The Blues

John Mayer Trio - Everyday I have to blues           VS         Robert Johnson - Crossroad

                                       ?????????                                        Which is more "Bluesy"                                   ?????????????
​

VS.

Robert Johnson

John Mayor
Music
  • Raw-sounding
    • Unrehearsed
    • Not Pretty (aesthetic..)
  • Words Hard to understand (moaning quality to his voice)
  • Rhythmically Unclear (hard to tap your foot to..)
  • Unclear Form
  • Religious Aspect
  • Tough to get message, but he is pleading, asking for something. He is not in  a good place at time of song
Music 
Can we see any parallels ?
  •  
If these  are the Characteristics of one of the first recorded Blues' and one of the first documented Blues Artists , Should we uphold other / current blues artists to these same characteristics  -  IF they are going to 'qualify to be a 'blues'? 

Think of any genre (RnB, Rock, Country, house...)   -   What is the list of things that make it "that" particular genre? 

Intro to the Blues

1.  Where did the blues come from
2.   Who developed it
3.   What were it's predecessors
4.   ​Musical Characteristics

Early Blues
Mississippi Delta   
Late 1800's-1930

1500-1860 
Transatlantic Slave Trade

1861
Civil War

1865
After 4 Years Confederate/South Surrenders
13th Amendment makes slavery Illegal
 ***** With small exception: "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall exist in the United States, except in punishment of a crime" ******

1890
Jim Crow Laws legally mandate segregation - 


With slavery as a punishment for crime and segregated prisons, the slave culture continues  - And the oppression and emotions felt by those affected were the inspiration for The Blues
Mississippi Delta

  • Area of Mississippi between the Mississippi and Yazoo Rivers.

  • Because of it's proximity to the rivers, it was prime growing territory and as a result was where most of the cotton production took place at this time!

  • ​Because of incomplete or non existent historical records, it is hard to say where exactly in this timeline The Blues as we know it was being played.  

  • There is also a lack of recordings to reference.


****This is similar to secular music in the early middle ages, where we only know about sacred music because the church we there only people keeping historical documents******

The Blues: A Folk Music

What is Folk Music?
  • Not taught in school, or learned in any formal fashion
    • Learned by rote
    • Oral Tradition
  • Unwritten songs with no composers
  • Music Passed down through generations
    • Familial, or Communal 
  • Generally not considered High Art
    • not judged for it's aesthetic qualities (aka it's beauty )
  • Sometimes has Educational / Religious aspects , or just as a pass-time
  • Could have a functional purpose
Folk Music Today..........Characteristics of these things? 
  • Educational, Used to pass the time
  • Family or Community oriented

Think about how you learned these songs...
  • It wasn't out of a book!
  • You didn't teach yourself
  • SOMEONE SHOWED  YOU HOW TO DO IT

****** These songs are not about SOUNDING GOOD
****** These songs are not meant to be ART
****** These song are not meant to be JUDGED

They are meant to be... FUN   or    Educational

**** Folk Art :  Quilting,  Arts/Crafts
**** Folk Lore:  Folktales / Urban Legends

Early Blues Predecessors 
*** These were examples of  folk song***
(just like our modern 'twinkle twinkle' etc..)

Work Songs, Prison Songs
  • Serve functional purpose, sung by groups of slaves working in fields and later chain gangs
  • Meant to keep the Rhythm/Beat of the work going on 
  • Used as entertainment/pass-time
Musical Aspects:
  • Call and Response​
  • ​Rough/Harsh Vocals
  • Rhythmic
  • Formless (no verses chorus etc...)
Spirituals
  • Were sung solo or in groups
  • Has a religious aspect - an expression of faith
  • Many known today by their modern choral arrangements (ex. wade in the water, swing low sweet chariot etc.)
  • Were sometimes used to talk in code and have hidden messsages
Field Hollers, Chants, Shouts
  • Formless (i.e. no verse/chorus)
  • Always sung while doing work, thus were vocal and A Capella (no instruments)
  • Could be sung either solo, or in a group
  • May times there is an aspect of call and response

Characteristics of Blues Predecessors

  • Raw, Unrefined
  • Unrehearsed
  • Not meant to be art, or even listened to
  • Pure, Heavy emotion
  • Almost more like actual moaning that singing
  • Back and Forth or Call and Response aspect.  Often between two groups, or a soloist and a separate group. 

We can see that these earlier folk song predecessors share more characteristics with the early blues examples (Robert Johnson)  

[ and have less in common with the more modern examples ]

Delta Blues  
(Down Home Blues / Country Blues)
- This is the style of blues that is closest to it's folk song predecessors, both chronologically AND stylistically (how they sound)
Named for its prominence in the "Delta" region

  • First, most raw form of what we call 'The Blues' today
  • Shares many characteristics with Work Songs and Prison Songs
  • Raw and Pure emotion
  • Subject matter is generally about Hardship, Sorrow, and Oppression ("Drinkin' Water Out of a Hollow Log")
  • Loose form 
  • Generally is a man and his guitar

The Blues:  Class #2

Opening Videos

Folk Music


  • Can see how Nationality is incorporated
  • Why would it involve a costume/specific dress code? 
​

Characteristics of Folk Music

  • Passed down by Oral Tradition
  • Learned in an informal manner, or by Rote
  • Cultural/National aspect
  • Not meant to be judges as High Art
  • Still Present in today's Culture
  • Unwritten Songs with no Composers

Folk Art

Folk Art Examples: 
Classical/Fine Art Examples
Which is better? Which Column contains more beauty?

Although these are totally different, we can see the value in both.  This is where we have specify what our definition of BEAUTY really is

Characteristics of Folk Art

  • Expresses Cultural Identity
  • Convey Community Values
  • Medium/Materials can be selected out of necessity
  • ​Generally associated with reverse community groups - ex. ethnic, religious, occupational, age, geographical
How many of the above characteristics of Folk Art with carry over to Folk Music? 

Folk Music in the Delta

  • Work Songs
  • Spirituals
  • Chants/Field Hollers
  • As shown in the video, these songs served a Functional Purpose
  • They were Raw, and Filled with emotion
  • Not meant to be a "song" or to be studied
  • Music that was a direct result of the CONDITION IN WHICH THE ARTIST WAS LIVING IN (i.e. The music was a product of the environment)

Blues Class #3

John and Alan Lomax

Up through the early 1900's, music of Black Americans in the South was largely unrecorded and undocumented.  As it is a folk music there are very limited records.  From the late 1930's to early 1940's, Alan and John Lomax Worked for the Library of Congress. It is at this time they travel to the Deep South in hopes of recording the most authentic versions these songs possible - going straight to the source. Check out the document below created by the Lomax's from one of his trips.  Here is the link for the Corresponding Album for the catalog below.


Here's a video from one of Lomax's later trips to the south. 
The  musician pictured is  Leadbelly, a prolific 
figure in Early Blues History.


Here is a  link to more recordings done by Lomax, all Prison Blues and Songs

SNL Blues Shack Sketch


Where does the Humor in this Sketch come from?  


Why is it a matter of Authenticity?..... What does it mean to be authentic?
How could an Artist be authentic? 
How do we as an audience KNOW?
​


​
Trivial/Imagined Hardship VS.  Genuine Hardship

​
Blues and it's Folk Roots (i.e. Predecessors Work Songs/Chants/Hollers) are rooted in true, Genuine Oppression.  The people singing because of the situation they had been thrust into, and the Music was a necessity of that situation.

AUTHENTIC BLUES MUST REFLECT THOSE EMOTIONS





VS.
Compare These Two Videos:
-Do you believe John Mayer had the blues Everyday? How about compared to the prison Workers?

-Consider the line: " Nobody Loves me, Nobody seems to care"
Is this an emotion that John Mayer truly feels? Compared to the workers? What if the workers sung his line? Would it mean the same thing? more impactful? WHY??  =Background, Life experience of the Performer
-What if John Mayer had to tell one of these guys that everyday he had to blues? What would the workers reaction be? 

-Compared to these workers, is John Mayer qualified to say "everyday I have to blues?"
Fred Mcdowell 

Authentic?

What if John Mayer song this song? would it be as believable? WHY??


Would we BELIEVE that John Mayer ACTUALLY drank water out of a hollow log?  Does that change the meaning of the song? 

Blues =  The Artist has ACTUALLY LIVED THROUGH the experiences they are singing about

In Class Assignment

Research 2 Different  styles of the blues Other than Delta Blues   -    Reference the Wiki List of Blues Styles/Genres

For each Style, Provide:

1. A description of that genre:
-Wiki info
-Who started it, Where did it start, why did they do it
-Brief Comparison with Blues Predecessors 

2. An important Artist within that genre (spearheading/groundbreaking/signifying of the genre) and the following information:
-Why are they important?
-Background information that influenced their music

3. A recording by that artist and the following information:
-Brief Background of the song
-Give your song a score from 1-10 rating it's authenticity
-Why did you give this rating for authenticity? What exactly made it seem authentic or not ? 


The Great Migration  -  The Blues Evolves

Starting in the early 1900's, Many African Americans leave the south in search of better lives in cities in the north.  
Along with the people, goes the people's music: The Blues.  It spreads from Its birthplace in the Delta, moving West to 
Louisiana and Texas, and North to Memphis, St. Louis, Kansas, and finally all the way North to Chicago and Detroit.
As it spreads, each different community it becomes a part of puts it's own spin/interpretation on it. As a result, we have
and evolving form of music with different styles of blues popping up.  Click here to check out the blues route.
Vaudeville Blues
  • Term Coined because this evolved from the blues involvement in Vaudeville shows (traveling variety acts)
  • Usually song by a woman
  • More refined musical form
  • Incorporates different instruments (or a band)
  • Content is almost always love/sex related
Kansas City Blues
  • Similar to Delta blues, but more refined
  • More Rhythm/steady feel
  • Cleaner Sounding
New Orleans
  • In New Orleans, Blues was Mixed with elements of jazz
  • Can be instrumental (no vocals)
  • More rigid musical form - Must be planned out so the band (multiple people rather than one) can stay together
Chicago
  • Electric Blues
  • Content is now more varied
The Jelly Roll Kings
  • Still Delta-esque
  • Has the raw moaning quality
  • Electric Instruments now incorporated