Highlights in the History of Texas Blues

February 19, 2011 by DaleR
Filed under: Blues History

There is no-denying that the experiences of African slaves during their captivity and after their liberation became the core of blues music. Alan Governar – author of the book Texas Blues, described the blues as an extremely personal type of music. Roots of the blues subgenres can be traced to regions where there were slaves seeking temporary relief through music. It is therefore not surprising that these subgenres (Delta Blues, Texas Blues, Piedmont Blues) emerged as contemporaries in several parts of the United States.

The founding of the Texas blues style is credited to Lemon Jefferson. He was a street performer who sang along Deep Ellum during the 1920s. His trademark was his eclectic guitar playing style – a mixture of fingerpicking, slide and strumming techniques which was eventually established as the basis of today’s Texas style. His music served as the inspiration of fellow musicians like Aaron Thibeux Walker, Huddie (Leadbelly) Ledbetter and Lightnin’ Hopkins.

The years 1930 to 1950 served as the critical years in Texas blues history. It was during the 1930s that blues musicians travelled to urban regions such as Houston, Dallas and Galveston. This led to the emergence of a new generation of artists including Blind Willie Johnson and Big Mama Thornton. In the 1950s, Houston served as the base of the R&B recording industry and became a hub for artists who later pursued the Texas electric blues.

The opening of clubs in Austin was instrumental in the proliferation and further development of Texas blues genre particularly the Texas electric blues during the 1970s. Clifford Atone, a die-hard blues fan who is also an entrepreneur opened his very own establishment to introduce the legacy of blues legends to the younger generation. Today, this style of blues continues to evolve as artists incorporate a variety of influences in this interesting genre.