Handy ("Memphis Blues," "St. ... Performed as somewhat urbanized blues with large jazz-musician ensembles, Mamie Smith's 1920 breakout hit "Crazy Blues" and the ensuing (1923-on) recordings of Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith first exposed the blues to a mass audience (this was despite the blues having been considered as primarily a man's medium!). ... As it was, he touched fellow musicians including the already-powerful Son House, and possibly the single greatest bluesman of all, Robert Johnson. ... One of the best selling blues artists of his time, Lonnie's guitar technique influe...

• Word Count: 1753
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Call and response is common in blues. ... Blues can be both sung and spoken. ... Other styles began to develop, such as Chicago Blues, Kansas City Blues, Piedmont Blues, Saint Louis Blues, and other variations. ... In the song "Back Door Man" Howlin Wolf sings about how he is sneaks in mens' house when they aren't around: "Well the men don't know, but the women understand/ when everybody's tryin' to sleep/ I'm somewhere making my midnight creep.... Like Many other blues singers that did Chicago Blues, Chester was born and raised in the South. ...

• Word Count: 1900
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

Along with the use of the steel guitar the Southerners were inventive with the use of simple instruments such as the metal washboard, spoons, or a metal string nailed to a piece of wood or even the house. ... The first Blues artist recorded in 1917. ... Shortly thereafter the Blues worked its way up the Mississippi River and along the Blues Highway 61. ... Soon it began to variate by name, Texas Blues, Mississippi Blues, and the Piedmont Blues. ... These styles include everything from New Orleans Blues to Electric Swamp Blues. ...

• Word Count: 1380
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

Among the contributing blues pioneers were Son House, Charles Patton and Robert Johnson. ... Louis Blues" published in 1914. Mamie Smith is the woman who started Blues on record. Her "Crazy Blues" is considered the first Blues recording ever. ... Lastly, Bessie Smith defines the term of "classic" Blues singer; earned the title of "Empress of the Blues" with her sassy, bold songs that earned the respect of both Blues and Jazz artists. ...

• Word Count: 2036
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

The reason why he left is because he knew what really happened when Thomas parent's house got burned down. ... He was yelling at Thomas's parents in an excited way at their house. But in the mean time, a spark hit the inside of the house and caught on fire. The fire quickly engulfed the house with Thomas parents inside. ... She wanted to make Victor understand that Arnold had good intentions and loved him and went back into the house. ...

• Word Count: 1337
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

Biloxi Blues was seen at the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia. ... The theatre didn't really add or subtract anything from the performance, but the scenery design made it hard for people seating on extreme house left and right to see. ... As for the play itself, Biloxi Blues is a very interactive play to begin with. ... Blues has a very small cast of 7 soldiers and 2 women who are only in the show minimally. ... Since Blues is a straight play, everything was realistic. ...

• Word Count: 675
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

In the book Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie the issue of hunger is so prominent it is impossible to ignore. ... The government is in complete control over what the characters in Reservation Blues get to eat. ... The characters in the book Reservation Blues do eat a lot of "white" American food, but throughout the novel there is one Native American food commodity that is constant. ... One time in particular is on page 47 where Thomas is hungry and he is searching in his house for food. ... I believe that because of the physical hunger the characters in Reservation Blues endure they are also...

• Word Count: 1274
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

Alexie's first novel, Reservation Blues, was published in 1995 and is no exception to this. ... Although the title can refer to the Reservation Blues being the general sad and depressing atmosphere on the Reservation it can also refer to the type of music, the Blues, as being appropriated by Native Americans. ... Alexie retells this in another of Thomas' dreams where the television is on and showing that white people owned everything: food, houses, clothes, children (Thomas' desire for what he sees as a white man's privilege only serves to show how really deprived life is ...

• Word Count: 2551
• Approx Pages: 10
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

She is known as "Empress of the Blues". ... She even wrote songs about it, "Gin house Blues" and "Me and My Gin" were two examples of them. ... A Time Line of when Bessie's records came out: 1923 February 17 Down Hearted Blues. 1923 April 7 Ticket Agent Ease Your Window Down. 1923 September 21 Jailhouse Blues. 1924 July 23 House Rent Blues. 1924 September 26 Weeping Willow Blues. 1924 December 6 Follow The Deal On Down. 1925 January 24 St. Louis Blues; Reckless Blues; You've Been A Good Ole Wagon; Sobbin' Hearted Blues; Cold In Hand Blues. 1925 May 5 Cake Walking ...

• Word Count: 531
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

In James Baldwin's short story, "Sonny's Blues," the narrator's brother, Sonny, has a heroin addiction and gets arrested for using and selling drugs. ... James Baldwin's short story "Sonny's Blues" presents a family theme through the use of symbolism, tone, and first person narration. Jazz music is a very big symbol in "Sonny's Blues." ... He lets Sonny know his disapproval towards drugs and Sonny's choice in music, as well as clearly laying out the rules for him staying at his house. ... The theme of "Sonny's Blues" is family. ...

• Word Count: 876
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

A Life Lesson in "Sonny's Blues" ""You know people can't always do exactly what they want to do -"" (91). This is the attitude of the narrator towards his brother Sonny in the beginning of "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin. ... Although they had grown up in the same house under the same conditions, they have both taken away two completely different views on life. ...

• Word Count: 570
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

A family and house was very important to the Victorians, they took much pride in both their family and their house. ... Popular colors were peacock greens and blues, magentas, violets, raw pinks, and olive greens and Grey's and dull blues were accepted as evidence of artistic rectitude. ... Every house had a parlor as well. ... The bedroom was obviously in every house. ... Each house also had a kitchen. ...

• Word Count: 1198
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

And other nights he would watch the greats like Son House, Robert Johnson and Charlie Patton were great musical influences on Waters. The main influence on Waters was Son House, although Waters style of play was more similar to that of Robert Johnson. ... Muddy Waters style of blues was considered rough and uncompromising. ... -Richard Wright, definition of blues Muddy Waters is a legend. ... Inspiring artists from blues to rock &roll. ...

• Word Count: 839
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

Issues which are reflected in his novel Reservation Blues. ... It must be weird"" (Reservation Blues, 82). ... ~ In Reservation Blues, hunger is illustrated many times in the lives of the main characters: Thomas, Junior, Victor, Chess and Checkers... " those who dreamed in childhood of fishing for salmon...woke up as adults in line for U.S.D.A. commodity food opened up cans of commodities and wept over the rancid meat, forced to eat what stray dogs ignored." (14). " Thomas dreamed about television and hunger he sat, all hungry and lonely White people owned everything: food, houses, clo...

• Word Count: 804
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

When the Mississippi river flood of 1927 happened many lost whatever they had such as their houses or belongings it was time where people needed a boost and help. Many blues songs were made specifically about the Mississippi river flood of 1927. According to "soundcheck.why.ord/story/songs-great-flood" artist such as Barbeque Bob wrote "miss heavy water blues" in New York during the horrific disaster was happening, people heard this in a sense gave them little hope to keep battling their struggles .Another big name that wrote a song about the flood was Lonnie Johnson calle...

• Word Count: 598
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

Roots Concert Review Last month I attended a live performance by the Roots. The show took place at the House of Blues in Anaheim, California. Once inside the venue I was surprised to see how small the club actually was. I have seen The Roots three times prior to the 15th at venues where it was i...

• Word Count: 309
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

Music would not have its beat, and for specific types of music, such as jazz or blues the rhythm meaning would disappear! ... Named Delta Blues, after the "Mississippi Delta" region where the majority of blacks in America lived on plantations, it was some of the first blues to ever be recorded. "Pioneers such as Charley Patton, Son House, Robert Johnson, and Mississippi Fred McDowell helped to create a unique and powerful sound that is still popular today." ... Muddy Waters said it best with his song, "The Blues Had A Baby, And They Named It Rock and Roll". Rock and Roll has always borrowed he...

• Word Count: 1385
• Approx Pages: 6

The short stories "The Yellow Wallpaper" and "Sonny's Blues" are different in many respects. ... In "The Yellow Wallpaper," the narrator has been brought to a rented house by her husband, a physician. ... While the wife in this story likes the house, she is not at all happy with the large room at the top of the house, which is the one that her husband insists that she use. ... In "Sonny's Blues," the narrator is Sonny's older brother, an educated black man who has chosen a "proper" career as a schoolteacher, trying to achieve tha...

• Word Count: 1543
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

The short stories "The Yellow Wallpaper" and "Sonny's Blues" are different in many respects. ... In "The Yellow Wallpaper," the narrator has been brought to a rented house by her husband, a physician. ... While the wife in this story likes the house, she is not at all happy with the large room at the top of the house, which is the one that her husband insists that she use. ... In "Sonny's Blues," the narrator is Sonny's older brother, an educated black man who has chosen a "proper" career as a schoolteacher, trying to achieve tha...

• Word Count: 1543
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

talking blues, popularized by Woodie Guthrie, featuring rhyming talking with ironic asides to the audience. ... Individual performances that prefigured rap While rap as a musical genre started in the 80s, there have been many black and white performers who succeeded with rap-style performances in early jazz, blues, pop, and country performances. ... Fish, it's my favorite dish" Champion Jack Dupree's "Big Leg Emma's" (1956), rhyming tale of a barrelhouse raid over slow blues piano: "I went down to Big Leg Emma's house, to get myself a drink of gin, but before I got i...

• Word Count: 656
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

The short story Sonny's Blues, by James Baldwin, is a story about responsibility , imprisonment, and salvation. ... He got Sonny a place to live (his wife's parents house) so that he could finish high school. ... The short story Sonny's Blues by James Baldwin had three main messages to take away. ...

• Word Count: 938
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

It is a boy named Greg showing up at an old abandoned house to escape the rain. ... Lemon Brown protected Greg when some people can into the abandoned house. Lemon Brown also was protective when Greg entered the house because he was still unsure about him. ... He wants to become a blues singer again so he was headed to St. ... But he still fells that becoming a blues singer was his fate of life. ...

• Word Count: 487
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

James Arthur Baldwin Life James Arthur Baldwin was born the first of nine children during 1924 in Harlem. His father, David, was a clergyman and a factory worker, and was the source of all of James Baldwin's fears. Baldwin's mother, Berdis, was...

• Word Count: 1677
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

The son also describes his old man dieing in a fine big house, and the mother dieing in a shack. ... Hughes major contribution is his attempt to capture the character of blues music and the rhythms of jazz. "The Weary Blues" is a good example of standard blues rhythms combined with lateral thinking associated with jazz music. ...

• Word Count: 582
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School