Music #36 - The Blues

The ‘country blues’ 

(active in 1890-1930) was developed in parallel with the work songs. 

The first blues singers, usually male and accompanied with a guitar, went to bars and social gatherings singing simple and improvised (爆肚) songs, among the audience, in exchange for liquor!  

The fundamental blues scale contains 7 notes: do, me-b, fa, fa#, so, ti-b, and do'.

A representative figure for the period was Robert Johnson   

* Hellhound On My Trail   

* Crossroad   

The ‘city blues’ 

(active in 1910-1940) 

singers were usually female and accompanied by other performers (pianist or several instruments), performing on stage.

Representing the period was Bessie Smith
* St. Louis Blues - a very old video of Bessie Smith 

* St. Louis Blues - Velma Middleton vocal, with Louis Armstrong

Muddy Waters

* Forty Days & Forty Nights as in Cadillac Records movie

* Rollin’ Stone  which eventually inspired the naming of the British rock group “The Rolling Stones”
* Walter's Jump by Little Walter

B.B. King --- (BB is short for Blues Boy)

* Blues Boys Tune

* How Blue Can You Get   

* The Thrill is Gone

* Sweet Home Chicago

Eric Clapton

* Groaning the Blues   

* Same Old Blues   

Robert Cray

* My Last Regret   

* Smoking Gun 

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Bonus:

  

* Bill Clinton plays the blues
* Bill Clinton plays the SAX