Dirty blues encompasses forms of blues music, that deal with topics, that are sometimes considered taboo in society, including sexual metaphors and/or references to drug use of some kind. Due to the sometimes graphic subject matter, such music was often banned from radio and only available on a jukebox. The style was most popular in the years before World War II and had a revival in the 1960s.
The more noteworthy musicians, who utilised the style included Bo Carter, Bull Moose Jackson, Myra Johnson, The Lamplighters, Harlem Hamfats, and The Midnighters.
Read more about Dirty Blues: Notable Dirty Blues Songs
Famous quotes containing the words dirty and/or blues:
“Major Bagley: So they really got the Arizona.
Captain Quincannon: Yes, sir. Hickham Field was hit just as bad as Pearl Harbor, lot of fifth column work.
Major Bagley: I’ve studied all the wars in history, gentlemen, and I’ve never come across any dirty treachery like that.”
—Dudley Nichols (1895–1960)
“The blues women had a commanding presence and a refreshing robustness. They were nurturers, taking the yeast of experience, kneading it into dough, molding it and letting it grow in their minds to bring the listener bread for sustenance, shaped by their sensibilities.”
—Rosetta Reitz, U.S. author. As quoted in The Political Palate, ch. 10, by Betsey Beaven et al. (1980)