Are the Blues dying?

Blues is a genre that has been dying throughout the years, especially with the evolution of popular music. Some modern songs still show some inspiration in this genre, yet it is one that needs to be brought back into the popular scene considering how complex, important and inspirational it can be to other genres.

Is blues music still around today?

While blues once topped the charts decades ago, it has been quietly living on in dignity out of the spotlight for a long time now. There are still plenty of exceptionally talented musicians that are keeping the craft going, and it has evolved over the decades…

What music did the blues evolve out of?

It’s generally accepted that the music evolved from African spirituals, African chants, work songs, field hollers, rural fife and drum music, revivalist hymns, and country dance music. The blues grew up in the Mississippi Delta just upriver from New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz.

What type of music replaced blues in popularity?

Rhythmically, R&B now encompasses a wide breadth from blues shuffles with a back beat to boogie-woogie, modified rumba rhythms, and syncopated variations of eight-beat rhythm patterns that are the hallmark of rock ‘n’ roll, and more.

What happened to the blues music?

The Blues is still alive and well, but it is no longer the most popular form. Popular music moved from Jazz and Blues to Rock and Roll, R&B, Rock, Funk, Disco, etc. The heyday of traditional Blues was really from the 40’s-70’s, with some breakout players here and there.

Why do people listen to blues music?

When people listen to the blues they relate whatever sadness or troubles they’re going through in life. The original blues artists grew up in a chapter of history filled with so much pain and had to persevere through so many disadvantages in life. Men in particular couldn’t express their pain to their partners.

Who was the first R&B artist?

R&B Music came into prominence in the late 1940s with Cab Calloway, The Harlem Hamfats, Count Basie, Louis Jordan and others. “The term Rhythm & Blues” (R&B) was first coined in 1948 by music journalist turned record producer Jerry Wexler.

Are blues sad?

“The blues style represents . . . a saying of things that are very painful, deep and poignant, with a feeling of ease. In the very best blues the pain changes, because of the music, into something light.” At its best, the blues is a oneness of pain and pleasure, defeat and exaltation, sadness and joy.

What year did blues music start?

What Year Did Blues Music Start? The blues probably started between 1850 and 1899, given early anecdotes and evidence from pioneering musicians. It’s difficult to place an exact date, since it was a natural development of a unique sound, and also occurred at a time when events were poorly documented.

Was the Blues originally slave music?

Contrary to what some people believe, the blues is not “slave music.” Although it was cultivated by the descendants of slaves , the blues was the expression of freed African Americans. The Great Migration directly influenced the blues’ many evolutions.

What caused the rise of the blues music?

Lawrence Levine once said,” there was a direct relationship between the national ideological emphasis upon the individual, the popularity of Booker T. Washington’s teachings, and the rise of the blues.” Blues music started to become available to the public in 1895 with the first recorded blues song.

What is the time signature of a blues song?

The basic 12-bar lyric framework of a blues composition is reflected by a standard harmonic progression of 12 bars in a 4/4 time signature.