The Blues

By capjameel

  • Beginning of the Blues

    Beginning of the Blues
    Slaves brought musical and cultural traditions. On the plantations is where the foundations of the blues were started.

  • WC Handy

    WC Handy
    WC Handy encounters a man in a train station playing the guitar and singing the blues.

  • Migration

    Migration
    The mass migration of African Americans from the south to north began. This migration helped spread the blues from the Mississippi Delta to St Louis, Chicago,Kansas City and Detroit.

  • The Memphis Blues

    The Memphis Blues
    One of the earliest blues songs to be accepted by a large audience. It was written by WC Handy and George A Norton

  • Great Depression

    Great Depression
    The great depression was a huge hit on the economy because of this brought down sales of all music and advertisements. The depression started around 1929 and ended in the late 1930s.

  • Electric Guitar

    Electric Guitar
    The earliest electric guitars were designed and produced. Went on to become a cornerstone of blues music

  • World War 2

    World War 2
    As the US enters world war 2 the economic and military mobilization allows for more African Americans to migrate and promote their music in northern urban centers.

  • Rhythm and Blues

    Rhythm and Blues
    Billboard creates Rhythm and Blues category replacing the term "Race Music" to describe music made by African Americans

  • Chess Records

    Chess Records
    Phil and Leonard Chess create chess records in Chicago.Chess Records specialized in blues music and was a large part in spreading electric Chicago Blues across the country.

  • BB King

    BB King
    In 1952 BB King records and releases "3 O'clock Blues" written by Lowell Fulson. It spent 5 weeks at number 1 on the Billboard R&B charts. This record introduced BB King to a national audience

  • Elvis Presley

    Elvis Presley
    Elvis Releases his first record "That's All Right" which was a blues song by Arthur Crudup. Presley's sped up version became very popular and introduced blues to more of a white audience

  • Early 1960s

    Early 1960s
    Creation of Blues Festivals throughout the country brought white and black audiences together and gave exposure to lot's of Blues artists.

  • Year of the Blues

    Year of the Blues
    In 2003 the US congress declared 2003 the year of the Blues to commemorate the 100th anniversary of WC Handy's first encounter with Blues Music.