Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee

East Coast Blues combines two basic schools under one general umbrella heading. The first and most notable consists of disciples of the Piedmont school (primarily of the East Coast area's main Piedmont practitioner, Blind Boy Fuller -- also see separate listing on the Piedmont style) who had relocated along the East Coast by the early to mid-'50s and ended up comprising much of that city's early blues revival scene in the mid-'60s. The second school consists of both electric R&B artists and... [+] Read More

East Coast Blues combines two basic schools under one general umbrella heading. The first and most notable consists of disciples of the Piedmont school (primarily of the East Coast area's main Piedmont practitioner, Blind Boy Fuller -- also see separate listing on the Piedmont style) who had relocated along the East Coast by the early to mid-'50s and ended up comprising much of that city's early blues revival scene in the mid-'60s. The second school consists of both electric R&B artists and modern performers hailing from the area working in a variety of styles indigenous to the overall genre itself. ~ Cub Koda [-] Hide

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

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 on guitar work (the instrument usually being confined to rhythm section status) than other styles, jump blues was the bridge between the older styles of blues -- primarily those in a small band context -- and the big band jazz sound of the 1940s. ~ Cub Koda [-] Hide

Big Maybelle

New York Blues is primarily variations on jump blues and uptown blues, where the singer is prominent and the music is slightly more sophisticated and jazzy than its rural and urban counterparts.

New York Blues is primarily variations on jump blues and uptown blues, where the singer is prominent and the music is slightly more sophisticated and jazzy than its rural and urban counterparts. [-] Hide

Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee

Piedmont Blues refers to a regional substyle characteristic of black musicians of the southeastern United States. Geographically, the Piedmont means the foothills of the Appalachians west of the tidewater region and Atlantic coastal plain stretching roughly from Richmond, VA, to Atlanta, GA. 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... [+] Read More

Piedmont Blues refers to a regional substyle characteristic of black musicians of the southeastern United States. Geographically, the Piedmont means the foothills of the Appalachians west of the tidewater region and Atlantic coastal plain stretching roughly from Richmond, VA, to Atlanta, GA. 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; to put it more simply, Piedmont blues means a constellation of musical preferences typical of the Piedmont region. The Piedmont guitar style employs a complex fingerpicking method in which a regular, alternating-thumb bass pattern supports a melody on treble strings. The guitar style is highly syncopated and connects closely with an earlier string-band tradition, integrating ragtime, blues, and country dance songs. It's excellent party music with a full, rock-solid sound. ~ Barry Lee Pearson [-] Hide