Chicago Blues, A Unique Music

The Chicago Blues was originally street-corner music, played by the African American musicians, but it soon gained a huge popularity and become the “star” of the Blues clubs. It developed in Chicago, Illinois, in the first half of the 20th century, during the Great Migration of the African American workers moving from the South to the Northern industrial cities such as Chicago.

This form of Blues uses the typical instruments of the Delta blues, the acoustic guitar and harmonica. The latter is made louder with an instrument amplifier and a microphone, and it is accompanied by amplified instruments such as bass guitar, electrically amplified guitar, piano and drums. Sometimes saxophone and trumpet are added. It employs a broaden palette of notes, exceeding the standard six-note scale of the blues. The music has a stronger “jazz touch” due to the notes from the major scale that are repeatedly added, yet it remains in the blues genre.

Originally, the Chicago Blues was played by African American performers in Blues clubs and aimed exclusively for African American listeners. Since the clubs were outside of town, they were out of white men’s reach but gradually it captured more and more white audience and became extremely popular.

Some of the famous Chicago Blues early singers/songwriters are McKinley Morganfield , widely known as Muddy Waters, also considered the father of the modern Chicago blues, Howlin' Wolf, Junior Wells and Willie Dixon; guitar players such as Syl Johnson, Freddie King, Magic Sam, Jimmy Rogers, Buddy Guy, Robert Lockwood Jr. and Elmore James; and harmonica players such as Little Walter, Charlie Musselwhite, Paul Butterfield and so on.

After gaining such popularity, the Chicago Blues got the attention of the record labels, which started recording the Blues clubs’ performers and introducing it to the national radio stations, leading to a world-wide popularity, reaching also Europe, having a huge influence on many English rock and roll bands. The most famous and the first record label to promote the Chicago blues was Chess Records, run by Leonard and Phil Chess.