Blues  •  Chicago Blues

Acoustic Chicago Blues

Overview Artists Albums Songs

Acoustic Chicago Blues describes the version of music emanating from the Windy City in the years before the twin arrivals of Muddy Waters and electric guitars changed everything. Chicago was recording central for most blues recording artists of the 1930s and '40s, and most performers were plugged into what has became known as "the Bluebird Beat," an acoustic-based progenitor of the later electric Chicago blues band lineup. Its music is earmarked by what is usually described as a "hokum style" -- heavy on lyrics that promote a lighthearted atmosphere, and propelled by a jazz-influenced beat and a more city derived slant.