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The Origins of the Blues

The origins of the blues are complicated. From obscure beginnings in the American South, the blues has developed into what one historian recently called not just a people's music, but a music of the people. Indeed, the blues more than any other form of music represents the culture and society of black America.

Owing a great debt to a West African heritage, the blues emerged from a complex meld of old African musical customs and traditions, religious hymns adapted by African-Americans, and the combined experiences of millions during the periods of slavery and reconstruction to create a truly unique musical form. To understand where the blues came from, however, we must go back to the very beginning.

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