The Urban Blues is a form of blues music that developed in the big cities in the U.S.. The one city that dominated this development is Chicago. That is why, often the Chicago Blues is meant when talking about Urban Blues.
There is probably no other blues style with such a high quality of recognition considering form, feeling and sound like the Chicago Blues. It is based on the rough and direct Delta Blues which came in contact with urban life. Besides, Urban Blues is the first blues style that reached a mass audience. Not just in the bigger cities of the U.S. but also worldwide.
One of the most popular musicians of those days is a man called Muddy Waters. He helped to transform a style and technique which guided bluesmusic into a new dimension. He adopted the rural delta blues sound and combined with the feeling of the new living conditions of the Afro Americans. But the urban blues became more popular, left the black quarters and ghettos and was absorbed by the mainstream very soon. Urban blues, released from the subcultural status, a white mass audience and economy started to control the buisness. In the mid fifties the blues hybrid Rock`n Roll took over public attention and Blues and Rock `n Roll were delivered from the Afro American identity. At the end of this development there was a huge lack of authenticity for ‘black’ audience although it once was the Afro-American culture through which they expressed themselves. Consequently most parts of the afro american audience disappeared and started searching for a new musical home.
I will try to work out the development from the Urban Blues as an Afro-American identification and its rise until the downfall and alienation for the ‘black’ audience. I will proof this development by the example of the live and career of Muddy Waters and his record company Chess. His roots in the Mississippi Delta Blues, his reputation as one of the heads in Urban Chicago Blues and how he lost his native base and audience. Why did the Afro-Americans turn away from the blues? Why did they leave their cultural roots and where did they arrive, where did the Afro-American culture find their new home?
First of all I will concentrate on the demographic, social and cultural changes the Afro American population caused to move in the big cities and how their life and living conditions changed. There were three social changes taking place in the first half of the twentieth century that led to urban blues.
Table of Contents
1.Introduction
2. Which were the conditions that made this development take place in Chicago?
2.1 Migration
2.2 A new cultural context
2.3 The advanced technology
3. Chess
4. McKinley Morganfield aka Muddy Waters
4.1 The electric guitar
4.2 Lyrics
4.3 Godfathers and sons
5. “It`s like beeing black twice”
6. Conclusion
7. Bibliography
Objectives and Themes
This work examines the evolution of Urban Blues in Chicago between 1945 and 1960, analyzing how the genre served as an expression of Afro-American identity before its eventual commercialization and decline within the black community. The central research question explores why Afro-Americans turned away from the blues as it shifted from a subcultural expression to a mainstream commodity.
- The demographic and social impact of the Great Migration on Chicago's musical landscape.
- The influence of electricity and recording technology on the evolution of the Delta Blues sound.
- The role of Chess Records in shaping the career of Muddy Waters and the trajectory of Urban Blues.
- The cultural shift and tension between authentic Afro-American expression and the commercialized Rock 'n Roll era.
Excerpt from the Book
4. Mckinley Morganfield aka Muddy Waters
Muddy Waters is a nickname given him in childhood playing in a muddy creek. He was born McKinley Morganfield born into a Mississippi Delta sharecrofting family on the Stovall Plantation near Clarksdale (Mississippi). His mother died when he was three, so he was raised by his grandmother.
He learned how to sing out in the cottonfields, where he worked for fifty cents a day. When he was a young boy he first learned how to play harmonica. That became much more important in urban blues although the harp already was one of the main instruments in country blues. Because of the introduction of electricity the harmonica now could be amplified (and sounded like a saxophone, somehow).
With the age of seventeen Waters learned to play guitar. Impressed by the deep blues sounds of Delta Bluesman Son House. Walters built his style from what he saw and heard House played, but he also borrowed ideas from Robert Johnson. Waters left the Mississppi Delta for Chicago in 1943, where he was introduced by fellow blues-man, Big Bill Broonzy to the South Side Clubs and bars where he began to develop a strong local reputation. The first time Waters still played acoustic guitar backing John Lee ‘Sonny Boy’ Williamson, while also taking a job at a paper factory. His first recordings were for Colombia Records Okeh imprinted under the supervision of producer Lester Melrose in 1946. (Most of the songs were published much later in 1981, on the Album Okeh Chicago Blues).
Summary of Chapters
1.Introduction: Provides an overview of Urban Blues as a Chicago-dominated phenomenon and introduces the central theme of Afro-American cultural identity versus mainstream commercialization.
2. Which were the conditions that made this development take place in Chicago?: Analyzes the socioeconomic factors such as the Great Migration, the new urban cultural environment, and the technological advancements that enabled the birth of Urban Blues.
2.1 Migration: Discusses the population shift of Afro-Americans from the rural South to the industrialized North, specifically to Chicago, between 1900 and 1960.
2.2 A new cultural context: Explores how the hectic, urban environment of Chicago contrasted with rural plantation life and influenced the creation of local music scenes like Maxwell Street.
2.3 The advanced technology: Examines the role of electricity and amplification in the late 1930s, allowing blues musicians to perform in noisy urban clubs and gain professional recording opportunities.
3. Chess: Details the rise of the legendary independent record label and its pivotal role in commercializing Urban Blues through artists like Muddy Waters.
4. McKinley Morganfield aka Muddy Waters: Biographically charts the life and development of Muddy Waters from his Mississippi roots to his emergence as a defining figure of Chicago blues.
4.1 The electric guitar: Investigates the transformative impact of the electric guitar on the blues sound, bridging traditional Delta styles with modern industrial themes.
4.2 Lyrics: Explains how song lyrics evolved to reflect new urban living conditions while maintaining core themes of love, struggle, and desire.
4.3 Godfathers and sons: Discusses the influence of blues originators on later generations and the decline of the blues as Rock 'n Roll gained commercial prominence.
5. “It`s like beeing black twice”: Explores the alienation of the Afro-American audience during the rise of Rock 'n Roll and the transition toward Soul and Funk.
6. Conclusion: Summarizes the interconnectedness of Afro-American musical identity and the perpetual struggle for authenticity in the face of mainstream exploitation.
7. Bibliography: Lists the primary and secondary sources used for the research, including books, films, and documentary materials.
Keywords
Urban Blues, Chicago Blues, Muddy Waters, Chess Records, Afro-American Identity, Great Migration, Electric Guitar, Delta Blues, Rock 'n Roll, Cultural Authenticity, Music Commercialization, Maxwell Street, Race Records, Soul Music, Socio-economic Change.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this paper?
The paper examines the rise and eventual decline of the Chicago Urban Blues scene, focusing on its role as a cultural identifier for Afro-Americans between 1945 and 1960.
Which specific themes are central to the analysis?
Central themes include the Great Migration, the commercial impact of record labels like Chess, the evolution of musical technology, and the shift in public interest from blues to Rock 'n Roll.
What is the primary objective of this research?
The goal is to understand how Urban Blues developed from rural roots into a powerful urban expression and why it eventually lost its connection to the black audience as it was absorbed by the mainstream music industry.
What scientific approach does the author use?
The author uses a musicological and socio-historical method, analyzing the life and career of Muddy Waters as a case study to document broader demographic, technological, and cultural changes.
What topics are covered in the main section?
The main section covers migration patterns, the impact of new music technologies, the influence of independent record labels, and the evolution of lyrical themes during the post-war era.
Which keywords define this work?
Key terms include Urban Blues, Muddy Waters, Chess Records, Afro-American Identity, Great Migration, and the transition of musical genres toward Rock 'n Roll.
How does the author define the "downfall" of Urban Blues?
The downfall is described as a process of alienation, where the music was co-opted by white mainstream artists and audiences, leaving the original Afro-American creators feeling detached and searching for new musical expressions like Soul and Funk.
What role did the "Chess" label play in this history?
Chess Records acted as a flagship for the genre, being one of the first interracial companies to professionally record and promote black blues artists, though it eventually shifted focus to Rock 'n Roll as market trends changed.
What does the title "It's like being black twice" signify?
The phrase, used by B.B. King, represents the frustration and rejection felt by blues artists when their own community began to view their traditional music as outdated or representative of past hardships, rather than a modern form of self-expression.
- Quote paper
- Lars Nemeth (Author), 2005, The rise and downfall of Urban Blues, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/50400
