July 2007 #1

Andrew Asks:

In the liner notes for the posthumously released Jimi Hendrix Blues, reference is made to the influence of Celtic music in American Blues. This fusion apparently occurred when Irish and African slaves were brought together in the Caribbean by their English masters. Have you ever heard about this and might you know of any source for further reading?

Alan Answers:

Technically speaking, the origin of the blues is most often credited to West Africa. The blues it made its way to North America via African slaves. The reference in the liner notes could very well be referring to the interaction slaves in the Southern U.S. had with the slaves of their “masters,” Irish-Scots neighbours, who no doubt had been exposed to Irish and Scottish ballads. That being said, in the grand history of the blues you’d be hard pressed to find much of a Celtic influence within the music of blues legends like Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters. As for further blues readings, Robert Palmer’s “Deep Blues” is a good place to start.