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From the origins of recording Blues to the popularization of Blues reaching multiple different audiences across the country.
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Written by Baby F. Seals, Baby Seals Blues is the first published song to feature the word "Blues" as a style or genre of music
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Known as the "Father of the Blues", W.C. Handy composed St. Louis Blues which began to put Blues on the map.
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Blues became an overnight sensation with the release of "Crazy Blues", the first Blues song with vocals. The song featured Mamie Smith who was the first Blues singer and was the first African
American vocalist. -
From the 1920s to the 1940s, Beale Street in Memphis becomes a hotspot for Blues, Jazz, and Ragtime music. Artists such as B.B. King and Louis Armstrong were just a few of the artists who made Beale Street famous.
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Due to the popularity of Mamie Smith's "Crazy Blues" singers Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey both released popular Blues songs with vocals.
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Columbia Records began issuing discs that held music recorded by an electric microphone. The popularity of Blues music began to skyrocket.
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One of the first solo vocalists/guitarists to become popular was Blind Lemon Jefferson. Jefferson was successful in Texas and became known as the "Father of the Texas Blues".
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The early versions of electric guitars were popular in electric Blues and Jazz music.
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Bluebird Records, founded in 1932, was one of the main record companies specializing in blues and jazz music. The record company had been big-name blues musicians. Musicians from Bluebird were major influences on R&B and Rock and Roll.
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John and Alan Lomax travel parts of the United States recording folk and blues music for the Library of Congress. The two recorded mainly around the Mississippi Delta. Artists such as Muddy Waters were among the musicians recorded by the Lomaxes
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Recorded by Alan Lomax, Muddy Waters begins becoming a well-known name in the Blues genre and ultimately becomes one of the most famous Blues artists.
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T-Bone Walker becomes a big name in Texas Blues. Walker also was a major trailblazer in the use of the electric guitar for blues music.
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Muddy Waters moves from Mississippi to Chicago. In Chicago, Waters uses an electric guitar to create the new Chicago Blues.
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Billboard creates the term Rhythm and Blues, replacing the "race" or "African American" genre of music.
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Elvis Presley gains large exposure upon the release of his cover of Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup's tune, which was a version of Blind Lemon Jefferson's "That Black Snake Moan". Presley helped bring Blues to white audiences.
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Chuck Berry releases "Maybellene" which was a sped-up Blues song that became Blues Rock. "Maybellene" is also considered one of the first Rock N Roll songs.
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Across the country, festivals for Blues music begin to arise. These festivals were very important for bringing together young white and black audiences for Blues Music.
