The genesis of most popular musical styles can be traced back to the blues. Developed from an outgrowth of the early African-American experience, its earliest influences shaped the roots of American music ranging from gospel choirs and bar room singers in the deep South, to early jazz, “rhythm and blues” (R&B), rock and roll, and pop styles of today. Blues, passed down from generation to generation through an “oral” tradition, originally acted as functional music offering African-Americans a vehicle to convey their daily experiences. Early forms of the blues include the “field holler^C” (a freely improvised American Negro work song), which allowed laborers in the field to keep in contact with each other, while the “ring shout^C” was used for dancing.

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