Episode 1 Blues Women – Singing About Men
Women were recording blues songs years before the first males, mainly in the style that became known as “Classic blues.” Over the years this classic blues style has faded, and, as blues music generally has developed, so women have taken a bolder, broader approach to blues. Even so their music has been overshadowed by the many more male blues players. This is our homage to some of those ladies who have been singing the blues – about men, since the 1920s and now into the 21st. Century.
From earliest times partnerships have been a tradition in blues music. Maybe it was a sighted person leading a blind musician from street corner to street corner to play for pennies, or a duo of talented players each adding to a greater whole. Thanks to the popularity of “crossover” music we can throw in a few surprises as well. Checkout what we’ve dug up.
The blues have been played on almost every instrument you can name; by full orchestras; and on items never designed for music like washboards and jugs. We’ve covered the range to get as many as we could fit into an hour of music, though we are still looking for a good stovepipe blues.
We plan to throw in a “covers” episode every now and then. Playing cover songs is probably the easiest way to illustrate how widespread the blues influence has been on popular music and, as usual, we hope to surprise and impress you.