Editing Electric blues (section)

==Early regional styles==
{{Main article|Chicago blues|Memphis blues|New Orleans blues|West Coast blues}}
The blues, like [[jazz]], probably began to be amplified in the late 1930s.<ref name=Allmusicrock1351>V. Bogdanov, C. Woodstra, S. T. Erlewine, ''All music guide to rock: the definitive guide to rock, pop, and soul'' (Backbeat books, 3rd ed., 2002), pp. 1351-2.</ref> The first star of the electric blues is generally recognized as being [[T-Bone Walker]]; born in Texas but moving to Los Angeles in the mid-1930s, he combined blues with elements of [[swing music]] and jazz in a long and prolific career.<ref name=Allmusicrock1351/> After World War II, amplified blues music became popular in American cities that had seen widespread [[African American]] migration, such as [[Chicago]],<ref>E. M. Komara, ''Encyclopedia of the blues'' (Routledge, 2006), p. 118.</ref> [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]],<ref>M. A. Humphry, "Holy Blues: The Gospel Tradition," in L. Cohn, M. K. Aldin and B. Bastin, eds, ''Nothing But the Blues: The Music and the Musicians'' (Abbeville Press, 1993), p. 179.</ref> [[Detroit]],<ref name=Herzhaft1997p53>G. Herzhaft, ''Encyclopedia of the Blues'' (University of Arkansas Press, 1997), p. 53.</ref><ref>{{cite AV media notes
|title=Detroit Ghetto Blues 1948 to 1954
|last=Pierson
|first=Leroy
|publisher=[[Nighthawk Records]]
|id=104
|date=1976
|location=St. Louis
|type=Vinyl back cover
|url=http://www.wirz.de/music/nighthaw/grafik/104b4.jpg
}}
</ref> [[St. Louis]], and the [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]]. The initial impulse was to be heard above the noise of lively [[rent party|rent parties]].<ref name=Allmusicblues694-5>V. Bogdanov, C. Woodstra, S. T. Erlewine, ''All music guide to the blues: the definitive guide to the blues'' (Backbeat Books, 3rd ed., 2003), pp. 694-95.</ref> Playing in small venues, electric blues bands tended to remain modest in size compared with larger jazz bands.<ref name=Allmusicblues694-5/> In its early stages electric blues typically used amplified [[electric guitar]]s, [[double bass]] (which was progressively replaced by [[bass guitar]]), and [[harmonica]] played through a microphone and a [[power amp]] or a [[guitar amplifier]].<ref name=Allmusicblues694-5/>

By the late 1940s several Chicago-based blues artists had begun to use amplification, including [[John Lee Williamson]] and [[Johnny Shines]]. Early recordings in the new style were made in 1947 and 1948 by musicians such as [[Johnny "Man" Young|Johnny Young]], [[Floyd Jones]], and  [[Snooky Pryor]].  The format was perfected by [[Muddy Waters]], who utilized various small groups that provided a strong rhythm section and powerful harmonica. His "I Can't Be Satisfied" (1948) was followed by a series of ground-breaking recordings.<ref>M. A. Humphry, "Holy Blues: The Gospel Tradition," in L. Cohn, M. K. Aldin and B. Bastin, eds, ''Nothing But the Blues: The Music and the Musicians'' (Abbeville Press, 1993), p. 180.</ref> [[Chicago blues]] is influenced to a large extent by the [[Delta blues|Mississippi blues]] style, because many performers had migrated from the [[Mississippi]] region. [[Howlin' Wolf]], Muddy Waters, [[Willie Dixon]] and  [[Jimmy Reed]] were all born in Mississippi and moved to Chicago during the [[Great Migration (African American)|Great Migration]]. In addition to electric guitar, harmonica, and a rhythm section of bass and drums, some performers such as [[J. T. Brown (musician)|J. T. Brown]] who played in [[Elmore James]]'s bands or [[J. B. Lenoir]]'s also used saxophones, largely as a supporting instrument. [[Little Walter]], [[Sonny Boy Williamson II|Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Miller)]] and [[Big Walter Horton]] were among the best-known harmonica (called "[[Richter-tuned harmonica|blues harp]]" by blues musicians) players of the early Chicago blues scene and the sound of electric instruments and harmonica is often seen as characteristic of electric Chicago blues.<ref>R. Unterberger, ''Music USA: a coast-to-coast tour of American music: the artists, the venues, the stories, and the essential recordings'' (Rough Guides, 1999), p. 250.</ref> Muddy Waters and Elmore James were known for their innovative use of slide electric guitar.<ref>G. Herzhaft, ''Encyclopedia of the Blues'' (University of Arkansas Press, 1997), p. 95.</ref> Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters were for their deep, "gravelly" voices.<ref>G. Herzhaft, ''Encyclopedia of the Blues'' (University of Arkansas Press, 1997), p. 185.</ref> Bassist and composer Willie Dixon played a major role on the Chicago blues scene. He composed and wrote many [[blues standard|standard blues]] songs of the period, such as "[[Hoochie Coochie Man]]", "[[I Just Want to Make Love to You]]" (both penned for Muddy Waters) and, "[[Wang Dang Doodle]]", "[[Spoonful]]" and "[[Back Door Man]]" for Howlin' Wolf.<ref>G. Herzhaft, ''Encyclopedia of the Blues'' (University of Arkansas Press, 1997), p. 56.</ref> Most artists of the Chicago blues style recorded for the Chicago-based [[Chess Records]] and [[Checker Records]] labels; there were also smaller blues labels in this era including [[Vee-Jay Records]] and [[J.O.B. Records]].<ref>Victor Coelho, ''[[Cambridge Companions to Music|The Cambridge companion to the guitar]]'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 98.</ref>

In the late 1950s, the [[West Side, Chicago|West Side]] style blues emerged in Chicago with major figures including [[Magic Sam]], [[Jimmy Dawkins]], [[Magic Slim]] and [[Otis Rush]].<ref>E. M. Komara, ''Encyclopedia of the blues'' (Routledge, 2006), p. 49.</ref> West Side clubs were more accessible to white audiences, but performers were mainly black, or part of mixed combos.<ref>R. Unterberger, ''Music USA: a coast-to-coast tour of American music: the artists, the venues, the stories, and the essential recordings'' (Rough Guides, 1999), p. 256.</ref> West Side blues incorporated elements of [[blues rock]] but with a greater emphasis on standards and traditional blues song forms.<ref>C. Rotella, ''Good with Their Hands: Boxers, Bluesmen, and Other Characters from the Rust Belt'' (Chicago: University of California Press, 2004), pp. 68-70.</ref>  [[Albert King]], [[Buddy Guy]], and [[Luther Allison]] had a West Side style that was dominated by amplified electric lead guitar.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia
|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/151.html
|title=Blues
|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Chicago
|access-date=2008-08-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|title=West Side Chicago Blues
|url=http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=11835
|work=All about Jazz
|author=C. Michael Bailey
|date=2003-10-04
|access-date=2008-08-13}}</ref>

[[File:JohnLeeHooker1997.jpg|thumb|John Lee Hooker created his own blues style and renewed it several times during his long career.]]

Memphis, with its flourishing acoustic blues scene based in [[Beale Street]], also developed an electric blues sound during the early 1950s. [[Sam Phillips]]' [[Sun Records]] company recorded musicians such as Howlin' Wolf (before he moved to Chicago), [[Willie Nix]], [[Ike Turner]], and [[B.B. King]].<ref>J. Broven, ''Record Makers and Breakers: Voices of the Independent Rock ʹnʹ Roll Pioneers Music in American Life'' (University of Illinois Press, 2009), pp. 149-54.</ref> Other Memphis blues musicians involved with Sun Records included [[Joe Hill Louis]], [[Willie Johnson (guitarist)|Willie Johnson]] and [[Pat Hare]] who introduced electric guitar techniques such as [[distortion (music)|distorted]] and [[power chord]]s, anticipating elements of [[heavy metal music]].<ref name="palmer">Robert Palmer, "Church of the Sonic Guitar", pp. 13-38 in Anthony DeCurtis, ''Present Tense'', Duke University Press, 1992, pp. 24-27. {{ISBN|0-8223-1265-4}}.</ref> These players had an influence on early rock and rollers and [[rockabilly|rockabillies]], many of whom also recorded for Sun Records. After Phillips discovered [[Elvis Presley]] in 1954, the Sun label turned to the rapidly expanding white audience and started recording mostly [[rock and roll]].<ref name=Allmusicblues690-1>V. Bogdanov, C. Woodstra, S. T. Erlewine, ''All music guide to the blues: the definitive guide to the blues'' (Backbeat Books, 3rd ed., 2003), pp. 690-91.</ref>  [[Booker T. & the M.G.'s]] carried the electric blues style into the 1960s.

Detroit-based [[John Lee Hooker]] pursued a unique brand of electric blues based on his deep rough voice accompanied by a single electric guitar. Though not directly influenced by [[boogie-woogie]], his "groovy" style is sometimes called "guitar boogie". His first hit, "[[Boogie Chillen]]", reached #1 on the R&B charts in 1949.<ref>L. Bjorn, ''Before Motown'' (University of Michigan Press, 2001), p. 175.</ref> He continued to play and record until his death in 2001.<ref>P. Buckley, ''The rough guide to rock'' (Rough Guides, 3rd ed., 2003), p. 505.</ref>

The [[New Orleans blues]] musician [[Guitar Slim]] recorded "[[The Things That I Used to Do]]" (1953), which featured an electric guitar solo with distorted overtones and became a major R&B hit in 1954.<ref>{{cite book|last=Aswell|first=Tom|title=Louisiana Rocks! The True Genesis of Rock & Roll|year=2010|publisher=[[Pelican Publishing Company]]|location=[[Gretna, Louisiana]]|isbn=978-1589806771|pages=61–5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BSHTGsnI8skC&pg=PA61}}</ref> It is regarded as one of [[The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.infoplease.com/ipea/A0150472.html|title=500 Songs That Shaped Rock|publisher=Infoplease.com|access-date=2006-11-05 }}</ref> and contributed to the development of [[soul music]].<ref name=Bogdanov2003AMLouisianBlues>R. Unterberger, "Louisiana blues", in V. Bogdanov, C. Woodstra, S. T. Erlewine, eds, ''All Music Guide to the Blues: The Definitive Guide to the Blues'' (Milwaukee, WI: Backbeat Books, 3rd edn., 2003), {{ISBN|0-87930-736-6}}, pp. 687-8.</ref>

In the 1950s, blues had a huge influence on mainstream American popular music. While popular musicians like [[Bo Diddley]]<ref name=Herzhaft1997p53/> and [[Chuck Berry]],<ref>G. Herzhaft, ''Encyclopedia of the Blues'' (University of Arkansas Press, 1997), p. 11.</ref> both recording for Chess, were influenced by the Chicago blues, their enthusiastic playing styles departed from the melancholy aspects of blues and played a major role in the development of rock and roll.<ref name=Campbell2008>M. Campbell, ed., ''Popular Music in America: And the Beat Goes on'' (Cengage Learning, 3rd ed., 2008), p. 168.</ref> Chicago blues also influenced [[Louisiana]]'s [[zydeco]] music,<ref>G. Herzhaft, ''Encyclopedia of the Blues'' (University of Arkansas Press, 1997), p. 236.</ref> with [[Clifton Chenier]]<ref>G. Herzhaft, ''Encyclopedia of the Blues'' (University of Arkansas Press, 1997), p. 35.</ref> using blues accents. Zydeco musicians used electric solo guitar and [[cajun]] arrangements of blues standards.