One of the biggest misconceptions about blues music is that the genre is all about doom and gloom. Naturally, many blues songs feature lyrics about being down in the dumps, love lost, and heartbreak.

(ThyBlackMan.com) When I think about the roots of blues music—the raw honesty, the pain wrapped in poetry, the joy carved out of hardship—I think of Ma Rainey. Her voice was more than a sound; it was ...

Proving that even British bands could get in on the yacht rock act, the Climax Blues Band knocked off a pair of songs that fit well into the canon. There was the sleekly funky “Couldn’t Get It Right” ...

(ThyBlackMan.com) With a career spanning over seven decades, Bobby Rush stands as one of the most resilient and influential figures in American music. A master of blending blues, soul, and funk with ...

As the National Museum of African American Music opens its doors, journalists from the USA TODAY Network explore the stories, places and people who helped make music what it is today in our expansive ...