Blues

Blues [blues] is a musical style that originated in the African American slave community in the 19th century in the United States. Blues is a secular music based on religious gospels and spirituals and is heavily influenced by African music of indigenous peoples. Unlike spirituals, the main emphasis in the original blues was on solo singing. The use of the call-and-response model was common. The solo voice was later accompanied by a musical instrument, very often a guitar. The word blues in English conveys a depressed, sad state, which characterizes many blues songs. However, there are also often songs with happy, joking or sexual content. The blues provided a direct basis for jazz, ragtime, country (country music was only influenced by the blues in the 19th century, as it originated in the 18th century), rock and roll, rock and roll, and other styles of Western European popular music; it also influenced many classical composers and was an indirect basis for hip hop and pop music.