Mississippi River Blues: The adaptations of song along the Mississippi

[caption id="attachment_15368" align="alignleft" width="300"] Mississippi River Blues[/caption]

Carol Forsloff --The Mississippi River forms the backdrop of much of music history, with Louisiana at the center of the blues.  Blues came from those old gospel songs, woven into a new fabric that made musicians sing of hard times.  The genre, from the African American community, spread to folk and country, then to contemporary standards.  The types of music flowing from the river reveal the intertwining of words and melodies reflecting the history and culture that has moved with those mighty waters.

Mississippi River Blues is one of those songs that was done first by an African American singer Big Bill Broonzy  who wrote of that river in bluesy ragtime tones.   He introduces it by telling us that old river is "so deep and wide," as one listens to the strings and resonance of ragtime.    He put this out in 1934, at a time when the blues had edged itself into the mainstream, having ridden into the world on the voices of Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, John Lee Hooker and the folks who got down into the depths of human feeling, to pull out those blues from where hurt really came.

Country singers, with their classic three-chord melodies, did not make those complicated blues strings make the same sounds as in New Orleans, but they were able to make the blues authentic as well, because many of the performers of that genre in the early days understood hard times and sang of them.  That was true of Hank Snow who composed his own version of Mississippi River Blues, with an almost replica of Boozy's first line, but then lyrics and melody that were different afterward.  Jimmie Rodgers  came along, recorded Snow's song, and made it his own in his personal style.  It was a time of trading, of music crossing the borders of type and style, to be embraced by a growing population of people who love to play and listen to the blues.

The blues is now performed everywhere there is a guitar, piano or some other instrument that can make the sounds so familiar to the fans of the blues.  But along the Mississippi the old-time tunes can still be heard, even becoming part of a PBS special on the songs of the Mississippi.    That Mississippi River Blues, claimed by male vocal artists, is part of that tradition, but women are making more and more of a claim to the music around the world.  Blues is reminiscent of those slow, rhythmic, mysterious and dark currents that make us all sit back and think about how the rivers, like the Mississippi, represent our image of the flow of life as well.

Singing to improve memory and health

[caption id="attachment_14949" align="alignleft" width="150"] Alberta Hunter[/caption]

Carol Forsloff - Like to sing, but don't think you should because you don't have a "good voice?"  Or do you think you're too old to belt out that old blues song you used to love?  It turns out singing is as good for your memory as anything you can do as you grow older, so with those health benefits, it's time to sit down and make yourself heard song-style.

Music as a business is tough these days,  as economic troubles place the arts in difficult times.  But then the blues age came into and out of hard times in those roaring twenties that cut through the Depression and came out the other side to the blues artists of today.  Still if you're feeling the blues when times are tough, the best way to revive emotionally, building those mental chains, is to learn to play an instrument and start to sing.

And you're never too old.  Alberta Hunter, the famous blues singer of the 1920's and who wrote songs for Bessie Smith, the legendary songstress of some of the most famous blues songs, was still making music in a lusty voice well through her 80's, with her last song not long before she died, as she approached 90 years of age.  Her voice was clear, and her talk-singing, coupled with the clear notes that came from a still-strong voice showed that age had not dampened the lustrous blues anthems she continued to offer, including for White House functions during the administration of Jimmy Carter.

Experts tell us that singing not only improves memory but lowers stress as well.    The health benefits keep coming, as you continue to sing.

This author gave up singing more than 15 years ago, except very occasionally on long auto trips here and there.  It was that creeping age, that voice inside that said, "You're voice will crack, and then they'll know you're trying to be something you're not anymore."  The inner nudges were disregarded, those nudges that were reminders of a need for music bypassed for the humdrum workaday tasks.

Time passed, and at a local Portland party, a few notes came out unexpectedly,  then were hummed throughout the week for pleasure.  This suggestion to do more became nearly an obsession.  That obsession had come from the desolation without song.    Singing over and over everywhere brought more and more notes to include, some songs to embrace and others to change to suit voice and style.

It's your time too.  If you want to play with music, have a go.  If you want to sing, just for yourself, do it now and don't let that inner voice rob you of one of the best ways to keep moving and youthful.

Sing your song.  You'll remember it, and that song will help  keep your memory  for it, and for other things you love,  to cherish for years to come.