THE BLUES AND CONTEMPORARY MUSIC

Over the past century the blues has shaped derived a vast variety of contemporary music, forming and has shaping modern day understanding of what music is. Amongst various structural, thematic and dialect similarities, earlier forms of music such as the blues, schmaltz and classical have subsequentially evolved into a plethora of modern-day techniques and styles, slowly and chronologically evolving into the many music genres today. Much of the music’s contextuality and technique uniquely originate as a folk time music throughout the New World, and with this New World came a radical change in what music can be: an experimental period challenging what had been for 100 of years a slowly changing, yet quite stable norm. This essay focuses on the contextual and musical similarities between the blues and contemporary music. The key to understanding what part of the genres and styles of the 20th century that has popularised them in comparison to other genres of music from similar socio-cultural situation is present in what actually immortalises them; establishing themselves through the political, social and economic struggles of people becoming eternal motifs and centre stone genres in which people mimic a manner of expressing a method of disillusionment/enlightenment with the real world climate of the time, and how these musical methods of expression are so quintessential to humanities future as a race.

Contemporary music has become something as varied as it was before the onset of globalisation. The difference is rather than traditional music norms divided by and native to a specific geographic region it has become divided by its fanbase: people who actively identify with a certain stylography, as opposed to being born into a culture and style of music (Ross, 2019). Junkies, punks, disco, jazz heads, rockers, the diverse range of contemporary musical subcultures are defined by the ability to swap and choose with ease. Globalisation has also accelerated the evolution of musical genres, sustaining them for longer periods of time, allowing them to escape the predictive obituaries that have defined Western musical genres for so long. Music in the Occident has influenced and has been influenced by the variety of ethnic and cultural groups that have created the multicultural first world. Some of these ethnic groups have derived genres of music as a result of their plight in the West, such as the blues genre which has become a groundwork for subsequently divergent musical genres, such as R&B* and jazz. Historically the blues came about as a folk time music throughout the latter 19th in Southern American, employed as a method of expression and a past time by the enslaved African Americans. By the 1920s it had become a signatory genre amongst this demographic. It is characterised by its speech like vocals and thin texture, often consisting of a raggedy guitar (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2019). This vocal form quickly became popular globally and has remained a staple of modern time musicality and has been passed down since: the past few centuries had been defined by their instrumental, often

*Rhythm and Blues, often confused with Rhythm and Beats

orchestral symphonies, such as baroque and classical. It stood out from other demographically similar genres that had come about post-Civil War, such as cakewalk and ragtime (which quickly died out) because it’s ease of play and the fact that its subject matter was able to stay relevant, remaining as a prominent ancestor contemporary music by evolving this relevance with the changing and increasingly interconnected social climate. The blues music, which other musical styles struggled to, has since played into this growing interconnectedness and managed to influence and become the music of today.

Almost all genres of contemporary music have derived some of their elements form the blues. This is evident in the still widely popular jazz genre. This genre emerged shortly after the blues, being influenced by it, and is one of the most employed forms of music today. The twelve-bar blues chorus, narrative form and harmonic structure is a staple of jazz improvisation and subsequently laid the frame on which jazz music is composed (Suer 2012)). The 12-bar blues structure consists of segments of 3 4-bar lines, with a distinct chord progression (I, IV and V). This particular method of forming a song is, along with several other forms, commonly employed by jazz musicians (Jump, 2018). A head arrangement is a unique terminology which evolved with the blues; it refers to a progression of choirs memorised by the player making for very easy improvisation, and this is another technique which has allowed jazz to evolve into what it is. In fact, it was not until the second half of the 20th century, post WWII that a clear distinction between the two was made: that is how similar the two genres could be. Despite this inherent similarity the two have developed their own distinct sound with their own dedicated fan bases. One would presume a music forged in suffering and slavery would be subpar to other musical modes of expression but perhaps, ironically it is precisely this state of origin which allowed blues to become a staple of modern-day music.

The musical “experimental era” of the late 20th century, which is arguably still happening currently, was driven by the global breakdown of cultural barriers, and perhaps the earliest incident of this was the way in which early country music and the blues were so interconnected in their formative stages that musicians from both parties were often advertised as each other (Suer 2012) . Both styles appeared almost simultaneously, with a rather crude method of interpretation being that country music has managed to stay ahead of the death curve of the musical genres and has grown and become a tradition amongst Southern America. Various analogues can be drawn between the two: the instrumental style of guitar accompaniment is synonymous and a very distinctive vocal accent. Both camps share an interest in melancholic love; lost love is a common thematic concern between both country music and the blues, and this could be quite telling this is an indication that this is a universal theme as both folk music genres were successful early predecessors of American Pop music. Slowly both would give way to the emerging rock and roll

*Rhythm and Blues, often confused with Rhythm and Beats

style of the early 1900s, with blues and country inspired musicians such as Johnny Cash and Bill Haley paving the way into this new style (Lyttle 1997). An important note to clarify, that this essay has unintentionally painted is the fact that the blues is a dead genre that has laid the groundworks for a wide variety of modern genres. This is a part truth. Like it’s parallel, country music, it has managed to remain alive and well influencing the genres that have arisen since its inception.

The link between blues stylography and pop music is abundantly clear in the rock and roll genre. The scale style and the 12 bar structure where retained in many instances of rock n’ roll, with the intermediate rockabilly genre serving as the missing link between the two, prompting some to refer to rock and roll as “blues with a country beat” and rightly so (Levi, 2016). Subsequent genres have also emerged as a combination between the two (though not quite so popular) such as Blues rock and punk blues*. The history of the blues and it’s call and response singing form has become a staple of many rock anthems. It’s origins in resistance and retaliation to domination have remained pervasive throughout the rock and roll genre, and this resistance to authority ( much more evident in its offshoot, punk rock) is a key staple of the style and its flexible method of treating a pre-existing convention of music, such as the pentatonic scale, to make something new and fresh is a technique commonly applied by its practitioners; giving rise to their popular guitar solos, licks riffs and free improvisation. This seemingly repetitive formula of popular music being a daughter genre to blues music prompted famed blues musician Willie Dixon+ to state “blues are the roots and other music is the fruits” in the late 20th century and this trend seems to have only gotten stronger with time. A human being is at its core an artistic individual and craves to make or view art, and pursue its creation, and the blues genre has acted as the paint for canvas’ creation. The simplicity of it, that does not sacrifice depth to achieve has left a lasting impression on the artistic world.

A commonly overlooked element of the blues is the manner in which it evolved at the same time as technology. This evolution of technology led to the creation of several instruments, forms of playing and methods of recording and the blues has taken advantage of each of these advances every step of the way. It burst onto the global scene in the 1920s due to the increase in recording capabilities and hasn’t looked back since. It has taken advantage of the electronic guitar after its invention. Amplifiers, synths, mixing and mastering, all of them have migrated into the blues and been adopted with open arms (Kessler, 2012). In fact, it is these specific advances that made many blues artists into the musical tycoons they are now. These technologies have changed the way musicians produce their art, and their utilisation has put this genre ahead of the curve. Electronic advances have taken tracks of blues artists farther than they had ever gone before, allowing them to reach a global

*Punk is a genre of rock rooted in rejection of authority and the “system”, with a much less perfect and dirtier sound than it forebearer, later giving rise to the emo and grunge styles. +Willie Dixon was a 20th century blues musician famous for pioneering the Western Chicago style of the blues.

audience; a phenomenon not easily observed prior to the rise of technology (Lerch,
2018). This ease of distribution and appeal to a global market is perhaps another of the many ways that the influence of the blues has been so far reaching. The onset of phonographs, caseates, cd and digital streaming are all eras through which the blues has maintained its presence. This is why, despite not being at their peak today the blues is still around. The malleable way in which the blues has been a front runner in technological advancement in the field of music has been another way in which it has shaped the world of contemporary.

Music and the blues have a unique relationship. the blues and its derivative genres have had a prominent place in popular music. It was one of the first forms of art appreciated by White Americans, void of racial prejudices its thematic concerns rooted in freedom, imprisonment and lost love are a telling and harsh reminder of their plight as a race. Many specific places have been sighted as the one true birthplace of the blues, but the fact of the matter is that this cannot be ascertained, and perhaps it is better it stays this way. The truth is often disappointing, and the legend that the blues genre perpetuates is in many ways larger than life. But there is quite an important question one has to ask: what specific musical genre the predecessor to the blues is, and the answer is seemingly less complex; folk music. Of course, there is an abundance of individual that any artists have in any genre, but folk music stands out as the primary source of influence. Folk music, also known as world music, has a wide variety of traditional forms cumulatively defined under one title, and this make given the breakdown in geography that occurred several centuries ago. The specific folk music in question is, made obvious given the ancestry of the African American population, African traditional music, with further influences by the predominant contemporary genres at the time, with gospel undertones. The oral style of singing in the blues is directly inherited from this African traditional music. Music for the Africans before colonialism was a religious experience, with some of these tunes literally believed to have been able to summon gods, the dead or good fortune, so it is no surprise that their descendants would take these traditions with them to the Americas (Kubik, 2016). It is quite ironic that something made by those slaves during their complete lack of power could evolve into something that was powerful enough to change the contemporary world.

The future of the blues in contemporary music is just as uncertain as its origin. Perhaps, to begin with the most positive revelations in the genre, the distribution and availability of the greatest blues artists of the past is more accessible than it ever has been. The internet houses a profuse amount of its songs, music and history documenting one of Western pop music’s greatest foundation. A new batch of young African American artists (and no doubt globally) are incorporating the blues into their own stylography (Wald, 2016), and a vast variety of household names have already been influenced by this in some way, including Kanye West and Elvis

Presley. Unfortunately, however, in its pure form, there can be no doubt that the blues is a slowly dying genre. It is no longer at its peak and it looks to have been heading downhill for a while. in the words of prominent music historian, Santelli, “the blues’ becoming a historical music form. It is becoming less and less relevant to contemporary society” (Johnson 2013). The blues has evaded its inevitable death for longer than a vast majority of musical genes before it, but perhaps it is time for change. A new style of music that speaks to a new generation that retains much of its blues influence, becoming something bigger and better. Until the cycle repeats. For one cannot forget that it is this cycle of change, struggle and perseverance that birthed the blues in the first place. It is this continually changing nature of humanity that makes us just that; human. Isn’t that the best way to go? Knowing that it changed and touched the lives of generations.

The blues has been a central part of contemporary music, for the past century. It has shaped and changed prominent and rising derivative genres such as R&B, rock and roll and jazz. it has managed to outlive its parallels, and its structure, call and response stylography and vocal form have remained alive and well in the here and now. Born among African American slave populations and witnessing their freedom, it has been shaped by its history and shady origins, becoming something powerful and touching. Its future is uncertain and its glory days far behind it, but it has successfully adapted to and pioneered through generations of audience and technological advances, laying its mark in the music of today. Contemporary music would not be what it is without the blues, and in this changing and increasingly interconnected world perhaps it will find a place to thrive. One thing however is without doubt, and that is that it’s style and legacy will remain a part of contemporary history for a very long time.

References and Annotated Bibliography:

1. Ross, Alex. 2019. “The Sounds of Music in the Twenty-First Century.” The New

Yorker. 2019. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/08/27/the-sounds-of-

msic-in-the-twenty-first-century.

1. The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. 2019. “Blues | Definition, Artists, History, &
2. Facts.” In Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/art/blues-music.
3. Suer, Kinsley. 2012. “Portland Center Stage at The Armory.” Portland Center Stage
4. at The Armory. 2018. https://www.pcs.org/archive/blog/item/under-the-influence- of-the-blues.

o Suerreportsontheinfluenceblueshashadonsubsequentgenres,providing

a synopsis of affected genres and what element of each genre was derived

from the blues. He provides parallels between the contemporary genres

breaking down their origins, influences and techniques in an easy to

comprehend, simple format, along with several quotes by famed artists

amongst these genres supporting his statements. It was a useful and quick

way of finding specifically which elements I could compare amongst genres

throughout the essay, and was very simple to understand

4. Jump, Brian. 2017. “The Structure and Essence of Jazz.” Chasing the Chords. July

7, 2017. https://brianjump.net/2017/07/07/the-structure-and-essence-of-jazz/.

1. Lyttle, Marshall. 1997. “Bill Haley & The Comets.” Www.Rockabillyhall.com. 1997.
2. http://www.rockabillyhall.com/BillHaley.html.
3. Levi. 2016. “Impact of the Blues on Other Forms of Popular Music.”
4. http://bbkingmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Blues-Impact.pdf.
5. Strathmore. 2019. “Strathmore.” Strathmore. 2019.
6. https://www.strathmore.org/shades-of-blues/education-portal/the-enduring-
7. influence-of-the-blues.
8. Kessler, John. 2012. “What Does Technology Mean for The Blues?” American Blues
9. Scene. May 28, 2012. https://www.americanbluesscene.com/what-does-technology- mean-for-the-blues/.

o Theauthorprovidesavaluableinsightintohowtechnologyhasshapedthe

blues, and in turn how this flexibility has made the blues such a staple of the

new musical world. Joh breaks down new techniques in recording,

instrumentation and methods of musical consumption, detailing how the

blues has adopted and incorporated these methods into its own styling and

distribution. I found it very useful as a guide and its historical take on the

issue is very much appreciated.

9. Lerch A. (2018) The Relation Between Music Technology and Music Industry. In:

Bader R. (eds) Springer Handbook of Systematic Musicology. Springer Handbooks.

Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-55004-5_44

1. Kubik, Gerhard, and Donald Keith Robotham. 2016. “African Music.”
2. In Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/art/African-music.
3. Wald, Elijah. 2016. “The State of Blues Today.” Strathmore. 2016.
4. https://www.strathmore.org/shades-of-blues/education-portal/the-state-of-blues- today

o Astraightforwardtakeonthefutureofthebluesanditspresencetoday.

Wald establishes context quickly and rapidly highlighting current and past

practitioners of the genre, all while providing in depth insight into its

potential and inspirations. This article provides a quick abridged history of

the genre all while focusing on its racial context and how that has shaped its

creation. He then goes on to establish changes in its demographic and

current fanbase: those who still follow the genre today. It was a very much

valued and factful overview of the current state of the genre.

12. Johnson, Kevin C. 2013. “Historian Will Discuss the Sad State of the Blues.”

STLtoday.com. 2013. https://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/music/historian-will-

discuss-the-sad-state-of-the-blues/article_c8e52ed5–6a1a-55fd-bfb1-

2937a5e1c8b7.html.