Lyrics & Knowledge Personal Pages Record Shop Auction Links Radio & Media Kids Membership Help
The Mudcat Cafesj



User Name Thread Name Subject Posted
GUEST,Joseph Scott 12-bar blues on record before 1921 (32) RE: 12-bar blues on record before 1921 10 May 16


"It's important to note that just because a song has 'blues' in the title doesn't mean it's a 12-bar blues or in a standard form." Yes, IIRC there's no 12-bar -- or idiomatic 16-bar a la Lemon Jefferson's "One Dime Blues," either* -- in these tunes listed as that redhotjazz page:

Blame It On The Blues
Chinese Blues
Ghost of The Terrible Blues
Honolulu Blues
I've Got The Blues For Home Sweet Home
Money Blues
Paradise Blues

You might think that coming up with a tune title like "Chinese Blues" was a white innovation, but the black singer Baby Brown was already singing her own "Chinese Blues" for black listeners in 1913, and the black singer Estelle Harris was singing her "The Blues In The Indian Style" for black listeners in 1911.

Tennessee Blues by Warner and Holt, listed on the redhotjazz page, does include 12-bar.

*An early recording of 16-bar blues is the Victor Military Band doing Euday Bowman's "Kansas City Blues" in 1916.


Post to this Thread -

Back to the Main Forum Page

By clicking on the User Name, you will requery the forum for that user. You will see everything that he or she has posted with that Mudcat name.

By clicking on the Thread Name, you will be sent to the Forum on that thread as if you selected it from the main Mudcat Forum page.

By clicking on the Subject, you will also go to the thread as if you selected it from the original Forum page, but also go directly to that particular message.

By clicking on the Date (Posted), you will dig out every message posted that day.

Try it all, you will see.