Robert Johnson Francesco Link to full song: Preaching Blues https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=-­a2P-­fJhN7U Biography: I’m Robert Johnson. No one knows very much about my life, so they like to make up stories about me. Many musicians have called me one of the greatest guitarists ever. Link to full song: Downhearted Blues https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=go6TiLIeVZA Biography: They called me the Empress of the Blues. I was the highest paid African American entertainer in the 1920’s. My singing influenced important jazz musicians, and some pop musicians like Janis Joplin. Link to full song: Where Did You Sleep Last Night? https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=PsfcUZBMSSg Biography: Leadbelly isn’t my real name, but that’s what my award says in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. My life was rough, just like my powerful voice. I went to prison several times, but I never stopped playing and singing. Bessie Smith Carmela Leadbelly Renata Blind Willie Johnson Cristobal Link to full song: Nobody’s Fault but Mine https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=Y_o4omd8T5c Biography: No one really knows how I became blind, or how I learned to play the guitar. One of my songs was included on a disc on the Voyager spacecraft as an introduction to earth music for extraterrestrials. Link to full song: Death Letter Blues https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=pJnxxtM8YzQ Biography: I was one of the first blues singers like Robert Johnson. Everyone forgot about me until the 1960’s, when I had a big comeback. Link to full song: Stormy Monday https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=hVR8lg1YLuc Biography: I played the blues with an electric guitar, and developed a new sound that inspired B.B. King. Jimi Hendrix liked my music a lot-­-­and he learned the trick of playing his guitar with his teeth from watching me do it. Son House Antonio T-­Bone Walker Sergio B.B. King Emilio Link to full song: Three O’clock Blues https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=nPeTtg3fTB8 Biography: I named my guitar “Lucille,” because it sounds almost like someone singing. I’m in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Blues Hall of Fame, and R&B Hall of Fame. I’ve been playing since 1949, and I haven’t stopped yet. Link to full song: Rollin’ Stone https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=z5RwNit_HUw Biography: They called me Muddy Waters because I liked playing by the river, but my name also fits my sound: thick, heavy, and deep. I inspired rock and roll musicians in the 1960’s and 70’s. The band the Rolling Stones took their name from one of my songs. Link to full song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=rOyj4ciJk34 Biography: Sometimes I used a talking blues style-­-­I spoke instead of singing while I played my guitar. I learned all my songs by memory because I couldn’t read or write. Link to full song: Hound Dog Biography: My real name was Willie Mae, and I sang a type of music called Muddy Waters Matias John Lee Hooker Felipe Big Mama Thornton Ana Joaquina https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=JvbSXVc451Q rhythm and blues, full of emotion and energy. Two of my most famous songs were later recorded and made even more famous by Elvis Presley and Janis Joplin. I sang with other blues musicians like Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker. Link to full song: That’s Alright Mama https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=C6hgeg4laqo Biography: I combined rhythm and blues, gospel, and country music. Although my style was very different from traditional blues, I could never have become the King of Rock and Roll without the older blues and gospel musicians who came before me. Link to full song: Crossroads Blues https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=becWr0vc6cA Biography: We helped make blues popular in England by combining it with hard rock, which inspired other groups like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. One of our members, Eric Clapton, went on to become one of the most important blues rock musicians in the world-­-­he even played with B.B. King. Elvis Presley Santiago Cream Victoria, Constanza, Pablo (Ginger Baker-­-­drums, Jack Bruce-­-­bass, Eric Clapton-­-­guitar) Janis Joplin Juliana Link to full song: Cry Baby https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=eDIaDS9HhMw Biography: I liked listening to older blues musicians and singing their songs, especially women like Bessie Smith and Big Mama Thornton. They had such powerful voices! I brought the same power into my own songs, where I combined blues with psychedelic rock. Link to full song: Gimme Shelter https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=Jb-­JZPmiEOI Biography: We were part of the explosion of British pop and rock in the 1960s, just like the Beatles. But we were very interested in the blues, and got a lot of our inspiration from musicians like Muddy Waters. We began by playing their songs, and later started writing our own. We’re still playing and touring today. The Rolling Stones Sabina, Emilia, Frida Mick Jagger-­-­vocals Keith Richards-­-­guitar Charlie Watts-­-­drums Led Zeppelin Jorge, Paloma, Marcelo, Martina Link to full song: Dazed and Confused https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=IC6SwzXvyzw Biography: We borrowed so much music and so many lyrics from blues musicians that some people accused us of stealing! We combined blues, hard rock, and even British folk music to make our songs and helped create heavy metal. We’re still one of the best-­selling bands in the world, even though we don’t play together anymore. Link to full song: Death Letter https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=1fM2qhG8mA4 Biography: In the late 1990s we decided to return rock music to its roots. With just a guitar and a drum set we played simple music, often with short guitar parts, similar to old blues songs. We also performed lots of actual old blues music-­-­Jack’s favorite song is by Son House. (Jimmy Page-­-­guitar, Robert Plant-­-­vocals, John Bonham-­-­drums, John Paul Jones-­-­bass) The White Stripes Jack White, Meg White Arantxa and Lorenzo