Unlike other forms of music, the blues was recorded only by heart and passed down from generation to generation through live performances. The blues began in the northern Mississippi Delta after the Civil War. He was heavily influenced by African roots, field cries, ballads, sacred music, and rhythmic dance pieces called jump-ups. This eventually developed into music set in a call-and-response manner so that the singer would sing a verse and then respond with his guitar. The blues, a uniquely American art form, was born on dusty street corners. of the Deep South in the late 1800s. An evolution of West African music brought to the United States by slaves, created the blues which was a way for southern blacks to express their hardships, heartbreaks, religion, passion and politics that they experienced in their daily lives. screw. Most blues songs were never written, much less recorded, but were instead passed down from one musician to another and played on a variety of instruments including an array of string instruments, harmonicas, and woodwinds. When blues songs began to be officially recorded in the 1920s, the instruments most frequently found were guitars and pianos. However, the basic 12-bar style and three-chord progression have remained the same over the years and continue to be key components of the blues. Typical elements of blues include rhythmic, lyrical, instrumental and structural aspects. In blues, the drums are not only used to keep the beat, but also to help maintain a feeling of tension throughout the song by placing some emphasis on the off-beat. This is commonly seen in a blues rhythm called a shuffle rhythm, which works by using the "pre" rhythm be...... middle of paper ......ow. The lyrics of the song are meant to be quite fun and play with old rural traditions and a male hoochie coochie man. Both BB King and Muddy Waters had a huge impact on blues culture and will be remembered as major contributors to not only the blues genre but music in general. Works Cited • “B.B. King.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, December 13, 2013. Web. December 17, 2013. • “Muddy Waters.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, December 12, 2013. Web. December 17, 2013. • “The thrill is over.” By B.B. King Songfacts. Np, nd Web. 17 December 2013.• "TuttaMusica". All the music. Np, nd Web. December 17, 2013.• Welna, David. "The Story of 'I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man'" NPR. NPR and Web. December 17, 2013. • “Meaning of the Hoochie Coochie Man.” Shmoop. Np, nd Web. December 17, 2013.• “Musical Elements of Blues Music.” ELike United Kingdom. Np, nd Web. December 17. 2013.