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African slaves arrive in America
Blues originates from the songs and hymns sung by slaves working on the fields during times of slavery. -
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves from their owners, however most slaves became sharecroppers and stayed on the plantations they were once bound to. These sharecroppers continued singing of their struggles but unfortunately, many of the original Blues songs composed by these former-slaves have been lost, as the pieces were passed down by oral tradition and never published as sheet music. -
Ragtime is popularized with Scott Joplin's "Maple Leaf Rag"
Ragtime is considered to be one of the main influencers of blues. Additionally, Scott Joplin is considered to be one of the main proponents of Ragtime music. -
Blues is born
The Father of Blues, W.C. Handy, sees and unknown bluesman playing guitar with a knife at a train station. He initially describes the sound as "weird", but this influences his creative direction and gives birth to the contemporary Blues sound. -
Antoni Maggio's "I Got the Blues"
Antonio Maggio's song "I Got the Blues" is considered to be the first song ever published to use the word "blues". Following his song, many other Blues songs were published that included "blues" in the title or lyrics in general. -
Odum publishes anthology of folk songs
Howard W. Odum was the first to perform extensive research into the genre and compiled an anthology of songs between 1905 and 1908 during his travels. Unfortunately, some of these original recordings are now lost. -
Sheet music produced
By 1912, sheet music industries had produced three Blues songs, including "Memphis Blues" by the Father of the Blues, W.C. Handy. Prior to this time, Blues music was traditionally shared orally and never recorded. -
The Great Migration
The Great Migration of the 1920s described the movement of African Americans from the South towards the North seeking industrial work. This promoted the expansion and spread of Blues music and was one of the initial causes of Blues' popularization. -
Lucille Hegaman records "The Jazz Me Blues"
in 1920, Lucille Hegaman becomes the second female to record a Blues song. -
Mamie Smith's "Crazy Blues"
Prior to this recording, Blues was mainly instrumental and typically featured no lyrics or vocals. -
Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey
Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey produce recordings of the Blues hits and become two of the most popular Blues artists. -
The Great Depression
The Great Depression led to hard times for not only black Americans but America collectively. At this time, Blues became extremely popular, as many citizens related to its lyrics describing struggles of the time. -
Muddy Waters' "I Can't Be Satisfied"
Muddy Waters' extremely popular song "I Can't Be Satisfied" promoted Chicago as one of the most prominent Blues scenes in the country. -
Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley gains popularity and begins manipulating the traditional Blues sound, creating the origins of rock and roll. -
"A Negro Love Song" by Samuel Coleridge Taylor
Though it was not a blues song and was written by a white man, this song utilized some of the rhythmic devices used in blues music.
