was also influenced by a type of African American music known as “work song”. Work songs were used on plantations to help slaves keep pace while performing their tasks. The best-known work song is probably “John Henry”, which tells the story of a steel-driving man who dies after proving himself to be stronger than a machine.

The St. Louis style of blues was similar to Memphis blues, but with a more polished sound. This was due in part to the fact that many of the musicians in St. Louis came from middle-class backgrounds and had received formal training. Some of the most famous early blues musicians from St. Louis include W.C. Handy and Scott Joplin.

The music and the musicians

The birth of the blues is often traced back to the Mississippi Delta, where, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, African American farmers and sharecroppers worked the land. The music they created was a blend of African and European musical traditions, and it reflected the hardships of their lives.

The earliest blues recordings were made in the 1920s, and the genre quickly gained popularity. In the 1930s, blues musicians began migrating to cities like Chicago and New York, where they found work in clubs and bars. This new generation of blues musicians included legends like Muddy Waters and BB King.

The blues continued to evolve in the 1940s and 1950s, as artists like Willie Dixon and Howlin’ Wolf added elements of R&B and rock ‘n’ roll to their sound. In the 1960s, British bands like The Rolling Stones and The Animals popularized the blues with a wider audience.

Today, the blues is enjoyed by people all over the world. It has given rise to countless other genres of music, and its influence can be heard in everything from rock to hip hop.

The Spread of the Blues

The blues became a commercialized music in the early twentieth century. It was first recorded by white musicians in the 1920s. The first recordings were made in the field by white recording artists such as the Monroe Brothers, Eck Robertson, and the Memphis Jug Band.

The early 1900s

The early 1900s saw the spread of the blues from its origins in the Deep South to other parts of the United States. While the exact origins of the blues are unknown, there is no doubt that its popularity was due in part to its appeal to a wide range of people. African Americans were not the only ones who enjoyed the blues; white Americans also found the music to be both entertaining and accessible.

The spread of the blues was also facilitated by the development of new technologies, such as phonograph records and radio. These new media allowed for the music to be heard by larger audiences than ever before, and helped to make the blues an international phenomenon. By the mid-1900s, the blues had taken root in Europe and other parts of the world, and was being performed by a wide variety of artists.

Today, the blues is respected as one of America’s most important musical genres, and its influence can be heard in a variety of popular music styles.

The music and the musicians

The blues is a music genre that originated in the American South in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The style is characterized by blue notes, syncopated rhythms, and a call-and-response structure. The blues has been a major influence on the development of other genres of music, including jazz, rock and roll, and country.

The first recorded use of the term “blue note” dates back to 1916, when Hart A. Wand’s “Dallas Blues” was published. The composer wrote that the tune was inspired by the “blue notes” used by Louisiana musicians. Other early recorded uses of the term include Jelly Roll Morton’s “Mr. Jelly Lord” (1923) and Meade Lux Lewis’s “Honky Tonk Train Blues” (1927).

The origins of the blues are not well-documented, and there is no single factor that can be attributed to its development. There are many theories about how the music came to be, but most agree that it was a product of the interaction between African American musicians and European American musical traditions. One theory suggests that the blues developed from work songs and spirituals sung by slaves in the fields. Another theory argues that the blues originated with black fife-and-drum bands who played at social gatherings in small communities throughout the South.

Whatever its origins, the blues quickly spread throughout the United States, becoming one of the most popular forms of American music in the 20th century. The style has been adopted by musicians around the world and continues to evolve today.

The Golden Age of the Blues

The Golden Age of the Blues was a period in the early twentieth century when the blues was evolving from a local American folk music into a major genre of popular music. This period is generally considered to have lasted from the end of the First World War until the early 1930s.

The 1920s – 1930s

In the 1920s and 1930s, what is commonly referred to as classic blues developed from two principal stylistic lineages, one urban and one rural. The first was created and nurtured in the cities of the upper South – Memphis, St. Louis, Chicago – by singers who had migrated there from the Delta region of Mississippi. The second arose in the rural areas of the deep South – chiefly in Louisiana, Arkansas, and East Texas – from the work of local artists who had little or no contact with urban centers.

The music and the musicians

The blues of the twentieth century was the product of two distinct but often overlapping cultures, the rural folk tradition and the urban popular tradition. The rural folk tradition was created by anonymous musicians who were largely illiterate and who left few if any records of their lives or their music. These musicians were influenced by a variety of African American musical styles, including work songs, church music, field hollers, and popular songs. The urban popular tradition was created by professional musicians who recorded their music and published their lyrics. These musicians were influenced by European American musical styles, including minstrelsy, vaudeville, Tin Pan Alley popular song, and jazz.

The blues has been described as the synthesis of African and European musical traditions, but it is also much more than that. The blues is a distinctly American music that has been influential in the development of virtually all genres of popular music in the United States, from jazz and country to rock and hip-hop.

The Decline of the Blues

The blues was once the central force in American popular music, the bedrock from which virtually all other American music styles grew. But by the 1970s, the blues had lost its position of primacy, and today it is but one thread in the rich tapestry of American music. In this overview of the blues and its decline, Lawrence Cohn traces the music’s journey from its African roots to its zenith in the American South, and finally to its subsequent decline in popularity.

The 1930s – 1940s

In the 1930s and 1940s, the commercial success of the blues was hampered by two factors. First, the Great Depression of the 1930s reduced the buying power of most consumers, and second, the popularity of jazz began to eclipse that of the blues.

Despite these obstacles, some blues performers managed to achieve considerable commercial success. Among the most popular were Bessie Smith, who recorded several hundred songs during her career; Blind Lemon Jefferson, who helped to popularize the guitar as a solo instrument; and Big Bill Broonzy, who popularized the use of hard-driving rhythms in urban blues.

The music and the musicians

The blues is a music genre that originated in the American South in the late 1800s. It is a fusion of African and European musical traditions. The blues has been a major influence on other genres of music, including jazz, rock and roll, and country.

The blues was originally performed by solo singers with guitar or piano accompaniment. In the early 1900s, the blues began to be recorded and performed by large ensembles, including big bands and orchestras. The electric guitar became an important part of the blues sound in the 1950s.

During the 1960s and 1970s, the blues experienced a decline in popularity. Many blues musicians died or retired during this time. However, the 1980s saw a renewed interest in the genre, partly due to movies such as The Blues Brothers (1980) and Crossroads (1986). In the 1990s and 2000s, the blues has continued to be popular, with many new performers taking up the style.

The Resurgence of the Blues

In the early twentieth century, the blues was born in the American South and quickly spread throughout the country. The music and the musicians who created it have been a major influence on American culture and society. In recent years, the blues has experienced a resurgence in popularity.

The 1950s – present

The 1950s saw the resurgence of the blues with the advent of electric guitars and amplifiers. Musicians such as Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Willie Dixon, and Sonny Boy Williamson II brought the blues to a whole new audience. The 1960s saw the rise of British blues bands such as The Rolling Stones, The Animals, and Cream, who took the music to new heights. In the 1970s and 1980s, artists such as Stevie Ray Vaughan, John Lee Hooker, and B.B. King continued to keep the blues alive and well. Today, there are countless artists keeping the blues alive and thriving.

The music and the musicians

The Resurgence of the Blues – (Nothing But the Blues – The Music and the Musicians by Lawrence Cohn)

It is said that the blues is like a good wine; it gets better with age. And, indeed, the past few years have seen a resurgence of interest in the music and the musicians who created it.

This renewed interest has been fueled, in part, by an appreciation for the musical roots of rock ‘n’ roll. For without the blues there would have been no Rolling Stones, no Led Zeppelin, no Jimi Hendrix. Equally important has been the recognition of the blues as a truly American art form – one that reflects our history and our values in a way that no other music does.

Whatever the reasons for this renewed interest, there is no denying that the blues is enjoying something of a renaissance these days. And nowhere is this more evident than in the number of young people who are rediscovering the music and making it their own.