We’re in a drought

No, not from a lack of rain, but rather from a lack of material to write about. If you haven’t noticed recently, there hasn’t been a lot of things going on in the Smokies or in the hiking world in general. To help remedy the situation I decided I’m going to post a series of short articles on the blues this week. I’ll also include a video or two from some of the artists.

I’ve been listening to the blues for the last couple of years and have come to realize the talent and importance of this style of music. In fact, the more I explore and listen, the more I appreciate the music that helped to spawn rock and roll.

Throughout this week maybe this brief overview will spawn some interest in the blues in you.

Most American music can trace its roots back to Africa or Ireland/Scotland. Blues, jazz, bluegrass, country and rock and roll all have roots in the traditional music of those regions.

The blues was born in the Deep South in the aftermath of the Civil War, and was passed down through live performances, most notably in the Mississippi Delta.

One of the earlier blues recordings was that of Robert Johnson. Some say this also marked the birth of rock and roll. Legend has it that Johnson sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads to become a guitar master. He even did a recording; Crossroad Blues, which Eric Clapton tweaked and made a hit out of three decades later.

Johnson died in 1938 at the age of 27 – the same age that Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain and Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones, among several others that all died at that same age.

In my opinion, here’s Robert Johnson’s best recording:



Bonus track: Here’s Mamie Smith, supposedly the very first vocal blues recording from 1920:




Jeff
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