Is the blues dead?
No! But I’m not talking about John Mayer and Eric Clapton.
The blues originated in the Deep South of the United States during the 1860s and has since developed into one of the most influential genres of americana music.
Many music fans would say that the blues is dead, meaning that musicians have since forgotten about the blues and moved towards the sounds of their generations (jazz, rock, etc).
Others say the blues is dead because it has become white-washed and about whoever can play scales the fastest.
However, this newsletter will cover one style of blues that has persisted throughout generations to remain true to its roots, hill country blues.
What is Hill Country Blues?
Musicians of hill country derived their music from the style of delta blues, which has a more “clean” sound. Hill country on the other hand is more “dirty” and has a lot more drive than the delta. RL Burnside, Junior Kimbrough, and T-Model Ford are some of the big hitters to play Hill Country. They each made a name for themselves creating their own unique style that has influenced countless musicians today. This newsletter will once a weekly dive into the sounds of the hill country blues from the past and the present.
Who am I?
I’m Sam Johnson, and for as long as I can remember I have been surrounded by the hill country blues. My father, Chris Johnson, has deeply placed his roots in this music scene. He put on the Deep Blues festival and shows at his juke joint, The Bayport BBQ. Growing up I never really understood his passion for this music until recently when I started taking guitar lessons from Joe Evans of the band, Left Lane Cruiser (pictured above). Over the past two years I have been indulging in everything hill country related (documentaries, stories, articles, social-media, etc). I decided to create this news letter to not only share my findings and promote this music, but to also expose others to the drive of hill country.
You may be cool, but you’ll never be R.L. and Junior cool.
