When most people hear "the blues", the first image that probably pops into their mind is a middle aged African American man plucking away at his acoustic guitar on a porch somewhere in Louisiana. While many of the genre's forefathers may have fit that mold, it is a restrictive and inaccurate view of a diverse and rich form of music that is the root for almost all modern music. Those that maintain this stereotypical view of the blues and assume it is "grandpa music" are missing out on a lot.

Since the electrification of the guitar shot it to the forefront of three and four piece bands, music entered an evolutionary time warp not unlike that the quantum leaps in science and technology occurring at the same time.

Some of the pioneers during the 50's were B.B. King, Albert King, Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson. Chuck Berry was among the first to take the blues and kick it up a notch, speeding up the tempo and creating many rock riffs and techniques that are standard vocabulary today.

By the 60's and 70's, the blues had traveled across the pond to Britain. Bands like Cream, the Who, the Rolling Stones, and Led Zeppelin all traced their roots back to the blues forefathers. Even Angus Young of AC/DC, considered metal by many(the band always maintains that they are a rock band, not metal) has a very bluesy style of playing.

By the 80's, "Blues-Rock" had become indistinguishable from "Hard Rock". It wasn't until artists like Stevie Ray Vaughan came along and took blues back to it's roots.

Some modern bands that have bluesy overtones include the Black Keys and the White Stripes.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Derek Trucks

Derek Trucks is an American guitarist, producer, and songwriter as well as a member of the Allman Brothers Band.

Trucks was born in Jacksonville, Florida and raised in a family steeped in music. His Uncle was Butch Trucks and a founding member of the Allman Brothers Band. Trucks picked up his first guitar as a child and secured his first gig by age eleven. touring with the Allman Brothers Band as a teenager, His father and guitar mentor served as chaperone and manager for young Trucks. Trucks is known for playing slide guitar, being a fan of its emulative ability of the human voice. Intially h picked it up because it didn't hurt his fingers as much.

Trucks gained profiency with the instrument and formed his own band called "The Derek Trucks Band" which served as the primary engine for his creativity. Trucks was listed on the Rolling Stones Magazine's top 100 guitarists of all time at number 81 in 2003, the youngest guitarist at age 24.
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