Blues Ballad - Popular Blues Ballads

Popular Blues Ballads

Developing in south-western United States in the late 19th century, the blues ballad combined elements of the European influenced "native American ballad" with the forms of African American music. They tended to deal with active protagonists, often anti-heroes, resisting adversity and authority, often in the context of increasing industrialisation, but they usually lacked the strong narrative common in European ballads (perhaps because the events were familiar) and emphasised instead the character of the protagonists. They were often accompanied by banjo and guitar and often followed a standard 12-bar the blues format, with a repeated refrain in the last line of every verse. Blues ballads are usually anonymously authored and were performed by both black and white musicians in the early 19th century. Ballads about anti-heroes include "Wild Bill Jones", "Stagger Lee" and "John Hardy". The most famous blues ballads that deal with heroes in the context of industrialisation include those about John Henry and Casey Jones.