BLUES
Welcome to our Blues Genre Page. Here you can listen to Blues Music all day long.
By 1920 most Americans were familiar with blues songs. They were performed by vaudeville stars, blackface minstrels, street musicians, ragtime orchestras, and by the new wave of jazz bands. Some bands were known for their sexy blues tempos and sultry blue moans. For example Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Ethel Waters, Marion Harris and Al Bernard. But few artists dedicated their craft just to blues.
Records are what made blues in the African American entertainment business. Then later blues was an influence on pop trends from R&B to hip-hop. Record companies discovered that records made specifically for ethnic communities would make them money. A black composer/publisher, Perry Bradford, realized African Americans would also be willing to buy records made specifically for them. In the early 1920's Bradford persuaded the Okeh company to record Mamie Smith with a white orchestra. The record did well enough that she was able to record future records with a group of African American accompanists and performed a Perry Bradform composition called "Crazy Blues." This became one of the biggest selling records of the year.
The Blues record boom was started.
Would you like more information on the history of the Blues? Check our Articles Directory for our original perspective on Blues.
We welcome any comments or concerns.
