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70s Music. 70s music, often perceived as the bridge between the rebellious 60s and the futuristic 80s, carries a distinctive identity. This decade saw prodigious musical diversity, revolutionising sounds and giving birth to several sub-genres orthogonal to the established ones. Be it Pink Floyd’s psychedelic rock infused with blues, or the ...
- Dan Stubbs
- SONG: Robert Johnson – Crossroad Blues (1937) What it did: Popularised Johnson’s great creation myth – that his fame was the result of a deal made with the Devil at a rural crossroads.
- SONG: Lead Belly/Nirvana – Where Did You Sleep Last Night (1944/1994) What it did: Lead Belly’s 1939 recording of this tragic blues song – which he frequently called ‘Black Girl’ – combined two traditional blues songs dating back to the 1870s, showing how blues itself is rooted in folk traditions.
- SONG: Elmore James – Dust My Broom (1951) What it did: Originally written by Robert Johnson (see ‘Cross Road Blues’, above) under the name ‘I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom’, Elmore James’s version (credited as Elmo James) added a boogie rhythm and slide guitar – and was a watershed moment in the electrification and amping up of the blues sound.
- ALBUM: Etta James – At Last! (1960) What it did: As you’ll see in Netflix’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, women were at the centre of the ‘urban blues’ scene that stormed the cities in the 1920s and 30s.
blues was the most impactful element of the music scene in the 1960s and 70s through its influence on some of the most famous black and white musicians in history. The beginnings of blues, along with all other forms of African American music, can be traced back to the era of the slave trade starting in 1619 and ending in 1809.
- Emily Weiler
- 2017
In the 1970s, the blues music scene underwent a remarkable renaissance, captivating audiences with its timeless, soulful sounds. As a new generation discovered the rich legacy of blues artists like Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, and Robert Johnson, the genre experienced a surge of popularity, with influential songs and signature tunes that continue to resonate with music lovers today.
- Steve Miller
- Bonnie Raitt
- Rory Gallagher
- Alvin Lee
- Robin Trower
- Mick Taylor
- Carlos Santana
- Johnny Winter
- Jeff Beck
- Jimmy Page
By the age of six, Steve Miller as a guitar prodigy was a pupil of his godfather, guitarist Les Paul who was one of the creators of the first solid body electric guitar. His childhood was studded with interactions with a variety of musicians including T Bone Walker because his physician father was a serious amateur recording engineer. The turning p...
In a world dominated by men Bonnie Raitt became part of the emerging guitar driven blues music scene in 1971 when she released her eponymous debut album Bonnie Raitt. She began playing guitar at the age of eight when she received the instrument as a Christmas gift. Raitt grew up in an artistic home since her Father John Raitt was a successful actor...
Rory Gallagher was born in 1948 in Ireland and began playing guitar at the age of nine. He was influenced by American and English artists like Leadbelly and Lonnie Donegan and earned his chops on the showband circuit where he played cover versions of popular radio hits. In 1966 he formed his own power trio called Taste and they opened for Cream’s f...
The late Alvin Lee is another amazing blues rock guitarist that increased his popularity exponentially after his group Ten Years After appeared at Woodstock. He grew up in England and began playing guitar when he was 13 and put together an early version of Ten Years After when he was just 15 called the Jaybirds. By the early 1970s, Ten Years After ...
Robin Trower was born in England in 1945 and began playing guitar as a teenager before he entered the London music scene in the early 1960s. After playing guitar for various groups including an R&B group called the Paramounts he joined Procol Harum in 1967. Trower was part of the band during its early years and left it after their fifth album Broke...
Mick Taylor was 8 years when he attended a Bill Hailey and the Comets’ show and began playing the guitar soon afterwards. He began forming music groups when he was ten years old and by the age of 14, he became interested in the blues. He was influenced by people like Buddy Guy, B.B. King and Freddie King and by the age of 16 he moved to London and ...
Carlos Santana grew up in Mexico where his father was a musician and Carlos began playing guitar at eight. He played in Tijuana bars as a teenager where he was exposed to the blues. After his family moved to San Francisco he formed the Santana Blues Band and they played Afro-Latin-blues-rock fusion at the Fillmore West. After playing a set at Woods...
Johnny Winter was born in 1944 in Beaumont, Texas and his brother Edgar was born two years later. They both became interested in music and Johnny took up guitar and Edgar keyboard and formed a music group together recording and releasing School Day Blues, a 45rpm record in 1959. Over the next seven years Johnny recorded a series of singles on a var...
Jeff Beck is an English guitar player that was born in 1944 and is #5 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Players. He was one of the three guitar players in the Yardbirds that included Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. His influence on the group turned them on to psychedelic experimentation as he integrated electronic gadgets into transfo...
Jimmy Page was born in 1944 in England and began to play guitar by the time he was 13. After developing his skills on guitar he was able to work as a session musician in the early 1960s until he joined the Yardbirds in 1966. While in the Yardbirds he met Jeff Beck and the two collaborated and “Beck’s Bolero” was written by Page. The song was Beck’s...
Feb 22, 2007 · Paul Oliver, probably the world's foremost scholar of the blues, first heard African-American vernacular music during World War II when a friend brought him to listen to black servicemen stationed in England singing work songs they had brought with them from the fields and lumber camps of the Deep South. Oliver was enthralled by the rhythm and drive of the music and the spontaneous ...
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Sep 29, 2015 · While the influence of the Chicago blues is evident in rock acts of the ’60s and ’70s, that doesn’t mean that it has ceased to be important and vital to a later crops of rock musicians.
