What is the blues?
You hear tantalizing bits of blues on TV commercials and in all American popular music: jaxx, R&B, folk, rock, country, bluegrass, and hiphop.. Created by African-Americans in the early 20th century to chase away their hard times, the blues use simple, powerful chords, toe-tapping rhythms, and words that tell a personal story and get one’s feelings out. Blues can be happy, sad and funny. You can dance to it. Bluesmen and women say that blues is simply the truth; it’s life.
Despite the name, blues is not all sad; many blues songs are sassy and danceable. It’s a community music which invites everyone to join in.
There are many ways to sing and play blues, and many kinds of music based on the blues. Big bands like Count Basie played it with horns. Delta blues and Piedmont are often played by one singer with a guitar. Appalachian music is a combination of Celtic songs with African American rhythms; Africans brought the banjo to America. Mid 20th century African American gospel took on blues patterns with organ and piano. Chicago blues has drums and electric guitar and bass guitar; it’s the father of rock’n’roll. Funk and hiphop carry rhythm patterns from blues.
The blues is like an old tree with many branches. Today we are more familiar with the branches than the roots. Blues and other roots music is hard to find on the radio. People need the chance to hear it in schools, festivals, arts centers, clubs and coffeehouses. The blues society will help develop a fan base that will encourage musicians to keep their art going and encourage venues to offer blues acts.
The Charleston Blues Society Board of Directors meets the last Wednesday of each month at 6:30 PM at the Blues BBQ located at the corner of Leon Sullivan Way and Lee Street (across from the Clay Center). This meeting is open to everyone.