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Kelly Richey

A History of the Blues

CinCinnati arts assoCiation, EduCation/Community rElations, 650 Walnut st., CinCinnati, oH 45202 PHonE 513-977-4116, Fax 513-977-4150

WWW.CinCinnatiarts.org, [email protected]

Study Guide

Written by Emily Riley & Kelly Richey

Edited & Designed by Kathleen Riemenschneider

Artists on Tour

Cincinnati Arts Association 2 A History of the Blues

Biography of Kelly richeyKelly Richey has been described as “Stevie Ray Vaughan trapped in a woman’s body with Janis

Joplin screaming to get out.” From Lexington, Kentucky, Kelly Richey is a master Blues guitarist who has been compared to such legends as Jimi Hendrix, Walter Trout, Bonnie Raitt and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Richey’s powerful guitar chops capture an audience with muscular, aggressive guitar leads that will amaze even the most seasoned blues enthusiast. Richey has been touring as a pro since her teens; for over 30 years, Richey has been burning up the fret board on her Strat with hard-hitting, riff driven, gritty blues-based rock. Kelly Richey fronts her power trio The Kelly Richey Band, with a gutsy authority and fret board prowess that leave stunned audiences in her wake. Simply put, her live shows have to be seen to be believed. The heady combination of Richey’s powerful alto and the sheer intensity in her playing solidify Kelly Richey’s standing among the best blues guitarists known today.

aBout the assemBlyA History of the Blues blends lecture, live performance, recorded music, and cross-curricular study

guide materials to bring to life the evolution of blues music. Students will explore the colorful lives of various artists, with an emphasis placed on African American artists who embody the history of blues music.

There is hardly a style in popular music today that hasn’t been touched by the blues. In this program students learn distinctive lyrics, song structure, and rhythmic patterns of the blues. The program includes the origin and history of blues as well as the evolution of sound recordings.

The goal of A History of the Blues is to enrich student learning of music and social studies core content standards. Students will be able to identify the 12 bar blues pattern, the origin and history of blues music, key African American blues artists, and the influence blues has had on modern music.

musical performances“Ramblin’ On My Mind” – Robert Johnson“Mean Old World” – Big Bill Broozey“The Blues Don’t Lie” – Kelly Richey“Hey Joe” – Jimi Hendrix“Crossroads” – Robert Johnson

Recorded musical pieces:“Cat Fish Blues” – Muddy Waters version and Jimi Hendrix version“You Shook Me” - Muddy Waters version and Led Zepplin version“Bring it on Home” – Willie Dixon version and Led Zepplin version“Back Door Man” – Willie Dixon version and The Doors version“Hound Dog” – Big Mama Thorton version and Elvis Presley version“Crossroads” – Robert Johnson and Cream version

“Her enthusiasm and knowledge are boundless, and her medium speaks to young people in a way that is timely and authentic.”

—Kathryn Burkland Yellow Spring High School Yellow Springs, OH


history of the BluesBlues music is a genre of African American folk and popular music,

predominantly in 4/4 time. Blues lyrics tend to deal with the hardships of life and the vicissitudes of love. They are typically cast in a three-line stanza consisting of an initial line, its repetition, and a new third line (A A B). Blues music uses a scale in which the third, fifth, and seventh notes are freely bent. The music is generally 12 bars long, falling into three phrases of four bars each (one phrase for each line of text). The most typical chord pattern for these phrases is based on the first (I), fourth (IV), and fifth (V) notes of the scale. Each phrase of sung text is normally followed by instrumental improvisation, creating a call-and-response pattern.

Blues singing, rooted in various forms of black American slave song, was widespread in the southern United States by the late 19th century. Archaic or country blues differed widely in their lyric and musical form; singers typically accompanied themselves on guitar or harmonica. Later singers in this style include Blind Lemon Jefferson and Leadbelly (Huddie Ledbetter). In 1912, with the publication of “Memphis Blues” by W. C. Handy, blues entered the arena of popular song. Classic city blues evolved in the 1920s and 1930s in the singing of Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, and others. Lyric and musical forms became largely standardized, and singers often worked with jazz band or piano. Adapted to solo piano, blues gave rise to boogie-woogie piano playing.

Blues and jazz overlapped, sometimes almost indistinguishably, and blues was considered a nurturing form for early jazz, but blues also developed independently. In the 1940s singers such as T-Bone Walker and Louis Jordan performed with big bands or with ensembles based on electric guitar, acoustic string bass, drums, and saxophones; the electric organ also came into use about this time. After 1950 B. B. King, Ray Charles, and others used improved electric guitars (allowing manipulation of sustained tones) and louder, electric basses; brass instruments often replaced saxophones. Record companies applied the terms rhythm and blues and, later, soul to blues and nonblues music in these blues styles.

Source: “Blues.” Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 2001. © 1993-2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

ViciSSitude— the quality or state of being changeable; a favorable or unfavorable event or situation that occurs by chance; a difficulty or hardship, usually beyond one’s control

Bent—a note is altered, usually down a half note, from the typical scale

call-and-ReSponSe— alternation between two performers or soloist and a group of performers, the leader sings a verse then the others respond by singing the same verse

“Richey’s full bodied knowledge of the guitar and vocal instruments, as well as blues history, is clearly evident, as is her passion for music. Her delivery, both onstage and off is powerful and compelling.”

—Susan Lachmann, Sound Learning


timeline of the Blues

SourCE: Blues For Dummies by Lonnie Brooks, Cub Koda, Wayne Baker Brooks, Dan Aykroyd


geography of the Blues

Blues road Trip, PBS, http://www.pbs.org/theblues/roadtrip.html

VocaBulary

delta BlueS—The birthplace of the blues at the turn of the 19th centurycountRy BlueS—An early rural form of blues recorded in 1920s consisting of a “down home” style

and usually recorded by a male singer, self-accompanied on the guitar or piano, with perhaps an accompanying harmonica or simple percussion

piedmont BlueS—East coast and Appalachian Mountain Blues characterized by a unique finger picking method on the guitar in which a regular, alternating-thumb bass pattern supports a melody using treble strings

electRic BlueS—Evolved from Delta roots by taking the country blues sound, adding more musicians, and amplifying it

BlueS ReViVal—British blues revival of the late 1950s heavily influenced by the raw sound of Delta blues and the amplified, urban style of Chicago blues


the assemBly programIntroduction: Kelly Richey, the artist, introductions

part 1Performance: Acoustic Blues (Modern Interpretation)

• “Ramblin on My Mind” written by Robert Johnson• “It’s A Mean Old World” written by Big Bill Broonzey• “The Blues Don’t Lie” written by Kelly Richey

Lecture: 12 Bar Blues• Song Structure• Rhythm, Beats, and Patterns• Song Lyrics

Sound Recordings:• “Ramblin’ On My Mind” written/recording by Robert Johnson• “It’s a Mean Old World” recording by Eric Clapton and Duane Allman• “It’s a Mean Old World” recording by The Kelly Richey BandStudents will be asked to listen to the overall sound quality, instrumentation, rhythms, beats and

patterns. All songs played will be examples of 12 bar blues.

12 Bar Blues12 Bar Blues is a chord progression based on the I, the IV, and the V chords of a major scale. If a

song is in the key of G, for example, the I chord would be a G, the IV chord would be a C, and the V chord would be a D.

Example of “12 Bar Blues” using the I, IV, V chord progression.

/ I / I / I / I / I V / I V // I / I / V / I V / I / V /

12 Bar Blues = 12 measures that repeat in a typical Blues song


part 2Lecture: Geographic Origin of the Blues and Blues History

A brief history of the geographic origin of the blues will be given. We will then trace its migration as it spread throughout the country, west to Texas, and north up the Mississippi River to towns like Memphis, St. Louis, Detroit, and Chicago.

Sound Recordings: The Birth of Rock n’ Roll• “Hound Dog” originally recorded by Big Mama Thorton• “Hound Dog” recorded by Elvis Presley• “Crossroads” recording by the band Cream• “Bring It On Home”, “I Can’t Quit You Babe” written and recorded by Willie Dixon• “Bring It On Home”, “I Can’t Quit You Babe” recorded by Led Zeppelin• “Catfish” written and recorded by Muddy Waters• “Catfish” recorded by Jimi Hendrix

Performance: Electric Blues• “Hey Joe” recorded by Jimi Hendrix• “Crossroads” written by Robert Johnson

The history of electrified music will be discussed.

part 3Sound Recordings: The Birth of Rap Music

• “Walk This Way” recorded by Run MDC• “Cowboy” written by Kid Rock

Lecture: Blues to Modern Music From blues to rock n’ roll, there is a story to be told. From the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement there is a voice to be heard. From rap to the modern music of today, the story continues.

Conclusion: A summary of the evolution of blues music as it began in the rural south, spread throughout the country, and gave birth to rock n’ roll is presented. To conclude Kelly Richey will share her story as a female blues artist, the struggles she faced in school and the real life experience she has had maintaining a professional career in music.

Question and answer time will be allowed and encouraged.


pre & post lessons & actiVties 1. Select a video to play for the class. Have students write or journal. (See video list)

*The PBS series, The Blues/ A Musical Journey, includes seven full length films covering the entire spectrum of blues history to modern music.

2. Conduct a web-based research activity from blues websites and have students write a report. (See websites list) Use each student’s report in order of the historical timeline and identify major historical events that coincide with the life and times of particular artist’s lives.

3. Ask each student to select a different blues musician to research and write a short report on the artist’s biography. (See timeline for list of blues artists) Create a geographical map showing where the artist was born, where they were raised, where they traveled throughout their career and finally, where they died. Use this as an opportunity to explore the history of the times in each geographical region, and its impact on music. Students can chose a song written or performed by the artist they selected, and write a set of song lyrics of their own to the same meter. Encourage each student to draw from his or her life experience for the content of the song.

4. Make percussion instruments, drums and/or shakers, to generate rhythms. Study rhythmic patterns and time signatures of different styles of music. (See Making Musical Instrument by Rebecca Anders)

5. Explore, in depth, the influence that blues music has had on modern day music. What other blues artists, old and new, do we have in today’s modern music? What impact does music have on your life? Have students write an essay that discuses these topics.

resourcesWeBsites aBout the Blues

http://www.pbs.org/theblues/http://www.alan-lomax.com/home.htmlhttp://thebluehighway.com/blues/

Videos aBout the BluesMartin Scorsese presents The Blues/A Musical Journey

Contains seven feature length films: Feel Like Going Home by Martin Scorsese The Soul of a Man by Wim Wenders The Road to Memphis by Richard Pearce Warming by the Devil’s Fire by Charles Burnett Godfathers and Sons by Marc Levin Red, White & Blues by Mike Figgis Piano Blues by Clint Eastwood

Running time: approximately 13 hours*Study guide and teaching materials for this series available at: http://www.pbs.org/theblues/

Bluesland – A Portrait In American Music

http://www.pbs.org/theblues/

http://www.alan-lomax.com/home.htm

http://thebluehighway.com/blues/

http://www.pbs.org/theblues/


BooKs aBout the BluesProvided by The Children’s Learning Center, The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County

Grades 4 - 6Music for Children

Big Blues: Blues Music for KidsLead Belly Sings for Children

Easy BooksCleveland Lee’s Beale Street Band by Art FlowersTiny’s Hat by Ann GrifalconiThe Blue’s of Flats Brown by Walter Dean MyersMaking Musical Instruments by Rebecca Anders

Grades 7 - 10Juvenile Nonfiction

Blues: Its Birth and Growth by Howard ElmerThe Blues Singers: Ten Who Rocked the World by Julius LesterW. C. Handy: Founder of the Blues by L. S. SummerJust Listen to the Song I’m Singing: African-American History Through Song by Jerry SilvermanAfrican American Musicians by Eleanora E. Tate

Teen NonfictionThis House On Fire: The Story of the Blues by Craig AwmillerEvery Day I Sing the Blues: The Story of B.B. King by David ShirleyRaggin’ the Blues: Legendary Country Blues and Ragtime Music by Mary Wilds

Grades 11 - 12Adult Nonfiction

Blues for Dummies by Lonnie Brooks, Cub Koda and Wayne Baker BrooksThe Big Book of Blues by Robert SantelliNothing But the Blues by Lawrence CohnThe Rhythm and Blues Story by Gene BusnarBlues Faces: A Portrait of the Blues by Ann and Samuel ChartersThe Blues is a Feeling: Voices & Visions of African-American Blues Music by James FraherBig Star Fallin’ Mama: Five Women in Black Music by Hettie JonesOutlaws and Outcasts by Jerry Silverman

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