Blues ballad
Encyclopedia
The term blues ballad is used to refer to a specific form of popular music which fused Anglo-American and Afro-American styles from the late 19th century onwards. From the 20th century it was also used to refer to a slow tempo, often sentimental, song in a blues style.
" with the forms of African American
music. They tended to deal with active protagonists, often anti-heroes, resisting adversity and authority, often in the context of increasing industrialisation, but they usually lacked the strong narrative common in European ballads (perhaps because the events were familiar) and emphasised instead the character of the protagonists. They were often accompanied by banjo and guitar and often followed a standard 12-bar the blues format, with a repeated refrain in the last line of every verse. Blues ballads are usually anonymously authored and were performed by both black and white musicians in the early 19th century. Ballads about anti-heroes include "Wild Bill Jones", "Stagger Lee
" and "John Hardy
". The most famous blues ballads that deal with heroes in the context of industrialisation include those about John Henry
and Casey Jones
.
’ music industry. As new genres of music, including the blues, began to emerge in the early 20th century the popularity of the genre faded, but the association with sentimentality meant led to this being used as the term for a slow love song from the 1950s onwards. Today the term blues ballad is used to describe a song that uses a blues format with a slow tempo, often dealing with themes of love and affection. Examples include songs like B. B. King
's "Blues on the Bayou
" and Fats Domino
's "Every night about this time".
Popular blues ballads
Developing in south-western United States in the late 19th century, the blues ballad combined elements of the European influenced "native American balladBallad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
" with the forms of African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
music. They tended to deal with active protagonists, often anti-heroes, resisting adversity and authority, often in the context of increasing industrialisation, but they usually lacked the strong narrative common in European ballads (perhaps because the events were familiar) and emphasised instead the character of the protagonists. They were often accompanied by banjo and guitar and often followed a standard 12-bar the blues format, with a repeated refrain in the last line of every verse. Blues ballads are usually anonymously authored and were performed by both black and white musicians in the early 19th century. Ballads about anti-heroes include "Wild Bill Jones", "Stagger Lee
Stagger Lee (song)
"Stagger Lee", also known as "Stagolee", "Stackerlee", "Stack O'Lee", "Stack-a-Lee" and several other variants, is a popular folk song based on the murder of William "Billy" Lyons by Stagger Lee Shelton...
" and "John Hardy
John Hardy (song)
"John Hardy" is a traditional American folk song based on the life of a railroad worker in West Virginia. The historical John Hardy killed a man during a craps game, was found guilty of murder in the first degree, and was hanged on January 19, 1894....
". The most famous blues ballads that deal with heroes in the context of industrialisation include those about John Henry
John Henry (folklore)
John Henry is an American folk hero and tall tale. Henry worked as a "steel-driver"—a man tasked with hammering and chiseling rock in the construction of tunnels for railroad tracks. In the legend, John Henry's prowess as a steel-driver was measured in a race against a steam powered hammer,...
and Casey Jones
Casey Jones
John Luther Jones was an American railroad engineer from Jackson, Tennessee, who worked for the Illinois Central Railroad...
.
Sentimental blues ballads
From the late 19th century the term ballad began to be used for sentimental songs with their origins in the early ‘Tin Pan AlleyTin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley is the name given to the collection of New York City music publishers and songwriters who dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century...
’ music industry. As new genres of music, including the blues, began to emerge in the early 20th century the popularity of the genre faded, but the association with sentimentality meant led to this being used as the term for a slow love song from the 1950s onwards. Today the term blues ballad is used to describe a song that uses a blues format with a slow tempo, often dealing with themes of love and affection. Examples include songs like B. B. King
B. B. King
Riley B. King , known by the stage name B.B. King, is an American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter.Rolling Stone magazine ranked him at No.3 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. According to Edward M...
's "Blues on the Bayou
Blues on the Bayou
Blues on the Bayou is a 1998 studio recording by B. B. King.In the CD liner notes, B.B. King writes: "Of the many records Lucille and I have had the pleasure of recording over the years, this one is especially close to my heart. It's also one of the most relaxed and, for me, satisfying [...] No one...
" and Fats Domino
Fats Domino
Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino, Jr. is an American R&B and rock and roll pianist and singer-songwriter. He was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Creole was his first language....
's "Every night about this time".