MODERN BLUES

1
MODERN BLUES

• 1941-PRESENT

2
ALAN LOMAX

• A white music historian named Alan Lomax
  travelled the South making recordings of folk and
  blues artists for the Library of Congress
  archives.

Lomax recorded many of the early blues greats,
including Son House and Leadbelly.
3
A TWIST OF FATE

• In 1941, Lomax went back to Mississippi to find
  and record a young guitar superstar
• named Robert Johnson
• Unfortunately, he was too late. Johnson was
  killed three years earlier.
• However, he did come across a field worker at
  Stovall Farm by the name of McKinley Morganfield
• also known as MUDDY WATERS

4
MUDDY WATERS

• Muddy Waters (McKinley Morganfield) was born on
  April 4, 1915 in Rolling Fork, Mississippi.
• He was heavily influenced by the music of Son
  House and Robert Johnson.

5
ROLLING STONE

• Upon hearing his voice recorded for the first
  time, Waters decided then and there that he
  needed to be a professional musician.
• In 1943, Waters packed up a suitcase with one
  change of clothes and took his Sears mail order
  guitar (11) and moved to Chicago.

6
CHECKMATE

• In Chicago, Waters crossed paths with Leonard
  Chess, who was the first to record and release a
  Muddy Waters record.

7
INVENTING ELECTRICITY

• The single, I Cant Be Satisfied, became an
  instant smash hit because it sounded like nothing
  else on the market
• Muddy Waters used a pickup in his guitar and
  created electric blues

8
THE REVOLUTION BEGINS

• Over the next ten years, Waters and his band
  defined the sound of modern electric blues.
• In fact, his long time harmonica side-man,
  Little Walter Jacobs, took the formula to a new
  high when he played his harp through an
  amplifier, giving birth to electric harmonica.

Little Walter Jacobs
9
MUDDYS BAND

• Waters began assembling the best musicians that
  money and success could buy.
• However, his most important recruit was a
  brilliant songwriter and bassist by the name of
  Willie Dixon

10
WILLIE DIXON

• Many of Muddy Waters hits were penned by Willie
  Dixon.
• In fact, many of the now classic blues songs
  recorded by anyone in 1940s were written by
  Willie Dixon.

11
GIVING PROPS

• In the 1970s, rock music icons Led Zeppelin
  stole many of Dixons lyrics for their songs.
• In fact, one of their biggest hits, Whole Lotta
  Love, borrowed heavily from Dixon.
• Led Zeppelin gave no credit and paid no royalties
  to Dixon
• that is, until he sued them and won (at least) a
  million dollars in 1985.

12
ELECTRIC MUD

• With the help of Leonard Chess and Chess Records,
  Muddy Waters and his band ushered in a new sound
  and a new wave of blues artists.
• While recording for Chess, Waters and Co. created
  some of the most successful and most covered,
  imitated and stolen music of all time.

Leonard Chess
13
THE WOLF

• While Waters was in his prime, a new force to be
  reckoned with appeared on the Chicago blues
  scene- Chester Burnette, also known as
• HOWLIN WOLF

14
THE WOLF

• Chester A. Burnett aka. Howlin Wolf was born on
  June 10, 1910 in West Point, Mississippi.
• His father bought him his first guitar when he
  was 18 and convinced blues legend Charlie Patton
  to give him lessons.

15
HEADIN NORTH

• Wolf made his way to Arkansas in 1948.
• In 1951, he caught the attention of Memphis
  record producer Sam Phillips, who recorded him.
• Phillips then leased the recordings to Chess
  Records, who released them to huge success.

16
WOLF AND SAM

• To this day, Phillips considers Howlin Wolf his
  greatest discovery in the music business.
• This says quite a lot, considering he also
  discovered these guys

JERRY LEE LEWIS
JOHNNY CASH
ELVIS PRESLEY
17
RIVALS

• Throughout their careers, Waters and Wolf
  remained rivals.
• The rivalry reached its peak when Waters tried
  to steal Wolfs guitarist, Hubert Sumlin.
• Sumlin returned to Wolfs band, however, and Wolf
  threatened to kill Waters if he ever tried to
  steal him again.
• He never did.

18
BLUES BOY

• In Itta Bena, Mississippi in September 1925,
  Riley B. King was born, also known as B.B. King.
• In 1947, he hitchhiked to Memphis, TN.

19
BIG BREAK

• B.B.s big break came in 1948 when he performed
  on Sonny Boy Williamsons radio program in West
  Memphis.
• He soon got his own radio show, which became
  hugely popular.

20
HITTING BIG

• In the mid 1950s, he scored a hit with Three
  OClock Blues.
• In 1956, B.B. and his band played an astonishing
  342 one-night shows.
• In the 1970s, he recorded his biggest hit, a
  crossover tune called The Thrill is Gone.

21
KING OF THE BLUES

• He has had many hits over the years and continues
  to record and tour.
• Even though he is in his 80s, he still performs
  over 250 concerts a year.
• Most blues fans agree that he is the reigning
  King of the Blues.

22
THE BLUES HAD A BABY

• While B.B., Muddy and the Wolf all enjoyed great
  success, a new kid found his way to Chess
  Records.
• Chuck Berry, who fused blues songs with a more
  up-tempo country feel (later named Rock and
  Roll), became the next big sensation for Chess.

23
THE PARTYS OVER

• Unfortunately, the rise of Rock and Roll music
  meant the decline of blues, and the careers of
  Waters and Wolf.
• With Chuch Berry, a new crop of blues-influenced
  artists filled the airwaves.
• Elvis Presley, Bo Diddley, Little Richard, Jerry
  Lee Lewis, etc. took this new music to
  mainstream America.
• Basically, blues music (in its new form) had
  found its way into the homes of white America.

24
OPEN DOORS

• Because of the success of artists like Chuck
  Berry, black performers were finally given access
  to venues and opportunities traditionally kept
  from them.
• Sadly, the originators of the electric blues fell
  into obscurity and found themselves again playing
  in small dives trying to just make ends meet.
• for now.