Back in enslavement time, African slaves brought their music to the North America. They were singing and dancing to voice their suffering and to worship God by field hollers and ring shouts. African slaves used blues music for their religion and pray god within songs and their instruments. Over time, blues music and gospel emerged within oral tradition of African American culture in black community churches and they started to use blues music in the worship of God and the base music of the religious expression. “In the early to middle 1930s, the first notes of gospel blues—a blend of sacred texts and blues tunes—were heard in Protestant black churches in the mid-west and northeast cities of the United States.” (Harris 1994, xvii) One group
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Slaves used their traditional drum beats and rhythmic dances of Africa to voice their suffering and lift their spirit. The root of blues music comes from the basic African American music include field hollers, ring shouts, and spirituals. The owners of slaves soon realized the predilection of slaves to sing while working increased the productivity of working, therefore soon the owners forbade any kind of talk and communications between slaves other than singing while working. Consequently, the simplest request or statement made by slaves while working required to be in chanted manner or singsong. These singsongs became known as field hollers. Ring shout was the practice of holy dancing, the use of body percussion and hand-crafted instruments. With the evolution of blues music, musicians sang and played using the “blue” notes of the musical scales. “Many of the songs they played were about heartbreak, loneliness, sadness, and the trials and troubles of daily life.” (North Carolina African American History & Culture 2007). The blues first got famous in Delta region of the Mississippi River where many slaves worked on building walls to prevent flooding. Some of the most famous blues musicians from this region are Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Robert Johnson, and Mamie Smith. Mamie Smith was the first female person ever to record the blues. Her records which are consists of nearly hundred songs helped to promote the demand of black women blues singers. Smith’s first record is called “crazy blues” and within the first month, her record had sold over 75,000
Slaves used their traditional drum beats and rhythmic dances of Africa to voice their suffering and lift their spirit. The root of blues music comes from the basic African American music include field hollers, ring shouts, and spirituals. The owners of slaves soon realized the predilection of slaves to sing while working increased the productivity of working, therefore soon the owners forbade any kind of talk and communications between slaves other than singing while working. Consequently, the simplest request or statement made by slaves while working required to be in chanted manner or singsong. These singsongs became known as field hollers. Ring shout was the practice of holy dancing, the use of body percussion and hand-crafted instruments. With the evolution of blues music, musicians sang and played using the “blue” notes of the musical scales. “Many of the songs they played were about heartbreak, loneliness, sadness, and the trials and troubles of daily life.” (North Carolina African American History & Culture 2007). The blues first got famous in Delta region of the Mississippi River where many slaves worked on building walls to prevent flooding. Some of the most famous blues musicians from this region are Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Robert Johnson, and Mamie Smith. Mamie Smith was the first female person ever to record the blues. Her records which are consists of nearly hundred songs helped to promote the demand of black women blues singers. Smith’s first record is called “crazy blues” and within the first month, her record had sold over 75,000