Tag: Beale Street
The History of Memphis Blues Music
Posted by admin on Sep.20, 2009, under people Comments Off
Memphis blues music has a very rich and interesting history that is packed with many of the biggest names in American music. Created in the 1920s and 1930s, Memphis blues music was created by musicians that lived in the area, like Furry Lewis, Frank Stokes, John Estes and Memphis Minnie. At first, it was only popular in vaudeville and medicine shows, but soon it quickly grew to capture the interest of the entire nation.
Memphis blues music really got its start on Beale Street, the place where the nightlife and culture of Memphis was (and still is). There have been several books written, dedicated only to Memphis blues music and Beale Street, including Goin Back to Memphis by James L. Dickerson, which came out in the year 2000.
Memphis blues music gained a lot of popularity very fast, largely in part to its unique sound. Because many of the musicians were poor and could not afford to buy traditional instruments, they were forced to improvise using household items that were previously not known for their sound producing capabilities. For example, washboards, kazoos and Jews harps were all prevalent in early Memphis blues music.
Quite possibly the most unique and frequently used odd instruments found in Memphis blues music is the jug. To replace the sound that an expensive bass guitar would make, people would blow into various sized jugs to create a deep and hollow sound. Of course, some of the people in Memphis blues music were able to get their hands on traditional instruments such as violins, banjos and mandolins.
Memphis blues music never really featured any electric instruments until after World War II, when Memphis blues music musicians slowly started buying and using them. Memphis blues music also started to transform itself as new musicians came onto the Memphis scene. This is because many African Americans started to migrate away from impoverished rural areas in search of cities and good jobs. Among those making the trek to Memphis were Willie Nix, Ike Turner, Howlin Wolf and B.B. King.
Still, Memphis blues music remained confined to the area of Memphis. That is, until Sun Records took an interest in Memphis blues music and started signing local artists as fast as they could. Eventually, Memphis blues music would go on to influence rock and roll, modern jazz and rhythm and blues music, and has been cited by several famous musicians in their songs.
Incoming search terms:
House of Blues – Memphis
Posted by admin on Aug.23, 2009, under Music Comments Off
Memphis blues music is a type of sound that has a very rich history, dating to the early 1900s. Characterized by the songs produced by musicians in the Memphis area like Sleepy John Estes, Frank Stokes, Memphis Minnie and Furry Lewis, it gained popularity and exposure through some medicine shows and vaudeville. Memphis blues music is closely tied to the Memphis night scene, specifically the entertainment district on Beale Street.
Some of the most popular Memphis blues music bands include jug bangs, blues with a guitar base and more recently, electric instruments. The progression of jug band focused Memphis blues music to that with an electrical instrument slant has been an interesting one, to say the lease. When Memphis blues music was first getting popular, the area was economically depressed and many musicians could not afford to buy proper instruments.
Instead of relying on store bought purchases to make Memphis blues music, musicians relied on everyday household things. Items like jugs, harmonicas, washboards, Jews harps, spoons and kazoos were prevalent in Memphis blues music up until the end of World War II.
Following World War II, however, electric instruments became more and more popular among the musicians in the Memphis blues music scene. This is because there was a pretty significant migration of African Americans who were leaving the Mississippi Delta region (as well as other impoverished areas in the south) for larger cities, where there were more jobs and more opportunities. As Memphis was a fairly large urban area, it attracted many of the migrants, including a number of musicians who would go on to shape the Memphis blues music.
As people flooded into the Memphis area, Memphis blues music began to take on a new sound. Musicians like Willie Nix, Ike Turner, Howlin Wolf and B.B. King performed regularly in West Memphis and on Beale Street, finally recording some classic electric blues, rock & roll and rhythm and blues records for labels (Sun Records was popular among many of the better known Memphis blues music players).
Memphis blues music has since then had a huge impact on all different kinds of different genres of music, including rockabillies and rock & rollers (many of which also recorded albums for Sun Records). W.C. Handy, who was cited in the song Walking in Memphis, wrote a song called Memphis Blues in 1912 that was among the first Memphis blues music hit on the charts.
Incoming search terms:
Welcome to the Bluestrotter Blog
Living a simple life and playing music (just) for myself, wandering around and traveling to many places, dreaming to become a bird that could flew away wherever he likes
Blue is the color of the sky and the ocean, I like them both, also blue is my favorite color in life because it gives peaceful, wide and calm 'feel' to me
