Memphis blues

This article is about a music subgenre. For other uses, see Memphis blues (disambiguation).
Memphis blues
Stylistic origins
Cultural origins1910s–1930s, Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Sheet music for "The Memphis Blues"

The Memphis blues is a style of blues music created from the 1910s to the 1930s by musicians in the Memphis area, such as Frank Stokes, Sleepy John Estes, Furry Lewis and Memphis Minnie. The style was popular in vaudeville and medicine shows and was associated with Beale Street, the main entertainment area in Memphis.

W. C. Handy, the "Father of the Blues", published the song "The Memphis Blues" in 1909 and this was the first blues to be written down.[1] In lyrics, the phrase has been used to describe a depressed mood.[2]

  1. ^ Chronicle of 20th Century History edited by J S Bowman ISBN 1-85422-005-5
  2. ^ Bolden, Tony (2004). Afro-Blue: Improvisations in African American Poetry and Culture. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-02874-8.