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Blues and Rock are two of the most important musical genres of the twentieth century. These musical art forms changed social norms, opened barriers, and united generations. Here's a brief immersion on both genres. |
Rock and Roll - The Birth of a Musical New Era A fusion of rhythm and blues, jazz, jump blues, country, and gospel. Rock and roll originated in the United States and provided a cultural yet unexpected fusion of music transforming the music industry, and the lives of countless people all over the world.
1922 - The words "rock" and "roll", which were black slang for sexual intercourse, appear on record for the first time, Trixie Smith's "My Baby Rocks Me With One Steady Roll".
1931 - Adolph Rickenbacker' invents the electric guitar.
1945-Les Paul invents echo-delay, multi-track recording and many other techniques that further expand recording possibilities.
1950 - Fats Domino's first record "The Fat Man" ushers in the full-fledged rock sound.
1950 - The Johnny Otis takes the R&B show on the road scoring ten Top Ten
1950 - Arkie Shibley & His Mountain Dew Boys record "Hot Rod Race" and set the stage for white country music to meet rhythm & blues in a term to be known as rockabilly in the future.
1951- In Memphis Sam Phillips records Ike Turner's band and further cements rock's future as a raucous, exciting and dangerous style of music.
1951 - Les Paul's dazzling electric guitar work on "How High The Moon" allows the song to cross over onto the R&B Charts bringing together the diverse influences that would form rock 'n' roll.
1952 - In New Orleans the rock 'n' roll beat is furthered by Lloyd Price's massive hit "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" with Fats Domino on piano.
1952 - Domino's own "Goin' Home" hits #1 on the R&B Charts and becomes one of the first rock songs to scrape the Pop Charts as well, reaching #30.
1954 - 10,000 fans attend Alan Freed's first east coast Rock 'n' Roll Show held in Newark New Jersey,the success of it is further proof that rock 'n' roll has national appeal.
1955-Having landed a contract w/ Chess Records, Chuck Berry records “Maybellene” – an uptempo tune based on the country song “Ida Red.”
1956 - Elvis Presley makes his national TV debut on "The Dorsey Brothers Stage Show" in late January
1957 – Chuck Berry’s “School Day (Ring Ring Goes the Bell)” tops the R&B chart for the first of five weeks.
1962 - Motown continues to expand its power-base scoring numerous #1 R&B hits while attracting talent from all over Detroit becoming the biggest in the country.
1962-The surf music craze, begins when the Beach Boys add vocals to score their first hit "Surfin' Safari".
1963 - "Surfin' U.S.A.," by the Beach Boys, enters the Top 40, where it will peak at #3.
1963 - Chuck Berry later sues and receives a songwriting credit, citing copyright infringement.
1964 - In February The Beatles appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show receives record ratings as Beatlemania explodes worldwide.
1965 - Folk-rock is ushered in by The Byrds’ cover of "Mr. Tambourine Man" helping to introduce Bob Dylan to a wider audience.
1966 - Psychedelic rock music begins its meteoric climb as bringing the avant garde sound to the world.
1967 - Rock music becomes the counter-culture seal of approval as psychedelia hits and San Francisco becomes the focal point of the new rock era.
1967 - Jefferson Airplane, Big Brother & The Holding Company, and The Grateful Dead enter into mainstream.
1969 - On January 29th, The Beatles perform in public for the final time on rooftop jam session in England.
1972 - Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley witness a concert by the 'New York Dolls' in NYC marking the beginning of glam rock and fusion of heavy metal.
Blues - Everyman’s Music Everyone can relate to the troubles of another man. It would be this exact motif that would encompass the blues and propel it to the global musical stage inspiring countless musicians and generations to come.
1899 – Scott Joplin publishes “Maple Leaf Rag”, establishing ragtime’s main influence on the Piedmont style of blues.
1912 – The first blues songs, including W.C. Handy’s “Memphis Blues”, are published as sheet music.
1917 – World War I. begins and the military and economic mobilization starts the great internal migration of African-Americans.
1920 – Mamie Smith records “Crazy Blues” and it becomes the first blues hit
1925 – Electrical recording technology is introduced and blues music is available for wider audience
1925 – Blind Lemon Jefferson, the dominant blues figure of the late 1920s recorded first song
1929 – The early Delta bluesman Charley Patton recorded first song
1929 – Great Depression in the US blacks migrated north along the Illinois Central Railroad toward Chicago.
1929 - Chicago blues is born and it was more powerful than all types before.
1942 - The onset of World War Two results in limited record production, particularly non-pop records, slowing the growth of rhythm & blues music until war's end in 1945.
1947 – Muddy Waters makes his first Chicago recordings
1948 - The term "rhythm & blues" is coined by young Billboard reporter and future Atlantic Records producer Jerry Wexler. It will replace the negative "Race Records" chart a year later which signifies the new shift in black music.
1952 – B.B. King has his first major rhythm and blues hit with a version of “Three O’Clock Blues.”
1960 – Muddy Waters performs at the Newport Jazz Festival to tremendous acclaim.
1956 – Chuck Berry’s “Roll Over Beethoven” enters the charts, where it will peak at #7 R&B and #29 pop.
1964 – The first U.S. tour by the Rolling Stones marks the invasion of British blues rock bands.
1964 – Delta bluesmen Son House and Skip James perform at the Newport Folk Festival.
1969 – Muddy Waters and B.B. King perform at the Fillmore East, a concert venue in the East Village region of New York City, to a predominantly white audience.
Eric Clapton
The Yardbirds (1963-1965) - The Yardbirds' lineup included bassist Paul Samwell-Smith, singer Keith Reif, drummer Jim McCarthy, and guitarist Eric Clapton. Their early beginnings were right out of the British Blues movement. The moment the Yardbirds drifted from a traditional blues style was the moment Clapton called it quits.
Cream (1966-1968) - This power trio composed of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker. Cream had a mixture of sounds with a basic structure of Blues Rock mixed with psychedelic-themed lyrics.
Derek and the Dominos (1970-1971) - Derek and The Dominos included singer Eric Clapton, keyboardist Bobby Whitlock, bassist Carl Radle, drummer Jim Gordon, and special guest Duane Allman. Their sound is described by many as raw and unrefined blues rock.
Eric Clapton Solo (1970 -Present) - Known by many as one of the most Influential guitarist of all time Eric Clapton's first passion was the Blues. He released his first solo studio album in 1970 and continues to work on projects to this day. Although he still plays the Blues his solo sound is undeniably defined as pure rock and roll.
Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones (1962-1970) - The original line up of The Rolling Stones included singer Mick Jagger, bassist Dick Taylor, guitarist Keith Richards, guitarist Brian Jones, and keyboardist Ian Stewart. They were heavily influenced by Chicago Blues and in fact began as a Blues band.
The Rolling Stones (1970-Present) - The lineup of the Rolling Stones changed especially with the death of Brian Jones. The new members included drummer Charlie Watts, and guitarist Ronnie Wood. It would be these new members which would usher in a new rock and roll era in The Rolling Stones musical sound.
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac (1967-1970) - Fleetwood Mac's original lineup included guitar/vocalist Peter Green, guitar/vocalist Jeremy Spencer, bassist John McVie, and drummer Mick Fleetwood. It is the Peter Green era that defined their beginning sound as a no frills blues band.
Fleetwood Mac (1970-Present) - The departure of Peter Green meant many musical changes for the group as a whole. The post Peter Green era line up was full of transitions and included the likes of Danny Kirwan, Christine McVie, Bob Welch, Bob Weston, Lindsey Buckingham, and Stevie Nicks. It would be these new additions that would dramatically change the sound of the band adding a melodic California influence catapulting them into a huge commercial success as rock and roll band.
Led Zeppelin, Joe Bonamassa, Black Country Communion and others have also played on the threshold between Blues and Rock, sometimes generating very polemic arguments on if they should stick to one or the other genre. What do you think?
