"...the blues won't die because spirituals won't die. Blues--a steal from spirituals. And rock is a steal from the blues...Blues singers start out singing spirituals."
Bluesman Big Bill Broonzy
A Time to Rock, p. 3

Blues Influence
Chuck Berry
Roll Over Beethoven
linked with permission
Lost in the Fifties Jukebox

Beatles
Roll Over Beethoven
at Songhits.Com under Oldies

Blues Samples
Howlin Wolf
Spoonful
linked with permission
Patchy's Music Moods

Muddy Waters
I Can't Call Her Sugar
linked with permission
Patchy's Music Moods

John Lee Hooker
Walkin The Boogie by John Lee Hooker
linked with permission
Patchy's Music Moods

Shining Moon
linked with permission
Patchy's Music Moods

Eric Clapton with Derek and the Dominos
Layla
linked with permission
Virtual Jukebox

Jimi Hendrix
Catfish Blues
linked with permission
Legends of Rock in Real Audio

The Blues

Originally from Africa, the blues were brought to America by slaves. The Blues evolved from their field hollers and gospel songs to the 12 bar call-and-response music known in the 30's and 40's. The 12 bars (measures of music) are the standard of the types of chords played in a blues song:

4 bars of the tonic
2 of subdominant
2 of tonic
1 of dominant
1 of subdominant
1 of tonic

The "12 Bar Blues" chord progression (which we got during an online chat with Kalle and which the team uses in their online jam session) is as follows:

4 bars of E
2 bars of A
2 bars of E
1 bar of B
1 bar of A
1 bar of E
1 bar of B
then all over again

The call-and-response refers to the lyric pattern. One line was said, repeated, then answered.

The blues moved north as blacks migrated to cities like Chicago and Detroit where people like Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Howlin' Wolf and Elmore James made them famous. T-Bone Walker of Houston and B.B. King of Memphis used a jazz style in their blues guitar solos.

The blues is what started it all. Rock and roll was based on the blues and from there everything followed. Many artists like Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix have a little blues mixed into their music. Blues also influenced rock bands like the Rolling Stones and VanHalen. [an error occurred while processing this directive]


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