The Blues

The History of the Blues is one of the most dramatic, fascinating and extraordinary epics of the 20th century. Coming from the collective genius of African-American people subjected to segregation , this rural popular music appeared spontaneously in the Southern States at the end of the 19th century, then spread to the ghettos of the large cities of the North. Music from the underworld, ignored by the white population, the blues conveys the frustrations, anger, dismay and cries of the black man in a hostile environment, but also the dreams of his emancipation. From the 1950s, he began to be recognized beyond his community, and young American singers, then English groups, took up his famous and hypnotic 12 bars to create rock 'n' roll.

This late recognition allowed Muddy Waters , T. Bone Walker , John Lee Hooker , BB King , Memphis Slim and Buddy Guy to be appreciated around the world, while the pioneers, Charley Patton , Blind Lemon Jefferson , Robert Johnson and Bessie Smith , are finally entitled to a universal tribute, unfortunately posthumous.

Their story, in striking images, is told here.