"The blues tells a story. Every line of the blues has a meaning."
-John Lee Hooker.
Blues music was forged in the plantation fields - rhythms, call and response, and other elements of African musical heritage mixing in the melting pot of the new world and being reborn to meet the demands of the roughest of lives. The music and dance evolved further in the 1800’s when slaves were supposedly given freedom and congregated at juke joints after hard labor. When traditional jazz was born in the early 1900’s, blues and jazz intermingled for several decades, always different, but swapping ideas and even the artists themselves.
Explore the Early, Middle, and Modern blues evolution with us.
1800 - 1900
The blues is born on the plantation and roots in the southern States.
1900 - 1950
Blues is recorded and disseminates. Influences from swing and other genres.
1950 and Beyond
Blues goes worldwide and morphs into Rock n’ Roll, Hip Hop and other genres.
