Was Blues Music Always Called Blues Music?
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Did you know that blues music didn’t always carry the same name? In fact, the term “blues” wasn’t used to describe the genre of music until the early 20th century. So what did people call blues music before then? Keep reading to find out!
Origins of the Blues
The blues is a genre of music that originated in the African-American communities of the Southern United States in the late 19th and early 20th century. It developed from roots in African American work songs and spirituals. The term “blues” refers to the blue notes which are characteristic of the music.
The first recorded use of the word “blues”
The first recorded use of the word “blues” dates back to 1857, when it was used in a song titled “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” by Thomas “Daddy” Rice. The lyrics of the song told the story of a black woman who was sad and lonely, and it is believed to be one of the first examples of blues music.
The term “blues” continued to be used in songs throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s, often referring to a state of sadness or depression. In 1912, W.C. Handy wrote a song called “The Memphis Blues,” which is considered to be one of the first true blues songs. Handy’s song was extremely popular, and it helped to spread the popularity of the blues genre.
By the 1920s, the blues were being played by black musicians all across America. These musicians often performed in brass bands or at parties and dances, and they developed their own unique style of playing. The blues quickly became one of the most popular genres of music in America, and it has remained popular ever since.
The first recorded use of the word “blue” in music
The first recorded use of the word “blue” in music was in 1901, when singing cowboy turned vaudeville performer, Will Rogers, released a song called “Blue Eyed Girl.” But it wasn’t until 1908, when W.C. Handy published his now-famous “Memphis Blues” sheet music, that the genre began to be called by its modern name.
Handy wasn’t the only one writing and playing blues music in those early days. In fact, there were a number of different styles of music that were being played by African American musicians all across the country. But Handy’s song was certainly one of the most influential in terms of giving the genre its name.
Since then, blues music has gone on to influence many other genres, including rock and roll, jazz, and even country music. And today, there are many different sub-genres of blues music to enjoy, from Chicago blues to Delta blues and beyond.
Early Blues Music
In the early 1900s, the term “blues” was used to describe a type of African American music that was created by rural blacks living in the southern United States. This music was a mix of African and European musical traditions. The term “blues” became more popular in the 1920s when it was used to describe a style of music that was created by African American musicians living in the city.
The first recorded blues song
The first recorded blues song was “Crazy Blues” by Mamie Smith. It was recorded in 1920 and released by Okeh Records. It was a huge success, selling over a million copies.
The first recorded blues artist
The first recorded blues artist was W.C. Handy in 1903, with his composition “The Memphis Blues.” The genre took its name from the 17th century English term for a melancholic state, “the blueness.” It wasn’t until the early 20th century that this musical form developed into what we now know as the blues.
The Spread of the Blues
The first blues club
The first club dedicated to blues music was the Chicago Club, which opened in Chicago in 1927. The club featured live music seven nights a week, and its popularily helped to spread the music to other parts of the country. Other important early blues clubs included the Cotton Club in New York City and the Rhythm Club in Los Angeles.
The first blues festival
The first blues festival was held in Dallas, Texas in July of 1976. It featured BB King, Bonnie Raitt, and Willie Dixon. The event was organized by a group of music enthusiasts who wanted to bring attention to the genre. The festival was a success and led to the creation of the Dallas Blues Society, which is still active today.
The Evolution of the Blues
The blues has been around for a long time, but it wasn’t always called blues music. In fact, the blues didn’t get its name until the late 1800s. Up until that point, it was simply known as Negro music or black music. So how did the blues get its name?
The first electric blues song
The first electric blues song is generally agreed to be Me and the Devil Blues by Robert Johnson, recorded in Dallas in 1936. Johnson was a Mississippi Delta bluesman who had only recently moved to the city, and his move coincided with the rise of the urban blues scene. The song is a stark, apocalyptic vision of the devil coming to claim his soul, and it features Johnson’s distinctive guitar playing.
While Johnson’s song is often cited as the first electric blues song, it is worth noting that other artists were experimenting with electric instruments at around the same time. In Chicago, T-Bone Walker was one of the first artists to popularize the electric guitar, and his 1937 recording of Stormy Monday Blues helped to popularize the genre. Walker’s style was very different from Johnson’s, and he is credited with helping to develop the distinctive sound of Chicago blues.
The first blues rock song
“Born Under a Bad Sign” is a song written by Booker T. Jones and William Bell, first recorded by Albert King in 1967. Called “a timeless classic” and “one of the all-time great blues songs”, it is considered one of the most influential songs in the history of rock music. In 1968, British rock band Cream covered the song on their album Wheels of Fire.
The first blues rock song is generally agreed to be “Born Under a Bad Sign” by Albert King. The song was written by Booker T. Jones and William Bell, and was first recorded by King in 1967. It was then covered by British rock band Cream on their 1968 album Wheels of Fire.
The Impact of the Blues
Though we typically think of the blues as a type of music, the term “blues” can actually refer to a wide range of meanings. The word “blue” is derived from the Old English word “blæd,” which means “red.” In the early days of the blues, the music was often referred to as “red music” or “race music.”
The first Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album
The first Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album was awarded in 1983. The award was presented to Muddy Waters for his album Hard Again, which was released on January 18, 1977. Hard Again was Waters’s first album of new material in over a decade, and it marked his return to the blues after years of performing primarily rock and roll. The album features Waters on vocals and guitar, with a backing band that includes Jim Keltner on drums, Mack Gordon on bass, and Pinetop Perkins on piano. It was produced by Waters’s son-in-law Jerry Portnoy.
Since its release, Hard Again has been widely acclaimed as one of the best blues albums of all time. In 2003, the album was ranked number 462 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. It was also included in Spin magazine’s list of the 100 greatest albums of the 1980s, and in 2002, it was ranked number 14 on Blues Revue’s list of the 100 all-time greatest blues albums.
