Where Did Blues Music Originate?

Pinning down the exact origin of blues music is a bit difficult. There is no one specific person, or one specific year that can be attributed to the genre. Blues is most definitely a type of music that evolved over a long span of time, and came from a very deep place in the soul.

It is most commonly thought that blues music was first started by slaves. This thought is further confirmed by a very early reference from 1901, which closely resembled the blues. This discovery was found by an archaeologist in Mississippi who found evidence of black workers’ songs which had lyrical themes and technical elements quite similar to the blues as we know it today. These types of early African American work songs became a very important antecedent to the modern blues movement.

Typical blues elements such as the call and response format can easily be traced back to African roots. The wavy, nasal intonation known as “melisma” is another element that can be connected to the native people of West and Central Africa.

Spirituals were another major influence for early blues music. Spirituals were quite commonly sung in the early 19th century and were a very passionate form of expression that conveyed different messages of hope, misery, and even the loss of one’s roots. These songs, while quite soulful, lacked specific concerns of the singer, and were more broadly based upon mass struggle and the loneliness of mankind as a whole.

As time progressed, and social and economic situations remained quite varied, the blues began to continue its transformation. Sometime between 1870 and 1900 the blues really took shape, and this transformation is often credited with the slaves becoming emancipated. The process was met with contention and the transition from slavery to small scale farming in the Southern United States was extremely difficult. While gospel and spiritual music was still quite prevalent during the time, this new form of music began to sing their plight in a more secular way.

There is one more reason that it is quite difficult to track the exact origins of blues music. Early blues musicians often lived a nomadic lifestyle and traveled through different areas, leaving no exact record of what type of music they played or where they learned the style. Because of this fact, blues was often regarded as low class music, not worthy of being documented, enjoyed, or even studied by middle or upper class citizens.

Of course today, people of all races and socio-economic statuses enjoy the blues. With its ever changing musician styles and deep seated lyrics, just about everyone can relate to this soulful music on some level.