3 O'Clock Blues Analysis Essay

In “Inflation Blues”, his guitar solo sounded different form his others, more like a tonal change. Besides, King’s guitar playing, the pianist kept to the normal “skat” sound and the trumpeter and saxophonist were mainly in charge of the harmonies since King did not have any back up singers. Actually, one of the best harmonies between the two was in “There Must Be A Better World Somewhere” with the trumpet being just a key higher than the saxophone. Two songs that stood out from his others, was his rendition of “Love Me Tender” which was more of a ballad than a blues song and “Better Not Look Down”. “Love Me Tender” had a slow tempo and due to its style was one of the softest played songs which was different, on the other hand “Better Not Look Down” had a very upbeat feel, a crescendo after the third verse(third story), and a great bass solo. During the performance, one could tell that King really got into his performances. From his “ugly” singing to his interaction with the crowd, he was consistent in keeping the audience engaged and the audience seemed to be really enjoying

Johnny B Goode has the chord progression of 12 bar blues. The song includes a guitar, drums, tenor vocal, bass and piano. The guitar techniques used in this song are bending notes, pull offs and slides. The piano fills on a blues scale. Chuck Berry doesn’t use many vocal techniques; it is all the same sort of tone. The texture is thick, playing as a melody dominated homophony but the intro is monophonic with the guitar alone. The song uses lyrics that are repetitive “Go Johnny Go”. The guitar uses little riffs in this song. The time signature of the song is 4/4.

Elvis Presley is one of the biggest names in rock and roll. Singer, musician and actor he was an American icon. He is best known as the King of Rock and Roll. His musical influence included the country and pop music of the time, the gospel music he sang in church and the black R&B music he listened to as a teenager (Comprehensive History of Elvis Presley’s Dynamic Life). Elvis has influenced American culture not only while he was living but also in today’s 21st century. It wasn’t easy for him to be accepted; in fact many adults and the older generations of his time were appalled by his performances and his music. In time though, people were able to accept him and he became well-known all over the world. Even after his death Americans are

Blues is one of the most captivating genres of music. The genre was originated in the late 1800’s as a method used by African American slaves to express the circumstances as well as to put emphasis on their feelings and emotions. In order to create these feelings in this music, blues artists incorporate many of the same techniques used to write poetry. One of the most easily identifiable songs in which it is easy to see the relation between poetic elements and blues music is the song “Empty Bed Blues” by Bessie Smith.

In the song, “Blue Moon of Kentucky” the instruments that are used are mandolin, steel guitar, upright bass, and a fiddle where as “Walkin’ Blues” had a strum that anticipated guitar styles of R&R. A guitar sound was used in both songs but in the “Walkin’ Blues” there was a twist as mentioned earlier. They both deliver to a certain audience in a vocal style with a strong pulse (Walkin’ Blues).

Elvis Presley was one of the most influential rock and roll singers in the American history. Presley’s work revolutionized the music and brought about significant changes in the entertainment industry. He grew up in an environment where racial segregation between the whites and African Americans was highly pronounced. In fact, Presley schooled in Memphis where he graduated from a whites-only high school. However, he upheld the Black’s music and made it possible for their music to be accessed by the White American youths. Presley’s tracks broke past the racial barrier as many teenagers loved his amazing voice. Through his music, he confronted racism and challenged both social and moral values. Elvis Presley changed the manner in which the Black minority were treated in the U.S. through his music, and this initiated the fights against racial discrimination leading to the civil rights movement.

Elvis Aaron Presley, otherwise known as “The King” was born on January 8th, 1935. He came from simple beginnings; being born into a lower-class family in Tupelo, Mississippi. In 1948, at the age of 13 Elvis Presley and his family moved to Memphis, Tennessee. Soon he launched his incredibly successful music career with Sun Records at the age of 19 in 1954. His music was influenced by both African American and White artists causing his unique blend of country, pop, rhythm and blues, and gospel music. Presley was heavily influenced by artists such as Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, and Buddy Holly. Though Presley was widely known for his “provocative” dances moves and his popularization of Rock n’ Roll Presley impacted American culture in a much larger aspect. His influence on Americans and American culture aided desegregation and civil rights during his period of influence and helped create “youth culture”.

B.B. King or ‘The King of Blues’ was born in Itta Bena, Mississippi. His young parents unfortunately divorced, and his mother passed away when he was 9 years old which left him to be raised by his grandmother. King attended school until the 10th grade when he dropped out of school and started to work at a cotton gin near his hometown. Despite dropping out of school he continued to teach himself math and different languages well into his later life. He worked at the cotton gin earning a penny a pound and singing gospel music on street corners. His musical career started when he was studying under his cousin Bukka White. King met a woman and was married at 17 years old. “I guess I was looking for love, because I never had anybody I believed truly loved me” (B.B. King). The marriage quickly came to end when they got a divorce months later. “Since my early childhood, I had a problem trying to open up. Please open me up. Look inside!

For more than half a century, Riley B. King -better known as B.B. King- has defined the blues for a worldwide audience. Since he started recording in the 1940s, he has released over fifty albums (many of them classics). B.B. was born September 16, 1925, on a plantation in Itta Bena,

The blues have deep roots embedded within American history—particularly that of African American history. The history of the blues originated on Southern plantations in the 19th century and was created by slaves, ex-slaves, and descendants of slaves. They were created by individuals who endured great hardship while performing endless hours of arduous labor and blues served as a form of escapism. To these individuals, songs provided them with the strength to persevere through their struggles. Blues songs depicted individuals who persevered in the face of adversity. They were symbols of hope to those squandering in the depths of oppression. In relations to the blues, every song has a story behind it and within every story, there is something to be said. Blues artists, through their struggles, detail how they overcame hardship and laughed at the face of oppression. They defied the rules and in doing so, showed African Americans that they too are beacons of hope for the hopeless. The best blues is instinctive, cathartic, and intensely emotional. From irrepressible bliss to deep sadness, no form of music communicates more genuine emotion than that of the blues. Like many bluesmen of his day, Robert Johnson applied his craft as a lonely traveling musician on street corners and in juke joints. He was a lonely man whose songs romanticized that existence. With Johnson’s unique vocal style, haunting lyrics, and creative guitar techniques, Johnson’s innovation embodied the essence of

A single source of blues music cannot be traced, but Ma Rainey is rightfully credited with introducing it to the world. Hence the reason she was dubbed as “The Mother of the Blues”. During an interview in the 1930s, Ma told musicologist John Work, that she heard what would be called blues, for the first time around 1902. She was in a small town in Missouri working a show at the time, and one morning a local girl came into the tent singing about a man whom had left her. This new style of soulful music drew in Ma Rainey so much she later had the girl teach her the song. Rainey performed the song as an encore in a show soon after, earning a special place in the show, and marking the start of her career (Jas Obrecht Archive).

A standard form of blues is the 12-bar blues form, typically consisting of three 4-bar phrases and in AAB form. The AAB form refers to a pattern of three phrases. The first two phrases are generally the same, possibly with a slight variation. The last phrase, (phrase B) generally consists of a different melody and lyrics than the first two phrases, adding contrast to a verse or chorus. Robert Johnson’s lyrical phrasing relate to the 12-bar blues form because of his variation on the third phrase, “Asked the Lord above ‘Have mercy, save poor Bob, won’t you please,’” compared to the first two identical phrases, “I went to the crossroad, fell down on my leaves,” (repeated twice). The three phrases in the first chorus are not all exactly four bars each.

A vocalist and guitarist naturally introduced to a sharecropping family on September 16, 1925, in Itta Bena, Mississippi, B.B. King born as Riley B. Ruler got to be distinctly one of the best-known blues entertainers, an imperative consolidator of blues styles, and an essential model for rock guitarists. Taking after his service in the U.S. Armed Forces, he started his DJ career in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was named "the Beale Street Blues Boy." That's how he got his name "B.B."

     Jazz music is often associated with long, lazy melodies and ornate rhythmical patterns. The Blues, a type of jazz, also follows this similar style. Langston Hughes' poem, "The Weary Blues," is no exception. The sound qualities that make up Hughes' work are intricate, yet quite apparent. Hughes' use of consonance, assonance, onomatopoeia, and rhyme in "The Weary Blues" gives the poem a deep feeling of sorrow while, at the same time, allows the reader to feel as if he or she is actually listening to the blues sung by the poem's character.

Most jazz songs are just instrumental, and blues music will almost always have lyrics. Blues originated in the late 19th century in the southern states of America. The typical instruments used were guitar, bass, piano, harmonica, drums, saxophone, and trumpet. The tone of blues is slow, sharp, saddening, and depressing with simple song progressions. The blues was birthed in Mississippi, Texas, and Chicago. As far as jazz, it started in the early 20th century in the southern states of America. The most used instruments are guitar, piano, bass, saxophone, drum, tuba, and the clarinet. The tone is jazz is generally associated with smoothness, but can also be abstract. It started in New Orleans, then moved its way up to Chicago and New