Great article Robert, very informative and fairly well covers the basic history of the blues, touching on some of the deep concepts hidden in the lost memories of the past, the undocumented first hand facts and ideas, and the untouchable, oftentimes, nature of the blues muscian and the lack of a need to authoratatively communicate what was going on in their heads, hands, and lyrics. Reading a lot of interviews would be great first hand information but I doubt a lot of these interviews from the eighteen hundreds and early nineteen hundreds exist.
Therefore, I get the feeling that these scholarly attempts to define something like the blues are futile. Sort of like trying to define the music of Hendrix.
The blues is a very dynamic thing that has many forms and may only slightly touch upon the academic patterns and progressions, but is coming straight from the heart and soul and rolls out mysteriously. Songs develop over long periods of time and have their own unique grooves. I have written a few blues songs and they have developed over decades and are not often played the same and are improvised continuously. So, therefore, my blues is probably undefinable except in very shallow explanation by anyone other than me; and even I can not define my own blues, it is so deep and dynamic and rolls out of my heart and soul directly.
For me blues is a loose format that comes from the soul and is not extremely highly organized, like rock and roll is not highly organized oftentimes but just rolls out; you just sort of roll with it in a jam type thing to some extent.
For instance: look at all the different versions of "Saint James Infirmary". Very few versions are even close to each other when you listen closely. Louis Armstrong, Eric Clapton and Dr. John, Joe Cocker, etc.
The blues tradition still moves on and it is probably true that one of the most important aspects of the blues is that "you have to live the blues" to play the blues with any kind of self respect. As noted in the article, the blues comes out of the depths of the soul as it experiences certain aspects of life that some people live and are able to capture the vibe in the blues music form. Country Western music similarly captures some of these vibes, particularly in some of the songs.
So, in my opinion, a really schollarly examination of the blues would consume a great deal of time and require a tremendous ability to understand where these muscians were coming from, what was going on in their heads, and why they sang or played the blues; even question them as to if they even "like" the blues. Do they listen to the blues? Can they define their own music? Every one would be different. I would like to read a lot of interviews by BB King because he can really communicate in conversation and does so at his concerts, sort of gives little mini lectures; it's funny but real and always serious buy spoken with a lightness and tender spirit. Other interviews would also be great and even some autobiographies if any exist.
It was an interesting article that generated some thought and encourages further investigation and further thought.
That movie with the kid and the last surviving member of Robert Johnson's band that was living in a nursing home, was a great movie and generates thoughts that help you understand the meaning of the blues.
The present state and the future of the blues are also of great interest to all blues lovers. They have a blues preservation association here in the town I live in and a couple blues festivals and some great original blues bands, some of them are my friends.
Some would say you can't define the blues, like you can't define the river; it just rolls on.
Duffy
South Williamsport, Pa.
On the Susquehanna River