Urban+Blues+and+Country+Blues

~COUNTRY BLUES~ by Tara and Chloe Country blues is also known as folk blues, rural blues, backwood blues and down home blues. It's the guitar driven blues, mainly acoustic without much backing music. Country blues is a later style of blues, started in the early twentieth century, mainly in American cities such as Memphis, Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta and Kansas city. Derivative forms include Chicago, Detroit, Electric, Memphis New Orleans and Swamp Blues. Sub-genres include Delta Blues, Piedmont blues and the Louisiana blues.

Notable country blues artists include:  Terry Garland

 Jimmy Waters
And many others. For a more comprehensive list, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Country_blues#Notable_country_blues_musicians

STYLES OF FOLK BLUES According to Richard Middleton, country or folk blues was "constructed as a distinct discursive category in the early decades of this century [20th], mostly as the result of the activities of record companies, marketing 'old-fashioned' music to rural Southern 'folk' and newly arrived urban dwellers." Blues was defined as being "good time music", and incorporated elements of jazz, ragtime and gospel music. Down home blues is not regarded as folk music but many early country blues songs are regarded as folk music. Lyrical themes of the blues include alienation, loneliness, travel, and trains. Lots of trains.

QUESTIONS 1. What are common lyrical themes in the blues? 2. What is one place where the blues originated in? 3. Name one blues artist. 4. What did blues incorporate elements of? 5. Is country blues an earlier or a later style of blues?