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 23, 2011

Jeff Beck

Jeff Beck is one of the great Triumvirate of British blues rock guitarists. The other two in the club are Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. Jeff Beck Played with the Yardbirds just as the other two did, and actually played with Page at one point. After the demise of the Yardbirds, Beck and Page formed their own groups, the Jeff Beck Group and what would eventually become Led Zeppelin. At the time, people thought that both were competing for the vacant throne left by Cream and the Yardbirds, but in actuality, comparing the two was like comparing apples and oragnes. Beck had a bluesier base than Page who had a certain affection for Celtic and Folk music which made its way into many of Led Zeppelin's longs.

Beck Is a truly creative guitarist. His sounds range from weepy to grungy hard rock. On many of his songs, his guitar is the vocalist. Beck plays a Stratocaster and is a master of the tremolo, or whammy bar. Often times, rather than bending a string up a note, he will use the tremolo to raise the note. Jeff Beck will sometimes feature vocalists to sing for his singles, but undoubtedly the guitar is the central piece in the song. Check out Over the rainbow by Beck if you get a chance, a true showcase of his talent.
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