U.S. & CANADA BLUES

“The Blues” didn't come from just one source, but the genre definitely owes much to Africa. Not only did early blues instruments like the diddley bow originate in West Africa, but the terrible heartache of African slavery clearly provided blues musicians with a reason to wail. That said, blues music is not always serious or sad. Blues lyrics are often bawdy, silly or sarcastic. And, just like the call and response “spirituals” which African-American slaves sang while working, or the divinely emotional gospel of African-American churches, the best blues show that songs about struggle don't have to be a downer.    

American Blues first emerged around the turn of the 20th century in America's South, especially the Mississippi River Delta. Though both African-American and white musicians played this music, the main distinguishing characteristic was what record companies called it: if the performer was white, it was "hillbilly music," if black, it was a "race record."