Critics have often regarded the blues as America’s folk music because of its ability to capture lived experiences and the human condition in the most profound manner. Originating in the African American oral tradition, the blues singer provides testimony about one’s present state of mind. Topics may range from love, having a good time to social and political commentary. In reference to the latter, blues lyrics function to subvert hegemony. As such, the blues complicate issues of race, class, and gender representation. This course provides a socio-cultural history and survey of the blues music tradition from its sound culture sources in West Africa to its emergence in African American oral culture. Emphasis will be placed on the philosophical underpinnings of blues music, the social and political forces that led to the development of blues music in the United States, and the profound impact of the blues on the development of country, jazz, gospel, rhythm ‘n’ blues, rock, and hip-hop. Because the course examines blues music, society and culture and its manifestation via musical performance, readings will not only include those in the field of ethnomusicology but from various disciplines and areas: cultural studies, folkloristics, history, performance studies, philosophy, religious studies, and sociology. In making blues music more tangible, recordings and videos/ DVDs will be used, and, when possible, blues guest-artists and lecturers will be invited.
