Top Blues Music Albums

Blues is the genre of music that has its root from the hardships experienced by African-American slaves during the late 19th to the early 20th century. African-Americans who were born into freedom but did not experience much change in their material conditions wanted to express their realities and social situations through their music. They would sing when they feel depressed, miserable, lonely or “blue”, and by 1910, this style of music was called “blues” in the Southern states.

Blues music is very influential. It directly and indirectly influenced much of the music of the 20th century – including jazz, rock, rhythm and blues and gospel.

The main feature of blues music originated from the “call and response” songs that were a main part of slave labor. The gang leader sings a line, and the rest of the workers would give a response. In blues music, this evolved into a blues singer singing a line and then answers it on the guitar.

The other characteristics of blues music are the “blue” notes and the three-line aab lyric structure. The blue notes are notes sung or played at a lower pitch than those of the major scale for expressive purposes. The 3 line aab lyric pattern is made up of a line that is repeated, which is followed by a different line.

Blues singers also use vocal techniques like changing timbre in a single lyric line, and embellishments such as vibrato and melisma (several notes on one syllable).

Prominent blues performers include Robert Johnson, who was the first true blues performance artist, and electric blues artists such as BB King, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, T-Bone Walker, and Howlin’ Wolf.

The sub-genres of blues are Work Songs, Delta Country Blues, Louisiana Blues, Texas Blues, Boogie-Woogie, Chicago Blues, Piedmont or East Coast Blues, West Coast Blues, British Blues, Rhythm and Blues, Blues Rock, and Modern Electric Blues.

John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton in Hideaway