Blues is one of the most influential genres of music that there’s ever been, and JOE is here with a guide to some of its most iconic figures.
By Adrian Collins
In honour of all the cans of new blueberry flavour Red Bull editions lying around the office, JOE thought we’d take a look at all things blue, starting with the most obvious thing we could think of: Blues music.
If you like rock, pop, dance, folk, singer songwriters….pretty much any type of music, then you can probably trace the roots of it back the Blues.
The Blues is most commonly identified with the southern United Staes, but it draws its influences from a mixture of musical styles. The folk songs brought from the African continent and the flamenco guitars of the conquistadores who first landed in America hundreds of years ago came together to give us the very earliest forms of the genre.
Over time, the music changed from songs and chants sung working in the fields to more complex ideas and themes, but they still all shared one common characteristic: they dealt with being pretty darn miserable.
If you were down on your luck or feeling pretty glum, then the blues was for you. Hence the phrase “I got the blues” although the saying actually came about before the music. That’s enough of a history lesson though, let’s get looking at some serious tunes.
Chess Records is one of the most legendary labels for Blues music, and their collections have been hugely influential on a number of musicians across all genres.
Led Zeppelin in particular were hugely influenced by blues musicians, notably Howlin’ Wolf. They have a very similar version of his classic ‘How Many More Years’ on their first album, called ‘How Many More Times’. Check out Wolf’s iconic number here:
You can’t talk about the blues without mentioning Robert Johnson, one of the greatest guitarists to ever have played the instrument. Thankfully, there are a few recordings of his work, and one of them is the brilliant ‘Crossroads’.
John Lee Hooker is a truly legendary blues musician, and his song ‘Boogie Chillen’ is one of the most recognisable blues tracks ever recorded.
A slightly more uptempo number from Muddy Waters is next on our list, one of the most famous blues musicians ever, with the fantastic ‘Got My Mojo Workin’
Pretty much everyone knows the name B.B. King, and this ode to his guitar, ‘Lucille’, tells the story of his journey and his life since he first picked up the instrument.
We’re fairly confident that, having listened to that list, you’ll be feeling good and tapping your foot in no time, but if you need a bit of an extra kick, why not try the other new Red Bull Editions, which come in Cranberry and Lime as well as Blueberry – Wings for Every Taste!
Check out RedBull.ie/RedBullEditions
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