(ThyBlackMan.com) There’s something about Buddy Guy that hits you right in the gut—the way he bends a string, the way his voice trembles with heartbreak, the way he pours a lifetime of joy and sorrow ...

The Moody Blues have been nothing if not adaptable, starting out as a rough-housing R&B band, evolving through celebrated early experiments with orchestral rock, and then morphing into polished '80s ...

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) As the undisputed “Empress of the Blues,” Bessie Smith’s voice is a cornerstone of American music history. Her raw emotion, unwavering strength, and uncompromising style helped shape ...

It’d be hard to define this Led Zeppelin I closing track as a straight blues number, but for its lyrical content, repetitive infectious bass-line and allusion to the Albert King track "The Hunter," we ...

The history of blues music is drenched in melancholy. Merriam-Webster tells us the first known use was in 1741, originating from “blue devils.” So it’s no surprise when some of the most gut-wrenching ...

What it did: Popularised Johnson’s great creation myth – that his fame was the result of a deal made with the Devil at a rural crossroads. What came next: Johnson died at 27, cementing his Faustian ...

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 ...

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 ...