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| Chicago blues | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | Delta blues, instrumentation |
| Cultural origins | Early twentieth century: Chicago, Illinois, US |
| Typical instruments | Electric guitar, Harmonica, drums, Piano, Bass guitar, Saxophone |
| Fusion genres | |
| Rock and roll, Rock music, Rhythm & Blues | |
The Chicago blues is a form of blues music that developed in Chicago, Illinois by taking the basic acoustic guitar and harmonica-based Delta blues and adding electrically amplified guitar, amplified bass guitar, drums, piano, and sometimes saxophone, and making the harmonica louder with a microphone and an instrument amplifier. In fact, some even used the trumpet. The music developed in the first half of the twentieth century due to the Great Migration (African American) when poor Black workers moved from the South into the industrial cities of the North such as Chicago.
Chicago Blues has a more extended palette of notes than the standard six-note blues scale; often, notes from the major scale and dominant 9th chords are added, which gives the music a more of a "jazz feel" while remaining in the confines of the blues genre. Chicago blues is also known for its heavy rolling bass. Like Delta Blues, Chicago Blues often uses a harmonica and occasionally saxophones.
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Notable musicians
Well-known Chicago blues players include singer/songwriters such as Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and Willie Dixon; guitar players such as Freddie King, Magic Sam, Syl Johnson, Buddy Guy, McKinley Mitchell, Bo Diddley, Mike Bloomfield and Elmore James; and harmonica players such as Big Walter Horton, Little Walter, Charlie Musselwhite, Paul Butterfield and Junior Wells. Also Jimmy Reed.
Notable record labels
Chess Records
Chess Records, run by brothers Leonard and Phil Chess, was probably the most famous of the Chicago record labels to feature or promote blues. Musician and critic Cub Koda even described Chess Records as "America's greatest blues label."[1] It was active from 1950–1969 when the brothers sold the company. Most solo artists also did double duty as session musicians on the records of others.
Checker Records was a subsidiary of Chess that recorded Chicago blues greats such as Bo Diddley, J.B. Lenoir and Sonny Boy Williamson II.
Delmark
Delmark was formed when Bob Koester moved his Delmar label from St. Louis to Chicago in 1958 and remains active today. They are still known for Jazz and Blues. Artist recorded by the label includes Roscoe Mitchell, Junior Wells and Sonny Boy Williamson II.
Alligator Records
Bruce Iglauer, a former employee of Delmark, formed Alligator Records in 1971. Alligator Records remains a premier blues label to this day. They have recorded Chicago blues greats such as Koko Taylor, Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, Hound Dog Taylor and Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater.
Twinight Records
Twinight Records was a minor American recording label, founded in Chicago 1967 by Howard Bedno and Peter Wright, who later added E. Rodney Jones as a partner. Specializing in R&B and soul music, for a few months the label was called Twilight Records until it was discovered that another company already owned the Twilight name. Over five years, the label released (or at least recorded) 55 singles and charted seven times. The label’s star was Syl Johnson, an established R&B performer who had had a number of hits for King Records and who would have his biggest hits for Hi Records in the 1970s. Johnson’s hits at Twinight included "Come on Sock it to Me" (1967), "Sorry ‘Bout Dat", "Different Strokes", "Is It Because I'm Black" (1969), and "Concrete Reservation". Testament records
See also
References
- France Jean Baptiste
- Chicago blues example and lesson
- Windy City Blues Internet Radio Station Featuring The Best In Chicago Blues Plus Other Blues Greats
- Blues Festival
External links
- http://www.cod.edu/wdcb/wdcb_online.htm - Free with no commercials streaming blues from College of DuPage, Illinois on Saturdays from 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 pm Central Time
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