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The first appearance of the word 'blues' in a piece of music: "The Dallas Blues" by Hart Wand. The story goes that a black porter overheard Hart playing his violin and the porter remarked "That give me the blues to go back to Dallas."
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Texas born Blind Willie Johnson records in Dallas, TX. These and all of his subsequent recordings blurred the lines between blues and gospel music.
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The early Delta bluesman Charley Patton is first recorded.
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The Wall Street Crash of 1929 begins on Black Thursday, signaling the beginning of the Great Depression in the United States. Amid widespread economic ruin, sales of records and phonographs plummet, crippling the recording industry.
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Legendary Delta bluesman Robert Johnson begins his short recording career.
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Legendary Delta bluesman Robert Johnson begins his short recording career.
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Bluesman T-Bone Walker plays electric guitar on the recording of his standard "Call it Stormy Monday."
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Bluesman T-Bone Walker plays electric guitar on the recording of his standard "Call it Stormy Monday."
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Bluesman T-Bone Walker plays electric guitar on the recording of his standard "Call it Stormy Monday."
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B.B. King has his first major rhythm and blues hit with a version of "Three O'Clock Blues."
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Elvis Presley makes his recording debut on Sun Records with a version of Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup's "That's All Right."
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Samuel Charters publishes The Country Blues, fueling the blues element of the folk music revival.
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Muddy Waters performs at the Newport Jazz Festival to tremendous acclaim.
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John Hammond pushes to have a selection of Robert Johnson's recordings reissued on LP by Columbia.
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The first U.S. tour by the Rolling Stones marks the invasion of British blues rock bands.
