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Jim Crow discrimination.
Around 1860 The blues is believed to have originated in the southern United States among African American communities, drawing on African musical traditions as well as the experiences of slavery and Jim Crow discrimination. -
recorded and distributed
Early 1900 The blues begins to be recorded and distributed on wax cylinders and later on vinyl records, leading to the rise of early blues stars like Mamie Smith and Blind Lemon Jefferson. -
The United States enters World War
in 1917 Military and economic mobilization starts the great internal migration of African-America and exposes American troops to blues music, causing a blues music explosion. -
Delta blues style
The Delta blues style was characterized by slide guitar and raw vocals, and became popular between 1920 and 1930. thanks to artists like Robert Johnson. Son House was known as " The king of the delta blues. -
electric blues
The electric blues style emerged in the 1940s. Incorporating amplified instruments and more complex arrangements. Blues artists like Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker become popular in this era. -
rock and roll
During the 1950s The blues influences the development of rock and roll, with artists like Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley drawing on blues rhythms and guitar techniques. -
Blues revival
Artists like Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, and Janis Joplin bringing renewed attention to the blues in the US and in Britain in the 1960s Eric Clapton and the Yardbirds record "Boom Boom" by John Lee Hooker. This begins the rise of Blues within England and Europe. 1964 - The first U.S. tour by the Rolling Stones marks the invasion of British blues rock bands. -
The blues foundation
The Blues Foundation is an organization dedicated to honoring, preserving, and promoting the blues, was founded in Memphis in 1980. founded in Memphis Tennessee, and presents the first W.C. Handy Blues Awards a the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis.