The genesis of most popular musical styles can be traced back to the blues. Developed from an outgrowth of the early African-American experience, its earliest influences shaped the roots of American music ranging from gospel choirs and bar room singers in the deep South, to early jazz, “rhythm and blues” (R&B), rock and roll, and pop styles of today. Blues, passed down from generation to generation through an “oral” tradition, originally acted as functional music offering African-Americans a vehicle to convey their daily experiences. Early forms of the blues include the “field holler” (a freely improvised American Negro work song), which allowed laborers in the field to keep in contact with each other, while the “ring shout” was used for dancing.

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