The early years of the blues, ranging from 1910 until 1950, marked the music's evolution from the rural country blues that were formed in the Mississippi Delta into the "citified" urban sound of the burgeoning Chicago blues scene. As the forebear to much of what would follow, the early blues era was brimming with talent like Charley Patton, Son House, and Robert Johnson, among many others. In the face of all this creative firepower, many essential artists are often overlooked. Although not as well-known as their peers, the following artists are deserving of greater respect and attention.
1. Bessie Smith
Photo courtesy Price Grabber
Known as “The Empress of the Blues,” Bessie Smith was both the best and the most famous of the female singers of the 1920s. A strong, independent woman and a powerful vocalist that could sing in both jazz and blues styles, Smith was also the most commercially successful of the era’s singers. Her records sold tens, if not hundreds of thousands of copies – an unheard of level of sales for those days.
2. John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson
Whether you call it a harmonica, a mouth harp, or even by the antique term "mouth organ," one thing is for certain – few bluesmen could blow that thing like John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson. It was Williamson who revolutionized the way that harmonica was used in the blues, elevating the humble instrument to lead status and opening the door for a raft of followers, including Sonny Boy Williamson II, Little Walter, and Junior Wells, among many others.3. Lonnie Johnson
Photo courtesy Price Grabber
In an early blues era that boasts of a number of innovative guitarists, Lonnie Johnson was, quite simply, without peer. With a sense of melody unmatched by pre-war players, Johnson was equally capable of knocking out both dirty blues and fluid jazz phrasings, and he invented the practice of combining rhythmic passages and solo leads within a single song. His influence can still be heard today in the music of B.B. King and T-Bone Walker, as well as many jazz guitarists.
4. Memphis Minnie
During the 1930s, blues music underwent a drastic sea change. Larger-than-life female vocalists like Bessie Smith and Ida Cox found themselves on the outside as male guitarists like Big Bill Broonzy and Tampa Red captured the public's imagination. Memphis Minnie, though, transcended this change in the public's musical tastes, as her powerful vocals commanded authority and her six-string skills rivaled and, in many cases, surpassed those of her male contemporaries.5. Tampa Red
Photo courtesy Price Grabber
Six-string maestro Tampa Red would become Chicago's first guitar star, and an important bridge between the rural "country blues" of the South and the urban blues style that would evolve in the Windy City during the 1940s. Red's recording career would span 30 years and yield hundreds of songs, including future blues standards such as "Anna Lou Blues" and "It Hurts Me Too." A brilliant single-note lead stylist and slide guitarist, Red's influence is still being heard in blues music today.
