Blues is a very diverse genre and a matter of personal taste, below are a few definitions and related Blues links:
CLASSIC FEMALE BLUES
The earliest recorded form of the blues. This genre features female vocalists singing material with close connections to pop music of the period
(mid-'20s to early '30s) and primarily jazz backings. Main proponents: Mamie Smith, Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Lucille Bogan, and Victoria Spivey.
DELTA BLUES
Also known as Mississippi blues; this is the earliest guitar-dominated music to make it onto record. Consisting of performers working primarily in a
solo, self-accompanied context, it also embraces the now-familiar string-band/small-combo format, both precursors to the modern-day blues band. Main
proponents: Charlie Patton, Robert Johnson, and Son House.
COUNTRY BLUES
A term that delineates the depth and breadth of the first flowering of guitar-driven blues, embracing all regional styles and variations (Piedmont,
Atlanta, early Chicago, ragtime, folk, songster, etc.). Primarily acoustic guitarists, some country-blues performers later switched to electric
guitars without changing their style. Main proponents: Henry Thomas, Skip James, Barbecue Bob, Leadbelly, Mississippi John Hurt, Lonnie Johnson, Blind
Blake, and Tommy Johnson.
MEMPHIS BLUES
A strain of country-blues all its own, the Memphis style gives us the rise of two distinct forms, the jug band (humorous, jazz-style blues played on
homemade instruments) and the beginnings of assigning parts to guitarists for solo (lead) and rhythm, a tradition that is now part-and-parcel of all
modern-day blues bands. The later, post-WWII electric version of this genre featured explosive guitar work, thunderous drumming, and declamatory
vocals. Main proponents: Cannon's Jug Stompers, Furry Lewis, Memphis Minnie, and the early recordings of B.B. King and Howlin' Wolf.
TEXAS BLUES
A subgenre earmarked by a more relaxed, swinging feel than other styles of blues. The earlier, acoustic version embraced both songster and
country-blues traditions, while the post-war electric style featured jazzy, single-string soloing over predominantly horn-driven backing. Main
proponents: Blind Lemon Jefferson, Lightnin' Hopkins, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, and T-Bone Walker.
CHICAGO BLUES
Delta blues fully amplified and put into a small-band context. Later permutations of the style took their cue from the lead guitar work of B.B. King
and T-Bone Walker. Main proponents: Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, Big Walter Horton, Jimmy Rogers, Elmore James, Jimmy Reed, Otis Rush,
Magic Sam, and Buddy Guy.
JUMP BLUES
Uptempo, jazz-tinged blues, usually featuring a vocalist in front of a large, horn-driven orchestra with less reliance on guitar work than other
styles. Main proponents: Amos Milburn, Johnny Otis, Roy Brown, Wynonie Harris, and Big Joe Turner.
NEW ORLEANS BLUES
Primarily (but not exclusively) piano- and horn-driven, this genre strain is enlivened by Caribbean rhythms, party atmosphere, and the "second-line"
strut of the Dixieland music so indigenous to the area. Main proponents: Professor Longhair, Guitar Slim, and Snooks Eaglin.
WEST COAST BLUES
More piano-based and jazz-influenced than anything else, the West Coast style (California in particular) also embraces post-war Texas guitar
expatriates and jump-blues practitioners. Main proponents: Charles Brown, Pee Wee Crayton, Lowell Fulson, and Percy Mayfield.
PIANO BLUES
A genre that runs through the entire history of the music itself; this embraces everything from ragtime, barrelhouse, boogie-woogie, and smooth West
Coast jazz stylings to the hard-rocking rhythms of Chicago blues. Main proponents: Big Maceo Merriweather, Leroy Carr, Sunnyland Slim, Roosevelt
Sykes, Albert Ammons, and Otis Spann.
LOUISIANA BLUES
A looser, more laidback and percussive version of the Jimmy Reed side of the Chicago style. Production techniques on most of the recordings utilize
massive amounts of echo, giving the performances a "doomy" sound and feel. Main proponents: Slim Harpo, Lightnin' Slim, and Lazy Lester.
R&B / SOUL BLUES
A more modern form, this fuses elements of Black popular music (the rhythm and blues strain of the '50s and the Southern soul style of the mid-'60s)
to a wholly urban blues amalgam of its own.
MODERN ACOUSTIC BLUES
Newer artists reviving the older, more country-derived styles of blues. Main proponents: John Hammond, Rory Block, John Cephas, Taj Mahal, and the
earlier recordings of Bonnie Raitt.
MODERN ELECTRIC BLUES
An eclectic mixture, this genre replicates older styles of urban blues while simultaneously recasting them in contemporary fashion. Main proponents:
Stevie Ray Vaughan, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Robert Cray, and Roomful of Blues.
BRITISH BLUES
More than a mere geographical distinction, the British style pays strict adherence to replicating American blues genres, with an admiration for its
originators bordering on reverence. Main proponents: Alexis Korner, John Mayall, and the early recordings of Fleetwood Mac and the Rolling Stones.
Personally, I prefer the modern contemporary Blues scene. People like Stevie Ray Vaughn, Coco Montoya, Jonny Lang, the Nimmo Brothers, Kenny Wayne
Sheperd, Gary Moore, Double Trouble & the Michael Hill Blues Mob.
The main Blues labels are Alligator Records, Blind Pig Records & Black Top Records.
I have loads of Blues guitar lessons and song tabs available for anyone who�s interested.
Below are some pretty good Blues links:
www.worldblues.com...
hub.org...
www.bluescene.com...
blueslinks.tripod.com...
www.bluesworld.com...
www.blues.org...
bluesnet.hub.org...
www.cocomontoya.com...
www.electricblues.com...
www.hob.com...
www.geocities.com...
blueslinks.tripod.com...
www.calweb.com...
www.tokyo-blues.com...
www.nowmedia.co.uk...
dmoz.org...
gemrecords.com...
www.blindpigrecords.com...
www.bluecollarmusic.com...
www.all-yours.net...
www.wild-rose.com...
www.bluenight.com...
www.musicsearch.com...
freespace.virgin.net...
www.blueslinks.nl...
www.links2go.com...
www.amc.net...
www.blues4ever.com...