Race records were the first examples of popular music recorded by and marketed to black americans. Blues is a musical art form with its own distinct musical progressions and much more. What little that dribbled out was found in jazz and pop weeklies and monthlies, published usually without much enthusiasm. While the blues was historically an african american form, in the early 1960s the urban bluesmen were. Student research can be presented orally or in a written report. Crucially, academia was disdainfully ignoring black music along with rocknroll. History study guide bowling green state university.
This module aims to edify students on the colourful history of african american music. Rhythm and blues grew out of two distinct streams of african american music in the postworld war ii eraone of them was the urban harmony of gospel and popular vocal groups that came to be known as doo wop. Bill brown teaches how to play learn the rhythm and lead parts to the blues solos highway blues, memphis minnie blues, honey babe, and tuxedo blues without the use of music or tab. How rhythm and blues and celtic mysticism combined to inspire an artist for the ages. Prior to this discovery, black blues artists had been unable to reach a. What links here related changes upload file special pages permanent link page. From the love ballad anytime, anyplace, anywhere to the barrelhouse new orleans groove of drinkin wine spodeeodee, the range of music from these selections is fascinating. It originated in the rural mississippi delta region at the beginning of the 20th century. A gripping narrative that captures the tumult and liberating energy of a nation in transition, sweet soul music is an intimate portrait of the legendary performerssam cooke, ray charles, james brown, solomon burke, aretha franklin, otis redding, and al green among themwho merged gospel and rhythm and blues to create southern soul music. The best way to understand the blues is to visit our blues videos page and watch and listen to the.
Blues history by michael hawkeye herman the blues the blues is a musical style created in response to the hardships endured by generations of african american people. The roots of 20th century american popular music for my 8th grade general music class. While pop and rockmusic groups today often feature massive drum setups, the blues drummer still uses a basic drum kit. Among its present collection are rare photos, original documents, and many items from artists. Jonas bernholm rhythm and blues collection, 19761991, archives center, national museum of american history. Sep 20, 2016 jordans group, a combo ranging in number from six to seven musicians, consisted of three horns and a rhythm section, while stylistically his music melded elements of swing and blues, incorporating the shuffle rhythm, boogiewoogie bass lines, and short horn patterns or riffs. Blues history blues is an american heritage, and it should be noted as such. A short history of the blues blues music was the first form of music that was created in america. Motown signed groups like the supremes and the chilites, and solo stars like ray charles right and the incomparable ella fitzgerald. This was pioneered by a small record company in detroit called motown. Billboard magazine coined the term rhythm and blues to rename its race records chart in 1949, reflecting changes in the social status, economic power, and musical tastes of african americans.
In 1949 the billboard chart for race records was renamed rhythm and blues. A new form of commercial dance music was born rhythm and blues. The rural blues developed in three principal regions, georgia and the carolinas, texas, and mississippi. Muddy waters and rhythm accompaniment muddy waters vcl, gtr. For the past 40 years morrison has eloquently displayed the ability to go from one genre to. The chicago blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist traces the blues move up the mississippi into memphis and chicago, and explains how his own arkansas roots influence his music. In this class we will break down that extraordinary volume of work into six periods, chronicling the artists evolving development as a man and a musician. The blues of georgia and the carolinas is noted for its clarity of enunciation and regularity of rhythm. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban african americans, at a time when urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a heavy, insistent beat was becoming more popular.
This thesis explores the music, history and culture, viewing music as. Perhaps the most commonly understood meaning of the term is as a description of the sophisticated urban music that had been developing since the 1930s. Descended from earlier work shouts arhoolies, blues is primarily a vocal. Count basie and his all american rythm section sugar blues. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Influenced by ragtime and white folk music, it is more melodic than the texas and mississippi styles. Her company, vee jay records, recorded and popularized many successful musicians of the mid20th century, ranging from rhythmandblues to pop rock, doowop, gospel, soul, and jazz artists.
Ownership and custodial history the museum purchased a very large collection of recordings, posters, photographs. Dec 19, 20 count basie and his all american rythm section. Its melody is simple, but has strong repetitious rhythms. The blues means a lot of things to a lot of people. The music had changed from solo, acoustic, country music to ensemble, electric city music. This thesis analyzes the historical socioeconomic and cultural conditions that led to the.
The term rhythm and blues, however, attained a new meaning thanks to the british bands that followed in the wake of the beatles. White tudents entering college in the 1990s are less well prepared in many areas of fundamentals than were students of previous generations. During the late 1950s and into the 1960s, rhythm and blues was a major cultural force in the united states. The rhythm of the blues has its roots in african drumming. Crossroads blues society is a nonprofit organization in northern illinois that works to keep the tradition and history of the blues alive by raising money to present blues in the schools bits music programs to area schools. This presentation gives bullet points about the history, characteristics, popular artists, and listening examples of blues music. With the genre being increasingly enjoyed by white audiences, many artists began to move away from the strong gospel and blues influences of the previous decade and towards a style influenced by pop music. For anyone wishing to purchase items between now and the end of june. It starts with the history of blues music and their roots in africa. The history of rhythm and blues series of box sets will appeal to anyone interested in the evolution of the blues, or simply curious as to how the sounds of today continue to be shaped and forged by this music from the early c20th. The blues has deep roots in american history, particularly africanamerican history.
From unbridled joy to deep sadness, no form of music communicates more genuine emotion. Rhythm and blues, term used for several types of postwar africanamerican popular music, as well as for some white rock music derived from it. It is a form of popular music based on a mixture of blues and black folk music. I created this powerpoint presentation about blues music. A comprehensive approach to teaching the blues in the music. Download that books into available format 2019 update. Brownie speaks, university of the arts, philadelphia, october 30 november 1, 2008 upon hearing clifford brown for the first time, listeners are impressed with his. Jan 01, 2010 rhythm and blues what is rhythm and blues. Simply put, the choir is not needed from a musical point of view. The drum setup used by blues drummers helps contribute to creating the blues sound. Rhythm and blues was considered strictly black music. Price new from used from audio cd, box set, import, november 25, 2008.
Most of these groups, notably the rolling stones, played a mixture of chicago blues and black rock and roll and described their music as rhythm and blues. Administrative information immediate source of acquisiton collection donated by jonas bernholm, 1996. The best blues is visceral, cathartic, and starkly emotional. Buck claytontrp, don byasts, count basiep, freddie green g, walter pageb, jo jonesdrms. May 01, 1986 a gripping narrative that captures the tumult and liberating energy of a nation in transition, sweet soul music is an intimate portrait of the legendary performerssam cooke, ray charles, james brown, solomon burke, aretha franklin, otis redding, and al green among themwho merged gospel and rhythm and blues to create southern soul music. When it comes to things with long and complex histories like music, we tend to forget just how strongly the present has been influenced by the past. The black culture is a phenomenal subject representing the life style, imagination and accomplishments of people. A beatoriented system of rhythm pedagogy richard hoffman, william pelto, and john w. An ebook reader can be a software application for use on a computer such as microsofts free. Through her ingenuity and personal popularity, the musical matriarch became a business owner and record producer. British rhythm and blues and blues rock developed in the early 1960s, largely as a response to the recordings of american artists, often brought over by african american servicemen stationed in britain, or seamen visiting ports such as london, liverpool, newcastle and belfast. Fingerstyle and bottleneck techniques have been traditionally used in both blues and gospel styles.
In addition to changing the sound of the beat through different kit. This music genre can be anything from jazz, rock and roll and rhythm blues by following a chord progression as the twelvebar blues chord. The blues originated on southern plantations in the 19th century. The prelude to blues unlimited was the blues appreciation society, formed. Louis blues by mark cantor an advertisement in the sept.
Ernest big crawford bass chicago, autumn 1948 u71 train fare home aristocrat 6 train fare home blues u72 down south blues chess lp 1511 u73 kind hearted woman chess lp 1511 u74 sittin here and drinkin aristocrat 6 whiskey blues muddy waters with rhythm. Reflecting the segregated status of american society and culture, race records. World war ii, the postwar period and rhythm and blues. A study of blues music in african american history cdn. Important events, famous birthdays and historical deaths from our searchable today in history archives. Still the death of rhythm and blues is a mustread for anyone seriously concerned about the future of black music as well as the the black community for, as nelson bluntly puts it, it is clear that black americas assimilationist obsession is heading it straight towards cultural suicide. Rhythm and blues, or r and b, can be used to describe the stylish urban music that grew out of the urbanization of the blues. At the same time, the blues spilled over into memphis. Each part is half an hour long and includes a co mbination of fillintheblanks. Collection documents jonas bernholms interest and work promoting african american music, specifically rhythm and blues. See all formats and editions hide other formats and editions. Ask students to research the role of the drummer in a blues ensemble and the history of drums in blues music. His eclectic career has seen him range from the early bluesinfluenced days of his irish band them, to his acclaimed twin masterpieces, astral weeks.
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