Blues
Blues music emerged in the Mississippi delta, and other areas in southern America around 1890. Rooted in the history of the slave trade, it originated from songs that were sang by the
African people who were forcibly removed from their homes, brought to America
and made to work on the levee, railroad and land clearing crews.
The call and response style working songs developed into songs expressing the sadness of the people who suffered terrible exploitation at the hands of the slave traders and owners. By the mid 19th century, a rich variety of work songs, folk songs and spirituals had been established among
African Americans, and it was this that gave rise to the blues. Very different
to the styles of music that had come before, and giving voice to the suffering
of an oppressed race, it was labelled by some "the devils music."
So the blues music we are familiar with now, arose as a derivative of the work songs originally sang by slaves, not only to help pass time but as a form of communication. It is said that through the use of double or hidden meanings in the songs, the enslaved people where able to relay information to one another without divulging their meanings to the white oppressors. The introduction of drums and flutes saw the blues begin to evolve further, but the use of drums and flutes was soon banned by slave owners as they feared its provocative sound may insight revolt among the slaves.
Following the emancipation proclamation being passed towards the end of the civil war, black people were free to travel and to earn a wage for their work, though were still subject to segregation throughout America. And though the history of the blues is rooted in the awful exploitation and segregation of black people, it also played an integral part in bringing white and black people together in later years, both being attracted to the same venues through a common appreciation of the music.
The blues is now recognized worldwide as a distinctly African American art form, and some of those early blues artists have had an international influence on many subsequent genres such as R 'n' B, soul and rock ‘n’ roll.
African people who were forcibly removed from their homes, brought to America
and made to work on the levee, railroad and land clearing crews.
The call and response style working songs developed into songs expressing the sadness of the people who suffered terrible exploitation at the hands of the slave traders and owners. By the mid 19th century, a rich variety of work songs, folk songs and spirituals had been established among
African Americans, and it was this that gave rise to the blues. Very different
to the styles of music that had come before, and giving voice to the suffering
of an oppressed race, it was labelled by some "the devils music."
So the blues music we are familiar with now, arose as a derivative of the work songs originally sang by slaves, not only to help pass time but as a form of communication. It is said that through the use of double or hidden meanings in the songs, the enslaved people where able to relay information to one another without divulging their meanings to the white oppressors. The introduction of drums and flutes saw the blues begin to evolve further, but the use of drums and flutes was soon banned by slave owners as they feared its provocative sound may insight revolt among the slaves.
Following the emancipation proclamation being passed towards the end of the civil war, black people were free to travel and to earn a wage for their work, though were still subject to segregation throughout America. And though the history of the blues is rooted in the awful exploitation and segregation of black people, it also played an integral part in bringing white and black people together in later years, both being attracted to the same venues through a common appreciation of the music.
The blues is now recognized worldwide as a distinctly African American art form, and some of those early blues artists have had an international influence on many subsequent genres such as R 'n' B, soul and rock ‘n’ roll.
Blues Continued
Slavery was finally abolished in 1863, thanks mainly to the efforts of President Abraham Lincoln who fought to pass the emancipation proclamation, bringing it into effect in all states of America. This resulted in a great migration, millions of black people from southern America moved to the industrial areas in the north and north-west, particularly Chicago. So as people moved from the rural south into the more central and populated areas of the north for work, they brought blues music with them. Bringing also the transformation from acoustic Delta blues, to the electrified Chicago blues, and the introduction of instruments previously not available to blues musicians. The migration also assisted a culmination of styles from different areas, contributing to the overall progression of blues into the sound that we are familiar with now. The migration was bringing blues music to a broader audience as it moved from the saloons and speakeasies of the rural south into some of the larger venues of the city. Blues music was growing in popularity among white listeners, but as well as this, there was a new market among the Northern African Americans, who had money to spend, and this fact did not go unnoticed by the record companies...