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"Jelly Roll Morton"
Ferdinand Lamenthe, better known as "Jelly Roll Morton," was born in the month of October in the year 1885. The New Orleans native has been considered one of the first to compose jazz music, and his claim to fame disputed W.C Handy as the originator of jazz and blues. -
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Blues lifetime
This timeline will dive into the making of one of the most influential types of American Music, The Blues. Throughout the ages men and women have expressed their ideas an emotions, and practically their heart and soul, into something special we know today. -
Joplin Got Jumpin'
Scott Joplin invents "Ragtime Music." His popular song, "Maple Leaf Rag," is published and becomes a huge factor into the evolution of blues music. -
Blues is Finally Recorded
Mamie Smith was the first black singer to ever record blues music onto a record. Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds recorded, "Crazy Blues," and would ultimately spark the sound we remember today. -
The Debut of Folk Music
A man by the name of Ralph Peer creates his first records in Atlanta under Okeh and Victor Records. These records are the first to debut the song of "Folk Music," which eventually be later called "Country Music." Today country music is among one of the top tiers in all of modern popularity. -
New Recording Methods
In the year 1925 music was introduced to a new way of recording music. Electrical Recording Technology sets the musical world on fire, for now music can be recorded more efficiently. -
The Great Migration
The Great Depression impacted everyone in the United States at the time. Many African Americans migrated north to cities like Chicago from the South's harsh Jim Crow Laws. A new type of sound in the blues age was created, better known as "Chicago Blues." Chicago Blues was packed with more emotion and power than any form of blues at the time. -
The Birth of the Electric Guitar
Musician George Beauchamp and engineer Adolph Rickenbacher develop the first instrument to infuse electric technology, the electric guitar. A man by the name of Eddie Durham is the first to record music using the electric guitar. This significance sparks a transformation in blues, and further more, the whole world of music we know. -
The Start of Muddy Waters
Someone you may or may not know about began his claim to fame working in clubs in Chicago on the nightly. His amplified electric guitar sound lured in producers from local studios, which eventually gave him his first shot at the big leagues. -
Muddy's Climbing to the Top!
Waters records a new rendition of "Country Blues," released under the title, "I Feel Like Going Home." His single reached to number eleven on the "Most Played Records" charts. -
The Birth of Chess Records
In 1950 a studio by the name of Chess Records is born. This particular recording studio would go on to define blues, as they pick up soon-to-be superstars such as Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, and many more. -
Long Live the King!
An up rise in blues music began in the 50's when a man by the name of Elvis Presley debuts on Sun Records with his version of Arthur Crudup's, "That's Alright." -
The Stones begin Rolling
Soon to be legendary band, The Rolling Stones, began their start to fame. They ultimately become a blues band before creating the historic sound we know and love still today. -
The Blues Hall of Fame
The music museum in Memphis,Tennessee opens in tribute to the men and women who dedicated their careers to the sound of blues. Among the first to be inducted are included: B.B King, Muddy Waters, Bessie Smith, and Willie Dixon. -
The Death of Muddy Waters
McKinley Morganfield (Muddy Waters) passes away in his suburban home in Westmont, Illinois. He was and will be known as the King of Blues music, as he revolutionized the genre in Chicago in the 40s and 50s with his electric blues. -
"Year of the Blues"
US Congress declares the year 2003 as, "The Year of the Blues," to commemorate the 100th anniversary of W.C Handy's encounter with an unknown bluesman at a train station in Mississippi. The amount of respect for these men and women will go on forever, as their souls in music will never die.
