Blues and R&B

Question 1

Delta (Rural, Country, Folk) Blues; Self-accompanied male singer

Answer 1

Played a guitar or other homemade instrument

Question 2

Delta (Rural, Country, Folk) Blues; Flexible Form

Answer 2

Don’t Worry About It

Question 3

Delta (Rural, Country, Folk) Blues; Diddley Bow

Answer 3

String on a board; pluck it and slide a can/bottle on it

Question 4

Delta (Rural, Country, Folk) Blues; “Bottleneck” Slide Guitar

Answer 4

Cut off bottle neck, sand it off, use it as a slide

Question 5

Delta (Rural, Country, Folk) Blues; Robert Johnson

Answer 5

Most celebrated delta blues artist (few dozen tunes); died after poisoning by bartender (flirted and/or fucked bartender’s wife; myth that he met devil at cross roads and sold soul to become a guitarist

Question 6

Commercializing The Blues; W.C. Handy

Answer 6

College-educated father of the blues (industry); wrote, published, and copyrighted blues songs

Question 7

Commercializing The Blues; Music Industry Categories; Race Records

Answer 7

Black pop music, other races too (even Jewish)

Question 8

Commercializing The Blues; Music Industry Categories; Popular

Answer 8

Tin Pan Alley; urban northern white middle class

Question 9

Commercializing The Blues; Music Industry Categories; Hillbillly

Answer 9

Southern white working class

Question 10

Classic Blues; Characteristics

Answer 10

Urban, female stars, ensemble accompaniment, 12-bar blues form, had female perspective (more choice in work, sex, etc.); sexual subjects (double entendre)

Question 11

Classic Blues; Female Stars

Answer 11

Ma Rainey, Mamie Smith, Ethel Waters (film star), Bessie Smith (most important)

Question 12

Bessie Smith

Answer 12

“Empress of the Blues”; Starts performing as a child for $2.50 a week, to $2,000 a week at height of career; Was interesting person (fucked up her piano player, fought KKK, threw someone through a door)

Question 13

Rhythm-and-Blues

Answer 13

You know this (Think Easy, Commodores)

Question 14

Jump Blues; Louis Jordan

Answer 14

Louis the most well-known Jump Blues artist (ASK)

Question 15

Boogie Woogie

Answer 15

Blues, but fast paced for dancing

Question 16

Electric/Urban Blues; Instruments and Aesthetics

Answer 16

Electric guitar, bass, organ, harmonica, drums (ASK ABOUT AESTHETICS)

Question 17

Electric/Urban Blues; B.B. King

Answer 17

“The King of the Blues”, named his guitar Lucille; soloing (string bending, vibrato) influenced many blues guitarists

Question 18

Electric/Urban Blues; Big Mama Thornton

Answer 18

blues singer, wrote “Hound Dog” and “Ball and Chain”, before they became famous