Talking blues

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Talking blues is a form of blues and country music. It is characterised by rhythmic speech or near-speech where the melody is free, but the rhythm is strict.

Christopher Allen Bouchillon is believed to have created the "talking blues" form when he recorded the song "Talking Blues" for Columbia Records in Atlanta in 1926, from which the style gets its name.^{[1] [2]}

It typically consisted of a repetitive guitar, utilizing the same three chord progression as blues, sometimes accompanied by a melodic line with rhythmic, rhyming speaking over it. Tex Williams was most well known for his talking blues, and Woody Guthrie popularized the style. Several sources (including the Almanac Singers) cite Guthrie as the creator/innovator of Talking Blues, or at least the modern form into which it evolved. Bob Dylan, being strongly influenced by Guthrie, also utilized this style and brought life back to it in the 1960's. It came to be a trademark of country music (ibid), and can be considered an early predecessor of rap.

[edit] Notable examples

• "Talking Blues" by Christopher Allen Bouchillon^[3]
• "A Boy Named Sue" and "Singing in Viet Nam Talking Blues" by Johnny Cash
• "Talking Union," written by Pete Seeger, Lee Hays, and Milard Lampell.
• "Talking Dust Bowl Blues", "Talking Fishing Blues" and "Talking Hard Work" by Woody Guthrie.
• "Talking World War III Blues" by Bob Dylan (from the album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan).
• Contemporary folk singer John Craigie gave the form a modern twist with his 2006 song "Talkin' Orange Alert Blues."
• "Talking Big Apple '75" from Loudon Wainwright III's 1976 album T Shirt (album)
• Comedic versions of the talking blues have also been recorded over the years, such as "Talkin' Blues (What's in a Name)" by Billy Connolly and "Talking Mysterious Prostate" by Don Freed.
• The White Stripes song "Ball and Biscuit" from the album Elephant is a modern example of talking blues
• "Alice's Restaurant Massacree" by Arlo Guthrie, the son of Woody, is sometimes considered talking blues, though it is a looser version of the format.
• "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" by John Lee Hooker and George Thorogood is another loose example of the genre.
• "Talkin' Seattle Grunge Blues" by Todd Snider

[edit] See also

• Sprechgesang

[edit] References

1. ^ Leggett, Steve. "Chris Bouchillon". allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:acfexqu5ldke~T1. Retrieved on 2008-02-20. 
2. ^ "Chris Bouchillon Biography". aolmusic. http://music.aol.com/artist/chris-bouchillon/biography/1043770. Retrieved on 2008-02-20. 
3. ^ http://www.wirz.de/music/bouchfrm.htm

• van der Merwe, Peter (1989). Origins of the Popular Style: The Antecedents of Twentieth-Century Popular Music. Oxford: Clarendon Press. ISBN 0-19-316121-4.