Introduction to Blues Music: Tracing Its Birth, Evolution, and Influences

Abu Dhabi (Etihad)
The Abu Dhabi Center for the Arabic Language, as part of the “Kalima” translation project, issued the book “Blues Music: A Brief Introduction,” by author Elijah Wald. It was translated into Arabic by Safaa Kanj, and the Arabic translation was reviewed by Muhammad Fathi Khadr. It was published as part of the “Brief Introductions” series in cooperation with University Press. Ancient Oxford.
The book monitors and traces the birth and development of blues music. It also presents in a dense narration the transformations of this music over more than a century, starting from the end of the nineteenth century, and its cross-fertilization and interactions with other musical styles, to confirm that understanding this musical genre – which is at the heart of American culture – is not possible without taking into account the cultural, societal, political and economic changes. Which the United States of America and the world knew.
The author leads us through the six chapters of the book in his interesting and easy-going style to enrich our knowledge of this art that emerged from the deep American South under the shadow of slavery, and from the songs of workers on vast plantations and the hymns they carried with them across the ocean from their original African homes, before setting off to the North and other regions with The liberation of slaves and then to the world, keeping pace with its transformations in all its forms and aspects.
Elijah Wald, the author of the book, believes that the blues is more than just a musical style, as it is a broad musical tradition within a constantly evolving popular culture. Then, the author traces the roots of this music in the fields, labor camps, and religious chants, and shows the transformations it witnessed at the hands of professional artists such as William C. Handy, who made blues music a popular art a century ago.
He explores the role of the blues in the development of country and jazz, and looks at the rhythm and blues trends of the 1940s and 1950s, from the West Coast style of T-Bone Walker to the local music of Muddy Waters in Chicago. Finally, the author moves to the present, and discusses the influences of the blues on American poetry and the relationship of this musical genre to modern styles such as rap.
Elijah Wald, born in 1959 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is an American composer, guitarist, and music historian. He traveled throughout Europe and the world to learn about the arts of music and musicians. He wrote for many years about roots and world music for the Boston Globe, and has two CDs and thirteen books to his credit, including How the Beatles Destroyed Rock ‘n’ Roll, The World’s Minstrel Shows, and Escape from the Delta: Robert Johnson and the Invention of the Blues.
As for the translator, Safaa Kanj, she is an editor, journalist, media trainer, and translator from French and English to Arabic, with a specialty in scientific translation. She graduated from the Department of Mass Communication at the Lebanese University and obtained a master’s degree from the American University in Cairo. She has a large number of translated books to her credit and has cooperated throughout her career with a large number of Arab publishing houses and institutions.