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Chicago Blues

What is now referred to as the "classic Chicago style" was developed in the late 1940s and early 1950s, taking Delta blues, amplifying it and putting it into a small-band context. Adding drums, bass, and piano (sometimes saxophones) to the basic string band and harmonica aggregation, the genre created the now standard blues band lineup. The form was (and is) flexible to accommodate singers, guitarists, pianists and harmonica players as the featured performer in front of the standard... [+] Read More

Key Artists: Junior Wells | Muddy Waters | Howlin' Wolf | Little Walter | Magic Sam | Otis Rush | Koko Taylor | Big Bill Broonzy | The Paul Butterfield Blues Band | Buddy Guy | Jimmy Rogers | Sonny Boy Williamson [II]
Country Blues

A catch all term that delineates the depth and breadth of the first flowering of guitar-driven blues, embracing solo, duo, and string band performers. The term also provides a convenient general heading for all the multiple regional styles and variations (Piedmont, Atlanta, Memphis, Texas, Acoustic Chicago, Delta, ragtime, folk, songster, etc.) of the form. While early Piano Blues and Classic Female Blues often fall into this genre, Country-Blues is primarily -- but not exclusively -- a genre... [+] Read More

Key Artists: Leadbelly | Kokomo Arnold | Odetta | Lonnie Johnson | Furry Lewis | Big Bill Broonzy | Tommy Johnson | Roosevelt Sykes | Lucille Bogan | Bessie Smith | Barbecue Bob | Sippie Wallace | Charley Patton | Mississippi Sheiks | Memphis Minnie
East Coast Blues

East Coast Blues essentially falls into two categories: Piedmont Blues and Jump Blues and its variations. Musically, Piedmont Blues describes the shared style of musicians from Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia as well as others from as far afield as Florida, West Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware. It refers to a wide assortment of aesthetic values, performance techniques, and shared repertoire rooted in common geographical, historical, and sociological circumstances. The Piedmont guitar... [+] Read More

Key Artists: Big Maybelle | Lonnie Johnson | Roy Brown | Louis Jordan | Bull Moose Jackson | Joe Liggins | Wynonie Harris | Furry Lewis | Blind Boy Fuller | Scrapper Blackwell | Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee | Ruth Brown | Louis Prima | Big Joe Turner | Amos Milburn
Electric Blues

Electric Blues is an eclectic genre that embraces just about every kind of blues that can be played on an amplified instrument. Its principal component is that of the electric guitar, but its amplified aspect can extend to the bass (usually a solid body Fender type model, but sometimes merely an old "slappin''' acoustic with a pickup attached), harmonica, and keyboard instruments. Stylistically, the form is a wide open field, accessible to just about every permutation possible -- embracing... [+] Read More

Key Artists: Albert Collins | Elmore James | Magic Sam | T-Bone Walker | Little Walter | Muddy Waters | Little Milton | Jimmy Reed | Howlin' Wolf | John Lee Hooker
Harmonica Blues

Harmonica Blues refers to any style of blues where the harmonica plays a central figure. Although the harmonica was present in many country-blues recordings, it became a dominant force in the '50s, when it was amplified by the likes of Big Walter Horton, Little Walter, and Junior Wells. The powerful sound of a miked harmonica became an instantly recognizable element of electric blues, particularly Chicago blues.

Key Artists: Sonny Boy Williamson [II] | Junior Wells | The Paul Butterfield Blues Band | Sonny Boy Williamson [I] | Lazy Lester | Big Walter Horton | Sonny Terry | Slim Harpo | Carey Bell | James Cotton Blues Band | Little Walter | Charlie Musselwhite's Southside Band | George Harmonica Smith | Buddy Guy | Billy Boy Arnold
Jump/Piano Blues

Jump Blues refers to an uptempo, jazz-tinged style of blues that first came to prominence in the mid- to late '40s. Usually featuring a vocalist in front of a large, horn-driven orchestra or medium sized combo with multiple horns, the style is earmarked by a driving rhythm, intensely shouted vocals, and honking tenor saxophone solos -- all of those very elements a precursor to rock & roll. The lyrics are almost always celebratory in nature, full of braggadocio and swagger. With less reliance... [+] Read More

Key Artists: Percy Mayfield | Charles Brown | Mose Allison | Amos Milburn | Roy Brown | Roy Milton | Albert Ammons | Little Brother Montgomery | Memphis Slim | Jimmy Yancey | Leroy Carr | Peetie Wheatstraw | Johnny Otis | Roosevelt Sykes | Big Joe Turner
Louisiana Blues

A looser, more laid-back, and percussive version of the Jimmy Reed side of the Chicago sound, Louisiana Blues has several distinctive stylistic elements to distinguish it from other genres. The guitar work is simple but effective, heavily influenced by the boogie patterns used on Jimmy Reed singles, with liberal doses of Lightnin' Hopkins and Muddy Waters thrown in for good measure. Unlike the heavy backbeat of the Chicago style, its rhythm can be best described as "plodding," making even... [+] Read More

Key Artists: Raful Neal | Marcia Ball | Katie Webster | Lightnin' Slim | Slim Harpo | Nathan Abshire & The Pinegrove Boys | Guitar Junior
Modern Electric Blues

Modern Electric Blues is an eclectic mixture, a sub genre embracing both the old, the new and something that falls between the two. Some forms of it xeroxes the older styles of urban blues-primarily offshoots of the electric Chicago band style-right down to playing the music itself on vintage instruments and amplifiers from the period being replicated. It also a genre that pays homage to those vintage styles of playing while simultaneously recasting them in contemporary fashion. It can also... [+] Read More

Key Artists: Roy Buchanan | J. Geils Band | Cream | Albert Collins | John Mayall | Lonnie Brooks | Johnny Winter | Melvin Taylor | Canned Heat | Fleetwood Mac | Carey Bell | The Fabulous Thunderbirds | Luther Allison | Ry Cooder | Lurrie Bell
Texas Blues

A geographical subgenre earmarked by a more relaxed, swinging feel than other styles of blues, Texas Blues encompasses a number of style variations and has a long, distinguished history. Its earliest incarnation occurred in the mid-'20s, featuring acoustic guitar work rich in filigree patterns -- almost an extension of the vocals rather than merely a strict accompaniment to it. This version of Texas blues embraced both the songster and country-blues traditions, with its lyrics relying less on... [+] Read More

Key Artists: Johnny Copeland | Blind Lemon Jefferson | Lightnin' Hopkins | Big Mama Thornton | Pee Wee Crayton | Blind Willie Johnson | Bobby "Blue" Bland | T-Bone Walker | Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble | Lowell Fulson | Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown | Charles Brown | Juke Boy Bonner
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