Black History Month: Blues

The Blues developed in the first few decades of the twentieth century when life was hard and people were freer to express their feelings than under slavery. Blues musicians traveled throughout the Mississippi Delta, accompanying themselves on guitar. Probably the most famous of the itinerant blues musicians was
Robert Johnson
whose recordings would influence diverse musicians of later generations such as Eric Clapton and "The Blues Brothers."

Other influential blues musicians are B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Jimi Hendrix, Taj Mahal, and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

The blues went on to influence rock music, and some rock musicians evolved a style of blues-rock, sometimes called "roots rock."

The Music Collection has over 200 Blues CDs from all eras and in all styles. Use the Library's Media Finder to search for blues or other styles of music. To hear an excellent compilation from the entire history of the blues, check out the CDs for Martin Scorsese's The Blues televsion series.