Definition of “BLUES”
By design, blues music takes its name from a state of feeling depressed or melancholy.
Its purpose, for both the performer and the listener, is to overcome those feelings and lift spirits. As legendary blues guitarist B.B. King describes it, “The blues is pain, but it’s pain that brings joy.”
From its roots in African-American slave culture in the Mississippi River Delta, the blues is at the heart of American contemporary music, lending its soulful energy to Jazz, Gospel, Rhythm & Blues, Rock and Roll, Country, Bluegrass, Zydeco, Hip Hop and R&B.