MUSI E-139 A History of Blues in America

This course is a study of blues from 1900 to the present. Major artists include McKinley Morganfield (Muddy Waters), Chester Burnett (Howlin' Wolf), Marion Walter Jacobs (Little Walter), Otis Spann, B. B. King, Paul Butterfield, and Kim Wilson. Development of the unique voices of principal instruments (guitar and harmonica) and the role of amplification in establishing the defining style of blues is given special attention. Class time includes listening to and discussing recordings, viewing historic footage, and hearing lecture-demonstrations by major artists. The history of the music is set in the context of social changes that allowed "race" music to enter the mainstream. (4 credits)