Melbourne on the Move is proud to announce that we’ll be providing the official event transportation services for the Mornington Peninsula Blues Festival on the 8th of February. The festival is in its second year after experiencing huge success last year. This year promises to be even bigger with a fantastic lineup of Aussie blues artists such as Lloyd Spiegel and the Ray Beadle & Darren Jack Band. Before the event kicks off, though, we thought we’d take a look at the origins of blues music. The genre of music has had such an illustrious history, but its origins are just as interesting as the music itself.
Early roots of blues music
The early roots of blues music are sewed deep within African American slaves in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Early types of blues songs were basically evolutions of folk, African, hymn and country music – to name a few. The Mississippi Delta is often thought to have been the birthplace of blues music.
Songs would be sung (this genre was referred to as field hollers) on the fields in Mississippi – and other southern plantations where African American slaves would be put to work. You could say that early blues songs were similar to some gospel music as all the workers would chant them together out on the cotton or vegetable fields.
The field hollers that eventually led to the blues we know today, would also be used as a way for slaves to secretly communicate with each other out on the fields. There was a lot of raw emotion in field hollers.
The emotions of blues music
As blues was created by those who were experiencing severe hardships such as not even given the full rights of an American citizen – the lyrics and messages that were conveyed through the music was extremely powerful and raw. Blues music today is often associated with sadness – and whilst a lot of that rings true for its origins – it’s also about overcoming hardships in life.
A lot of early blues musicians had no musical training and just played with the full force of rhythm and emotion behind them. Whilst genres such as classical music (even though they still conveyed emotions through music) relied heavily on perfectly timed and clear notes, blues music relied more-so on the rhythm and energy behind the music. The lyrics would send a strong message and be complemented by the instruments.
Influence on today’s music
A lot of people often forget that blues was the pre-cursor to rock n roll music. The need to improvise the music live instead of playing the same thing every time was not something that happened often prior to blues. A lot of rock bands nowadays incorporate blues into their songs in one form or another.
Jazz music is another interesting genre worth mentioning as it was developed shortly after blues and took a lot from it. In fact, it’s often thought that the two genres are constantly taking things from each other to further their own styles.
Modern blues
Blues music has not only survived the century but also flourished with dozens of sub-genres having been created since its inception – all stemming from that early field holler. In the early-mid 1900s blues music was defined by the region it was played in – Memphis blues, Chicago blues, Louisiana blues and so on.
Each region had its own characteristics and distinctive style. The late 1940s saw musicians such as John Lee Hooker and Muddy Waters – who are considered to be legendary blues musicians – change blues music in a big way with electric guitars and other instrumental accompaniment like piano and percussion.
Nowadays, blues has fused with other genres of music such as electronic, reggae and country just to name a few. The genre is constantly adapting and taking on new forms to keep up with the ever-changing music landscape.
Looking for event transportation services?
Blues music is an inspiring and beautiful genre of music that can be both appreciated quietly and danced too in public. The Mornington Peninsula Blues Festival is sure to be a blast with some of Australia’s best blues musicians showcasing their talents and keeping the old genre alive.
Melbourne on the Move will be providing event transportation services to this event. Return trip tickets to the event can be purchased with eight pickup point options including the Carlton Gardens, Mordialloc and Dromana. So, no matter where you are, Melbourne on the Move’s event transportation service have you covered.
If you would like to get in touch with us to purchase tickets or enquire about our event transportation service, then please give us a call on 1300 558 686. You can also contact us via the form on our website.