New Orleans blues
This article possibly contains original research. (November 2022) |
New Orleans blues | |
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Dixieland | |
Cultural origins | 1940s–1950s, New Orleans, U.S. |
Typical instruments |
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New Orleans blues is a subgenre of blues that developed in and around the city of New Orleans, influenced by jazz and Caribbean music. It is dominated by piano and saxophone, but also produced guitar bluesmen.
Characteristics
As a style, New Orleans blues is primarily driven by piano and
History
New Orleans is generally credited as the birthplace of
Although New Orleans has drawn to it and produced fewer blues musicians than other major US urban centers with large African-American populations, it has been the center of a distinctive form of blues music, which has been pursued by some notable musicians and produced important recordings,[2] such as Professor Longhair and Guitar Slim, who both had regional, R&B and even mainstream chart hits.[citation needed]
In the period after World War II, a very large number of recordings were produced in the city that were informed by the blues, but had strong R&B and pop influences that anticipated rock and roll and are difficult to classify.[2] Among these artists, the most highly regarded and most influenced by the blues was piano-player Professor Longhair, whose signature song "Mardi Gras in New Orleans" (1949) and other recordings such as "Tipitina" (1959) were major R&B hits, and who remained a central figure in New Orleans music through to his death in 1980.[3]
Other significant figures playing keyboard-based blues include James Booker, whose organ instrumental "Gonzo" reached the top 50 in the Billboard chart in 1960 and was followed by a series of minor single hits.[4]
The most significant blues guitarist to emerge from the city in the post-World War II period was
Other important blues guitarists from the city include Snooks Eaglin, who recorded both acoustic folk and electric-based R&B,[2] and Earl King, who composed blues standards including "Come On" (covered by Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan) and Professor Longhair's "Big Chief".[7] Also among the major figures of the genre was Dr. John, who began as a guitarist and enjoyed regional success with the Bo Diddley–influenced "Storm Warning" in 1959, and had a highly successful career from the 1960s after moving to Los Angeles, mixing R&B with psychedelic rock and using New Orleans-themed aesthetics.[8]
The careers of many New Orleans bluesmen declined in the 1960s, as rock and roll and soul began to dominate popular music, but revived in the 1970s, when there was renewed interest in their recordings.[2]
See also
Notes
- ^ Koda, Cub. "New Orleans blues". AllMusic. Archived from the original on June 23, 2011. Retrieved June 4, 2011.
- ^ ISBN 0-87930-736-6, pp. 687–8.
- ISBN 1-84451-998-8, p. 417.
- ISBN 0-87930-736-6, p. 62.
- ^ "500 Songs That Shaped Rock". Infoplease.com. February 11, 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2006.
- ISBN 978-1589806771.
- ISBN 1-74059-193-3, p. 28.
- ISBN 0-87930-736-6, p. 157.