In many ways, the Blues was the soundtrack for black life under white Southern oppression. Economic conditions in the south were horrible from the civil war well into the 1940's. Daily life was a harsh economic struggle, the blues emerged as a reaction to the worsening of southern economy. From religion, to segregation, to unemployment, the blues evolved to reflect a changing social climate. Early blues songs told of extreme conditions in the fields, on the levees, in the work camps of the South. Prisons and prison life also played a very important defining role for the blues. Economic and social conditions in the South were definitely not favorable for the black population. Slavery was "over," reconstruction was over, leaving a lasting segregation permeating all aspects of life. The exodus into the Northern industrial cities was a search for a better life. As the blues moved into the dense urban area of the North, subjects and styles changed to fit its environment. In essence the blues is a musical form based on alienation, depression, and suffering. It is based on universal constructs, touching on subjects that have touched all of us at one time or another. It is very accessible. Still, the reasons for the blues may run much deeper. …
