The blues are some of the most iconic sounds of America. What began in the South in the late 19th century as a mix of work songs and spirituals evolved into a mostly secular, acoustic guitar driven musical embodiment of suffering, struggle and—in the best case scenarios—triumph that proliferated during the early-to-mid 20th century. But the blues also encompass a range of regional dialects. The West Coast blues, mostly centered in California, incorporated more piano work and jazz influences during the 1940s, while the Chicago blues electrified some these sounds in the 1950s and ‘60s. The Hill Country blues of northern Mississippi used a rhythmic, repetitive style of guitar playing with mirrored vocals. But it was the Delta blues, hailing from the area surrounding the delta of the Mississippi River, which truly began the movement of the blues and encapsulates the style, genre and soul of what we now call, “the blues.”
I love the blues, the old tradidional stuff in black and white . I do not consider myself as a real dark side suffering blues guy with pain. Blues music is realy difficult to play, even today after playing guitar for many years I am starting to understand more how to play it with my soul.
Robert Johnson
Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911 – August 16, 1938) was an American blues singer, songwriter and musician. His landmark recordings in 1936 and 1937 display a combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that has influenced later generations of musicians. Johnson’s poorly documented life and death have given rise to much legend. The one most closely associated with his life is that he sold his soul to the devil at a local crossroads to achieve musical success. He is now recognized as a master of the blues, particularly as a progenitor of the Delta blues style.
Lightnin’ Hopkins
Samuel John “Lightnin'” Hopkins (March 15, 1912 – January 30, 1982) Was an American country blues singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional pianist, from Centerville, Texas. Rolling Stone magazine ranked him number 71 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time
Mississippi John Hurt
John Smith Hurt (March 3, 1892 – November 2, 1966), better known as Mississippi John Hurt, was an American country blues singer and guitarist
Big Bill Broonzy
Big Bill Broonzy (born Lee Conley Bradley, June 26, 1903 – August 14, 1958) was an American blues singer, songwriter and guitarist. His career began in the 1920s, when he played country blues to mostly African-American audiences.
Reverend Blind Gary Davis
Reverend Gary Davis, also Blind Gary Davis (born Gary D. Davis, April 30, 1896 – May 5, 1972) was a blues and gospel singer who was also proficient on the banjo, guitar and harmonica. His fingerpicking guitar style influenced many other artists.
Honeyboy Edwards
David “Honeyboy” Edwards (June 28, 1915 – August 29, 2011) was a Delta blues guitarist and singer from Mississippi.
Mississippi Fred McDowell
Fred McDowell (January 12, 1906 – July 3, 1972) known by his stage name Mississippi Fred McDowell, was an American hill country blues singer and guitar player
B.B. King
Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer, electric guitarist, songwriter, and record producer. King introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending and shimmering vibrato that influenced many later electric blues guitarists.
Skip James
Nehemiah Curtis “Skip” James (June 9, 1902 – October 3, 1969) was an American Delta blues singer, guitarist, pianist and songwriter. His guitar playing is noted for its dark, minor-key sound, played in an open D-minor tuning with an intricate fingerpicking technique
Bukka White
Booker T. Washington “Bukka” White (November 12, 1906 – February 26, 1977) was an African-American Delta blues guitarist and singer. Bukka is a phonetic spelling of White’s first name; he was named after the well-known African-American educator and civil rights activist.
English
العربية
Nederlands
Français
Deutsch
Italiano
日本語
한국어
Русский
Español
Svenska
Türkçe
اردو
Tiếng Việt