Where would we be without the blues? The Kraft Corporation would have had to find a new slogan for starters. But would the entertainment industry be what it is today without the musical movement that helped shape America?
Some might argue that the musical movement I speak of happened in the 60's headlined by the J-byrds, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison, just to name a few. I don't believe the hippy movement would have been nearly as strong if the blues had never come to be. It's weird to think about what kind of music we would be listening to if Charley Patton and others never made it.
Furthermore, would the blues have ever been born if there was no slavery in the United States? Or would it have simply popped up on some other shore sung by a European version of Ida Cox or Fats Domino? The blues is all about embracing the bad things in life and searching for the tiniest of silver linings. Since bad things happen all the time, would the blues have prevailed if white men didn't feel the need to dominate over all people and cultures they didn't understand?
"I don't believe the hippy movement would have been nearly as strong if the blues had never come to be."
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. And without the Beats, the hippies might not have existed in the way they did. And without the blues (I'd argue), no Beats.