Blues music is popular all over the world; it’s a simple concept that any musician can quickly learn but very few can say they have mastered. By adding a sharp 4th or a flat 5th to a minor pentatonic scale you get a whole new world! This blues scale has inspired guitarists and other musicians for over a century and today it is a major influence on the music scene.

The first commercially recorded blues song was in 1920 by Mamie Smith, a vocalist that was popular at the time. Originating in the African American slave communities around the year 1890, the music was named after the “blue devils” of sadness and melancholy. There are other recordings that have been preserved, including George Johnson’s “Laughing Song” in 1896! These early recordings were noisy and sometimes inaudible.

By the 1920’s blues had become popular all across America. Performers like Robert Johnson, Blind Lemon Jefferson and Son House increased the music’s popularity with slide techniques, passionate vocals and distinctive playing styles. Other instruments were added to accompany the guitar such as washboards and fiddles or kazoo and mandolins. Pianists and saxophonists got into the act in the 30’s and 40’s as blues moved into fashionable clubs.

The Blues is the origin for other styles of music, too. In the early 30’s Boogie-Woogie evolved from Blues, growing in urban areas and spreading through the country like a wildfire. People were hungry for fun and Boogie-Woogie provided it while remaining familiar because of its Blues roots.

“Electric blues” came along in the early 1950’s, thriving in cities like Chicago, St. Louis and Detroit. Electric guitars were fairly new and all the rage, especially with blues artists. Combined with bass guitar, harmonica and drums, the popularity of blues soared. People like Howlin’Wolf, Elmore James and Muddy Waters helped make the blues popular with all classes of society.

As the genre became more popular it was adapted by musicians in many different forms. Bluegrass, Rhythm and Blues and Jazz are all offshoots of the original blues style. Blues music is also the origin of modern rock and roll. The band Pink Floyd’s found, Syd Barrett, was so enamored of the style that the band’s name is a derivative of two blues artist’s in his record collection, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council.

Watching classic blues videos, you can see how each artist brings a unique style to the music. BB King, for example, has quite a different approach than T Bone Walker. They play the same category of music but their playing styles make them each immediately recognizable. The blues is music that is intensely personal, allowing an artist to express feelings and passions within a basic structure that is incredibly versatile.