An Oral Tradition Blues MUS 126 / ETHN 178

An Oral Tradition
Blues
MUS 126 / ETHN 178
Professor David Borgo, Ph.D.
Studying the Blues
Why should we study the blues?
The blues as…
• the root of American music
• a barometer of U.S. (and
global) social and political
history
• a spotlight on issues of race
and racism (both personal
and structural/systemic)
• a springboard for
understanding issues of
diversity, equity, and inclusion
• …and the complexities of
being human
– freedom < > responsibility
– individualism < > interconnectedness
– assertion < > openness
– creativity < > tradition
How should we study the blues?
Appreciation
The Blues ABCs
Culture,
Community,
Critical Debates
What are the pros and cons of each?
Biography
Challenges in Studying Early Blues
Limited Documentation
• Oral history
– scholars didn’t start taking blues and
African American culture seriously until
well into the first half of the 20th century
– the utility of published sheet music is
limited
• Audio recordings, BUT….
– music likely appeared in the 1880s/90s
and recordings appear in the 1920s
– earliest recordings were of urban/
commercial blues varieties and only
later did record labels search out rural
artists
Challenges in Studying Early Blues
Bias
• Recording “talent scouts” and scholars
were predominantly white with biased
views of who/what they wanted to
record and why
• Later revivalists/scholars (1940s & 60s)
often sought “authentic” blues and
blues artists, shaping the
documentation and discourse.
[the legacy of African Americans has often been
shaped by others, and blues ‘mythology’ often bears
little resemblance to reality]
• Early blues artists were exposed and
played many different kinds of music.
– genre categories were more about the
presumed demographics of listeners than
the sounds of the music