Lecture 3

The Blues
What is the blues?!
Wikipedia defines it as:
A vocal and instrumental form of music based on the use of the blue notes and
a repetitive pattern that most often follows a twelve-bar structure. It emerged
in African-American communities of the United States from spirituals, praise
songs, field hollers, rhymed English and Scots-Irish narrative ballads, shouts,
and chants
Origins of the Blues
The phrase the blues is a reference to having a fit of the blue devils, meaning
down spirits, depression and sadness
Many blues elements, such as the call-and-response format and the use of blue
notes, can be traced back to the music of Africa
Blues Lyrics
The original lyrical form of the blues was probably a single line, repeated three
times
It was only later that the current, most common structure of a line, repeated once
and then followed by a single line conclusion, became standard
These lines were often sung following a pattern closer to a rhythmic talk than to a
melody
W.C. Handy (1873 1958)
Born on November 16, 1873 in Florence, Alabama
A blues composer and musician who is among the most influential of American
songwriters
Handy was an educated musician who used folk material in his compositions
Handys Legacy
Known as The Father of the Blues
Credited for giving blues its contemporary form
Was able to notate music for publication and posterity
Use of syncopated rhythms, a style unique to his music
Took the blues from a not very well-known regional music style from the Delta to
one of the dominant forces in American music
Formative Years
Handy joined a local blues band as a teenager, but he kept this fact a secret from
his parents
He purchased a cornet from a fellow band member and spent every free minute
practicing it

During his off-time, he organized a small string orchestra and taught musicians
how to read notes

Early Career
His musical endeavors were varied, and he sang first tenor in a minstrel show,
moved from Alabama and worked as a band director, choral director, cornetist
and trumpeter
He played cornet in the Chicago World's Fair in 1893
In 1896, he was invited to join a minstrel group called Mahara's Minstrels. In
their three year tour, they traveled to Chicago, throughout Texas and Oklahoma,
through Tennessee, Georgia and Florida on to Cuba
Blues Roots
An important factor in his musical development and in music history, was his
enthusiasm for the distinctive style of uniquely American music which was often
considered inferior to European classical music
In 1902 he traveled throughout Mississippi listening to various musical styles
His remarkable memory served him well, and he was able to recall and transcribe
the music he heard in his travels
At that time, American society and culture was distinctively segregated
Handys observations of whites responses to native black music in conjunction
with his own observations of his habits, attitudes and music of his ethnicity served
as the foundation for what was later to become the style of music popularized as
the Blues
W.C. Handy the Composer
The 1912 publication of his Memphis Blues sheet music introduced his style of
12-bar blues to many households
Memphis Blues was credited as the inspiration for the invention of the foxtrot
dance step by Vernon and Irene Castle, a New York-based dance team
Some consider Memphis Blues to be the first blues song
At age 40, his musical style was asserted, his popularity increased significantly,
and he composed prolifically
Handy initially had little fondness for the new jazz music, but jazz bands dove
into the repertoire of W.C. Handy compositions with enthusiasm, making many of
them jazz standards

Mamie Smith (1883 1946)

Born May 26, 1883 in Cincinnati, Ohio
Entered blues history by being the first African American to make vocal blues
recordings in 1920
Was an American vaudeville singer, dancer, pianist and actress, and appeared in
several motion pictures late in her career
Early Career

Toured with vaudeville and minstrel shows

Settled in New York City in 1913, where she worked as a cabaret singer
She appeared in Perry Bradfords musical Made in Harlem in 1918

Early Recording Career

In early 1920, Okeh Records planned to record popular singer Sophie Tucker
performing a pair of songs by Perry Bradford
Tucker was ill and could not make it to the session, so Bradford persuaded Okeh
to allow Mamie Smith to record in Tuckers place
Smith recorded two sides (That Thing Called Love and You Can't Keep A Good
Man Down) on February 14, 1920, backed by a white studio band
Smiths record sold moderately well, so she and Bradford were invited back to
make additional recordings
Recording Success
On August 10, 1920, Smith recorded the Bradford-penned Crazy Blues and It's
Right Here For You, If You Don't Get It, 'Tain't No Fault of Mine
These were the first recordings of vocal blues by an African-American singer, and
the record became an explosive best seller, selling a million copies in one year
The success of Smiths record prompted record companies to seek to record other
female blues singers and started the era of what is now known as classic female
blues

Ma Rainey (1886 1939)

Born Gertrude Malissa Nix Pridgett on April 26, 1886
Billed as The Mother of the Blues
One of the earliest known professional blues singers
One of the first generation of blues singers to record
Early Career
First appeared on stage in Columbus, Georgia in A Bunch of Blackberries at 14
She then joined a traveling vaudeville troupe, the Rabbit Foot Minstrels
She married fellow vaudeville singer William Pa Rainey in 1904, billing herself
from that point as Ma Rainey
The pair toured with the Rabbit Foot Minstrels as Rainey & Rainey, Assassinators
of the Blues, singing a mix of blues and popular songs
Rainey was outspoken on women's issues
She was a role model for future women entertainers who took control of their own
careers
Rainey was bisexual and never shied away from those feelings in her music
Recording Career
Ma Rainey was already a veteran performer with decades of touring in the South
when she made her first recordings in 1923

Rainey signed with Paramount Records

Between 1923 and 1928, she recorded 100 songs, sometimes accompanied by jazz
notables including Louis Armstrong, Kid Ory, and Fletcher Henderson

Bessie Smith (1894 1937)

Born April 15, 1894 in Chattanooga, Tennessee
Orphaned by the age of 9 and was raised by her older sister Viola
The most popular and successful female blues singer of the 1920s and 1930s
A strong influence on subsequent generations, including Billie Holiday, Mahalia
Jackson, Nina Simone, and Janis Joplin
Early Career
As a way of earning money for their impoverished household, Bessie and her
brother Andrew began performing on the streets of Chattanooga as a duo, she
singing and dancing, he accompanying on guitar
In 1912 she joined a traveling troupe owned by Moses Stokes
She was hired as a dancer rather than a singer, because the company also included
Ma Rainey
Branching Off
All contemporary accounts indicate that Ma Rainey did not teach Smith to sing,
but she probably helped her develop a stage presence
Smith began forming her own act around 1913
By 1920 she had gained a good reputation in the South and along the Eastern
Seaboard
Recording Career
Signed with Columbia Records in 1923
Scoring a big hit with her first release, a coupling of Gulf Coast Blues and Down
Hearted Blues, Bessie's career blossomed
Smith became the highest-paid black entertainer of her day
Columbia nicknamed her Queen of the Blues, but a PR-minded press soon
elevated to Empress
She would make some 160 recordings for Columbia, often accompanied by the
finest musicians of the day including Louis Armstrong, James P. Johnson, Joe
Smith, Charlie Green, and Fletcher Henderson
Film & Broadway
Smiths career was cut short by the Great Depression (which all but put the
recording industry out of business)
The advent of talkies spelled the end for vaudeville
In 1929, she appeared in a Broadway flop called Pansy, a musical in which, the
top white critics agreed, she was the only asset
In 1929, Bessie Smith made her only film appearance, starring in a one-reeler
based on W. C. Handys St. Louis Blues

Country Blues and the Mississippi Delta

The most fertile area for the development of country blues was the Mississippi
Delta region, 250 miles of land stretching north to south from Memphis,
Tennessee down to Vicksburg, Mississippi
Life in the Delta was characterized by hard work, oppressive heat, poverty, and
racial terror
Some of the most legendary figures of the blues have emerged from the Delta
The Delta Blues style often features slide guitar playing
Delta Blues typically has haunting vocals, often speaking of superstition,
jealousy, and trouble
Early Delta Blues Musicians
The first Delta bluesman to achieve fame was Charley Patton (1891 1934)
Son House (1902 1988) was one of the main influences on both Muddy Waters
and Robert Johnson
The most famous and legendary Delta Blues musician was Robert Johnson
(1911 1938)

Robert Johnson (1911 1938)

Among the most famous Delta Blues musicians
Considered by some to be the Grandfather of Rock-and-Roll
His landmark recordings from 1936-37 display a remarkable combination of
singing, guitar skills, and tremendous songwriting talent that have influenced
generations of musicians
Johnsons shadowy, poorly documented life and violent death at age 27 have
given rise to much legend
Born in Hazlehurst, Mississippi on May 8, 1911
Began playing the guitar under the tutelage of his half-brother while living in
Memphis
Also played jaw harp and harmonica
Marriages
Virginia Travis (1929) died in childbirth the following year
Calleta Callie Craft (1931)
Recorded 29 songs in 1936-37
The Legend
According to Blues folklore, Robert Johnson was a young black man living on a
plantation in rural Mississippi
Branded with a burning desire to become a great blues musician, he was
instructed to take his guitar to a crossroad near Dockerys plantation at midnight
There he was met by a large black man (the Devil) who took the guitar from
Johnson, tuned it, and handed it back to him

Within less than a years time, in exchange for his everlasting soul, Robert
Johnson became the king of the Delta blues singers, able to play, sing, and create
the greatest blues anyone had ever heard

The Reality
Johnson returned home to Hazlehurst and began absorbing influences from
phonograph records made by other blues guitarists
He came under the tutelage of local guitarist Ike Zinerman, who scholars believe
was the most important influence on Johnsons revolutionary modern style
Death at the Crossroads
Johnsons death occurred on August 16, 1938, at the age of 27 at a little country
crossroads near Greenwood, Mississippi
There are a number of accounts and theories regarding the events preceding
Johnson's death
One of these is that one evening Johnson began flirting with a woman at a
dance
One version of this rumor says she was the wife of the juke joint
owner
Another suggests she was a married woman he had been secretly
seeing
Poisoning
Researcher Mack McCormick claims to have interviewed Johnsons alleged
poisoner in the 1970s, and obtained a tacit admission of guilt from the man
When Johnson was offered an open bottle of whiskey, his friend and fellow blues
legend Sonny Boy Williamson knocked the bottle out of his hand, informing him
that he should never drink from an offered bottle that has already been opened
Robert Johnson allegedly said, Dont ever knock a bottle out of my hand
Soon after, he was offered another open bottle and accepted it. That bottle was
laced with strychnine
Johnson is said to have survived the initial poisoning only to succumb to
pneumonia three days later, in his weakened state

Texas Blues
Texas bluesmen were known for their strong guitar playing
Also known for a more relaxed manner than the Delta style
Two of the greatest early Texas bluesmen
Huddie Lead Belly Ledbetter (1888 1949)
Blind Lemon Jefferson (1897 1929)
Huddie Lead Belly Ledbetter (1888 1949)
Born January 23, 1888 on a plantation near Mooringsport, Louisiana
Known for his clear and forceful singing

Typically played 12-string guitar, but also played piano, violin, mandolin,
harmonica, concertina, and accordion

Trouble with the Law

Lead Bellys boastful spirit and penchant for the occasional skirmish lead to his
troubles with the law
Imprisoned in January of 1918 for killing one of his relatives in a fight
In 1930, Lead Belly was back in prison, this time in Louisiana for attempted
homicide
Both times was pardoned by the governor of the state in which he was imprisoned
Ledbetter first acquired his famous nickname while he was in prison; his fellow
inmates dubbed him Lead Belly as a play on his last name and a testament to
his physical toughness
Back in prison for assault in 1939
Lead Belly & Governor Pat Neff
2 years into a 35 year sentence for killing a relative, Lead Belly wrote a song
appealing to Governor Neff for his freedom
Supposedly Lead Belly swayed Neff by appealing to his strong religious values
That, in combination with good behavior and entertaining the guards and fellow
prisoners was Lead Bellys ticket out of jail
The Lomaxes
While in prison in 1933, he was discovered by musicologists John and Alan
Lomax who were enamored with his talent, passion and singularity as a performer
The Lomaxes recorded hundreds of Lead Bellys songs for the Library of
Congress
The Lomaxes petitioned for his second release from prison
In 1934, Lead Belly migrated with Alan Lomax to New York where he achieved
fame, but not fortune
Later Years and Death
After being released from prison in 1940, he returned to the surging New York
folk scene
Befriended Woodie Guthrie and Pete Seeger
In 1949, he began his first European tour, but fell ill before its completion
Was diagnosed with Lou Gehrigs Disease
Died later that year in New York
Some of the Hits
C.C. Rider
Governor Pat Neff
Midnight Special
Goodnight, Irene
In New Orleans
Pick a Bale o Cotton

Where Did You Sleep Last Night

Blind Lemon Jefferson (1893 1929)

Believed to have been born in Coutchman, Texas in September of 1893
The most popular male blues recording artist of the 1920s
His musical style was extremely intense and individualistic, bearing little
resemblance to the typical Texas blues style of the 1930s
Music & Influence
Jefferson had an intricate and fast style of guitar playing and a particularly highpitched voice
He was an important influence on the next generation of blues singers and
guitarists
His irregular vocal style and his freely structured field holler rhythms made the
tension between his guitar and his voice wildly unpredictable
As influential as Jefferson was, many of the details of his life remain shrouded in
mystery
Recording Career
Jeffersons first two recordings were gospel songs released under the name
Deacon L. J. Bates
His first releases under his own name, Booster Blues and Dry Southern Blues,
were hits
Jefferson recorded almost exclusively for Paramount Records (42 of 43 recorded)
Unfortunately, Paramount Records' studio techniques and quality were
infamously bad, and the resulting recordings sound no better than if they had been
recorded in a hotel room
Death
Jefferson died penniless in Chicago in 1929
Cause of death is unknown, though rumors abound
Paramount Records paid for the return of his body to Texas by train
He is buried at what is now known as Blind Lemon Memorial Cemetery
According to his wishes, his gravesite is being kept clean by a cemetery
committee in Wortham Texas
Covers of Blind Lemon Jefferson
He was the author of many tunes covered by later musicians
Bob Dylan covered See That My Grave Is Kept Clean on his debut album
Matchbox Blues, was recorded by the Beatles

Sources
History and Tradition of Jazz by Thomas E. Larson
Jazz for Dummies by Dirk Sutro
http://en.wikipedia.org

Discography
1. Sweet Home Chicago by Robert Johnson
from the album The High Price of Soul
Primo PRMCD6036
2. Gulf Coast Blues by W.C. Handy
from the album W.C. Handys Memphis Blues Band
Memphis Archives
3. Crazy Blues by Mamie Smith
from the album Crazy Blues: The Best of Mamie Smith
Sony
4. Its Right Here for You by Mamie Smith
from the album Complete Recorded Works, Volume 1 (1920 1921)
Document Records LTD
5. Prove It on Me Blues by Ma Rainey
from the album The Essential Ma Rainey
Classic Blues CBL 200020
6. Lost Your Head Blues by Bessie Smith
from the album The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz, Volume 1
CBS RD 033-1
7. St. Louis Blues by Bessie Smith
from the album The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz, Volume 1
CBS RD 033-1
8. Come On in My Kitchen by Robert Johnson
from the album The High Price of Soul
Primo PRMCD6036
9. Cross Road Blues by Robert Johnson
from the album The High Price of Soul
Primo PRMCD6036
10. Governor Pat Neff by Lead Belly
from the album Gwine Dig a Hole to Put the Devil in
Rounder CD 1045
11. C C Rider by Lead Belly
from the album Gwine Dig a Hole to Put the Devil in
Rounder CD 1045
12. See That My Grave Is Kept Clean by Blind Lemon Jefferson
from the album Blind Lemon Jefferson: Complete Recordings
Document Records LTD DOCD-5019
13. Match Box Blues by Blind Lemon Jefferson
from the album The Best of Blind Lemon Jefferson
Yazoo

14. In New Orleans by Lead Belly

from the album The Best of Lead Belly
Cleopatra