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Slaves are first brought into Virginia
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Slaves are officially freed
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The first songs of slavery were published
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Scott Joplin published "Maple Leaf Rag." Shifting the main influence on the blues style into ragtime.
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In 1902, the first known recordings of African American field hollers is released by Victor Records.
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Musician W.C. Handy spots a bluesman playing a guitar at a train station in Mississippi
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Beales Street begun in 1841 but in 1905, W.C. Handy came in and performed his songs in the clubs.
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The first blues songs are published as sheet music
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The song "Memphis Blues" by W.C. Handy is published
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Bessie Smith recorded "Down-Hearted-Blues" for the first time.
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In 1929 the Great Depression hit and African Americans relocated to Chicago creating Delta Blues.
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Muddy Waters creates his first Chicago recordings which begun his tenure as the dominant figure in the Chicago blues. He was a key link between the styles of Mississippi Delta and urban.
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Editor at Billboard magazine, Jerry Wexler substitutes the term "rhythm and blues" for the "race" records
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In 1970 B.B. King released the song "The Thrill is Gone." This song won him a grammy along with being in the Rolling Stones magazine under the top 500 greatest songs.
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In 1980 a Hall of Fame was established for Blues music
