Today we will look at the blues and its position in the South during a time of transformation. Be sure to post your discussion question below. If you want to discuss music, feel free to post a link to an audio file.
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Cobb's article "The Blues is a Lowdown Shakin' Chill" devotes about two paragraphs to female blues musicians. Similarly, the documentary "Feel Like Going Home" doesn't mention female blues musicians at all. How do you think the small number of female blues musicians were accepted? Do you think mainstream, church-going society would have frowned more on female blues musicians than on male blues musicians? Why do you think even today, blues music is not associated with female performers?
ReplyDeleteIn his article concerning the blues, James Cobb mentions the influence of religion on the blues musician. How were religion and the blues seen as conflicting and incompatible forces? What did the blues offer that religion lacked? Lastly, how did some blues artists consolidate these two aspects into a dualistic form of expression?
ReplyDeleteCharles Gillett comments in the article that the recording industry leaders “killed off the music but kept the name.” Would you agree that the evolution or de-evolution of Blues into its sub counterparts such as R&B (Rhythm and Blues)and Rock & Roll, have kept the authentic message of Blues or simply the name, mannerisms, and style?
ReplyDeleteIn the article "The Blues Is a Lowdown Shakin' Chill" Cobb mentions how the bluesman was more like a preacher. Even though they both expressed feelings and emotions about certain subjects, do you feel the bluesman could be considered a preacher? What actually did the bluesman preach about? Did it have influence on religion or vice versa?
ReplyDeleteIn "The Blues is a Lowdown Shakin' Chill," Cobb notes a juxtaposition between the church and the blues music culture. Why was this? What characteristics did each of these cultures have that the other did not? Did these cultures appeal to different groups? Were there any similarities?
ReplyDeleteIn Cobb's article, W.C. Handy described the blues as "the weirdest music I ever heard" and Handy doubted the music's potential saying "anybody besides Small town rounders and their running mates would go for it." What were some of the main reasons leading to the spread of the blues throughout the rural South and how were doubters quickly proven wrong?
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