Chicago Blues by Hunter Tauferner

The Electric Guitar

hunter_tauferner — 2017-09-15 14:59:49 UTC

Les Paul invented the sold body guitar in 1941 igniting a whole new subgenre to the blues scene. Blues was traditionally played with usually one man and an acoustic guitar, but this invention changed that. The electric guitar allowed the player to create many new sounds and also alter those sounds in many different ways.Blues players in Chicago started picking up the electric guitar and a new sound started to develop around the Chicago area.

Early Electric Guitar

hunter_tauferner — 2017-09-15 15:10:24 UTC

Background

hunter_tauferner — 2017-09-15 15:16:06 UTC

Chicago Blues is a form of Urban Blues started in Chicago. It involves the electric guitar and also the harmonica. The record label Chess Records was founded by two brothers, Phil and Leonard Chess, and was the main promoter of Chicago Blues. They signed artists like Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, and Bo Diddley. The Chess brothers gave African-American artists a chance to record music when other record labels wouldn't because of their prejudices. People considered Chess Records as the main outlet for Chicago Blues music and the musician and critic Cub Koda described Chess as "America's greatest blues label."

Artists

hunter_tauferner — 2017-09-18 14:56:03 UTC

Artists like Bo Diddley started using the electric guitar in ways that haven't been heard before. Bo Diddley was famous for using rhythm in his songs. His songs draws sound and tempo from another sub-genre of blues, boogie-woogie. The riffs were usually pretty simple, but catchy.

Artists Continued

hunter_tauferner — 2017-09-18 15:09:26 UTC

Muddy Waters is another very influential artists, and is also considered the "father of modern Chicago blues. By ages 17 Muddy Waters was playing guitar with a harmonica generating his own unique sound. In 1943, he moved to Chicago to become a full time musician. Then in 1946, he recorded his first records for Columbia Records and then for Aristocrat Records(Later Chess Records), a new label run by brothers Leonard and Phil Chess. With his band he recorded many songs and became one of the most influential Chicago blues players.

The Sound

hunter_tauferner — 2017-09-18 15:25:00 UTC

The music started in Chicago and this city was the hub for this type of blues. Chicago blues was unique to one thing compared to the other blues genres, it had the electric guitar. The electric guitar as well as the harmonica gave it a new sound. Most Chicago blues bands had a guitarists, pianist, bassist, drums, and the harmonica to create their sounds. Chicago blues was heavily influenced by Mississippi bluesmen who traveled to Chicago in the early 1940s. This new style of music later reached Europe and started the British Blues movement.

Influence in Later Music

hunter_tauferner — 2017-09-18 22:18:19 UTC

Chicago blues had a huge influence in late music to come. Most notably is rock n' roll. Chuck Berry , known as "The Father of Rock n' Roll", signed with Chess Records and influenced many artists like The Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix. If it wasn't for Chicago's electric blues, rock wouldn't be the rock we know today.

Who are the Rolling Stones?

hunter_tauferner — 2017-12-01 05:12:14 UTC

The Rolling Stones are a rock band who changed music in the 1960's in both Britain and America. Through their iconic music style, the Stones influenced American music, culture, and ideas.

Ideas of the Rolling Stones

hunter_tauferner — 2017-12-01 05:13:35 UTC

Through their music, the Stones discussed their ideas that other bands would not consider writing about. They sang these songs to test society and share their opinion on the current issues. They wrote songs discussing society, offhand brutality, sex, and other taboos. Because the Stones were not afraid to write songs about such controversial topics, they were viewed as bad boys.