Evolution of Blues Festivals in Mississippi - Research Paper Example

Evolution of Blues Festivals Introduction Blues festivals have evolved over more than a hundred years from small gatherings of farm workers in juke joint cafes to juke joint festivals, where thousands of people gather to celebrate the musical tradition of Blues. The Juke Joint Festival held in 2011 was the 8th annual Festival of its kind and it is not the only festival that celebrates Blues music: Mississippi Delta Blues and Heritage festival is the second oldest continuously operating blues festival in America since 1978.1 These festivals are not meant as musical concerts only- rather they serve the purpose of raising funds for the poor African-American community living in the south.2 Souvenirs like coffee mugs, key chains, t shirts and posters from the Blues stores are sold out to blues fans to generate income for the poor community of the south.3 Some other famous Blues festivals are: Crossroads Blues and Heritage Festival, The Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, The Duck Hill Grassroots Blues Festivals, Dodgeville Blues Festivals, Sunflower River Festival, Hambone Festival etc. Each festival contributes something special to the rich history of Blues music and the people whose ancestors created this unique genre of music. 2. History of Blues Music: More than one hundred years ago, Blues music was discovered by W.C. Handy, the African American leader of a dance orchestra.4 The roots of Blues music are found deep in the South of America, where millions of African-American slaves led their lives of hardship and misery. Blues music began to represent their history as slaves and it sort of became their identity. Initially, their audience was their fellow slaves or plantation workers who listened to Blues Music in their leisure time and found deep association with the songs and their themes. In 1912, Handy helped raise the public profile of the blues when he became one of the first people to transcribe and publish sheet music for a blues song—"Memphis Blues." Eight years later, listeners snapped up more than a million copies of "Crazy Blues" by Mamie Smith, the first black female to record a blues vocal. This unexpected success alerted record labels to the potential profit of "race records," and singers such as Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith began to introduce the blues to an even wider audience through their recordings.5 Thus began the journey of Blues music out of the local pubs in the South to the rest of America. Blues music was also termed as ‘race records’ and it entered the official scene of the music industry. This was a great success for the African-American community as their art form was recognized and it helped them form a new identity. As the blues music became popular in the country, Blues went through a continuous process of evolution. The musical instruments were replaced by electric guitars etc. and different forms of Blues music emerged slowly. The African-American community was in the evolutionary process of redefining their identity and roles in society. “Rural music that captured the suffering, anguish-and hopes-of 300 years of slavery and tenant farming ...” 6 affected their creativity and Blues music became their mode of expression. 3. Evolution in Blues Music: The blues was typically played by roaming solo musicians on acoustic guitar, piano, or harmonica.7 The first musical instruments to produce the tunes of Blues were acoustic guitars, pianos and harmonica. Roaming solo musicians spread the blues tunes and themes across their communities and it must have had a great appeal for them because they responded so well to it by adapting it into their culture. “Muddy Waters, who had lived and worked on a Mississippi plantation before riding the rails to Chicago in 1943, swapped acoustic guitars for electric ones and filled out their sound with drums, harmonica, and standup bass. This gave rise to an electrified blues sound with a stirring beat that drove people onto the dance floor and pointed the way to rhythm and blues and rock and roll.”8 The replacement of instruments was an important step in the evolutionary phases of blues. The blues responded smartly to the changing trends of time and music and adapted itself to it. The reason why Blues has survived and it continues to inspire millions of people is because it emerged from the deeply rooted culture of struggle and survival of the black society. The term "12-bar" refers to the number of measures, or musical bars, used to express the theme of a typical blues song. Nearly all blues music is played to a 4/4 time signature, which means that there are four beats in every measure or bar and each quarter note is equal to one beat.9 In the process of evolution, Blues has retained its original form of measures and bars and this is why it is unique and pure in its form. 4. Tributes and Contributions of Blues Festivals Blues music is also called as “the soundtrack of America.” (Jones, The Blues Foundation) “Though created on southern plantations by enslaved Africans and their descendants through moans, groans, street cries, ring shouts, and field hollers induced by circumstances and conditions, each generation continually redefines this music and culture.” Blues festivals have become a source of inspiration for the people living in the south because it is doing a lot for the community. Blues festivals become a source of giving a boost in economy of the African-American communities living in the south. It attracts tourists from all over the world and it greatly helps the local people to benefit from them. Mississippi Action for Community Education is holding the 34th annual Mississippi Delta Blues and Heritage Festival to raise funds for its educational programmes aimed at improving the impoverished conditions of the people living in Mississippi- the place from where Blues music originated.10 Thus the Blues festivals have evolved over the time to become more than just musical events. Historically speaking, Blues music was a product of the sufferings and unimaginable circumstances of slaves that sought to express themselves through this particular medium. It was a communal creation of the people sharing the same fate. Thus it is inherently related to the miseries and woes of people living in the south of America. Various blues organizations are striving hard to keep the spirit of Blues alive. Blues stands for struggle and survival; and people across the south take inspiration from these inherent values of Blues. The reason why blues festivals are a big success is because there are people who believe in the spirit of Blues and the various purposes it is fulfilling for social causes. The main aim of Blues Foundation is to educate and to spread awareness among the African-American community to continue to take inspiration from the Blues Festivals.11 5. Variations within Blues Music Blues music has several variations according to the geographical locations and the influences of local music on blues in different places. For example, we have Chicago Blues; Country Blues; Delta Blues; East Coast Blues; West Coast Blues; Harmonica Blues; Modern Electric Blues; and Texas Blues. 6. Conclusion Blues festivals might be geographically restricted to the south of America, but they enjoy a universal acclamation. Blues artists have also become a source of inspiration for many young people across the world for creating such genre of art that speaks of bygone times and yet, keeps on evolving with the passage of time. References Jones, F. “The Blues: Mother and father of American music.” The Blues Foundation. Retrieved from http://blues.org/#ref=blues_essays accessed on 26 July 2011. Read More