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Blues During The 40s And 50s
As blues progressed, it moved from the Mississippi delta to the urban centres of Chicago, New York and other major cities. This was mainly due to the fact that people were looking for work and wanted to get away from farm labour.
Blues musicians readily adopted the electric guitar and also formed bands as opposed to the lone blues singer/guitarist. Major blues players of this era include Muddy Water, T-Bone Walker, Buddy Guy and B.B. King.
Muddy Waters (1915 – 1983) was the prime mover of the Chicago electric blues scene.
Buddy Guy (born July 30, 1936) is a five-time Grammy Award-winning American blues guitarist and singer. He has inspired many great guitarists including Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Buddy Guy is considered an important exponent of Chicago blues.
In the late 1950s, a new blues style emerged on Chicago's West Side pioneered by Magic Sam, Buddy Guy and Otis Rush. The 'West Side Sound' had strong rhythmic support from a rhythm guitar, bass guitar and drums and was dominated by amplified electric lead guitar.
B. B. King (born Riley B. King, September 16, 1925) is an American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter. He is considered one of the most respected and successful blues musicians. Rolling Stone magazine named him the third-greatest guitarist of “the 100 greatest guitarists of all time”.
Learn about modern blues guitar music.
