Quick question: have you ever heard a rhythm or lick and thought, “That sound is everything”?
February is a great time to remember that so many of those “everything” moments were dreamt up by Black artists whose sound opened up new worlds of music that are still being carried forward today.
So today: a few of my favorite Black music history stories below, and a quick bluesy lesson you can try right away.
Did you know that the southern gospel tradition gave music one of its most addictive storytelling tricks?
Sing the line, sing it again so it sinks in, then answer it with a twist.
Though this style of gospel and blues was traditionally played with acoustic instruments, T-Bone Walker gave it an all-new sound when he amplified his guitar in the 1940s—which became the foundation for rock as we know it.
If T-Bone helped change the sound, Sister Rosetta Tharpe helped change the delivery—with an energetic stage swagger that captivated crowds and became the blueprint for the charismatic frontman. Not an easy feat for a Black woman born in 1915!
She was known for blending spiritual lyrics and conviction with secular sound—like the electric guitar distortion that she herself popularized and went on to directly influence artists from Chuck Berry to Eric Clapton.
Once the blues got louder, the next revolution was making it leaner with beats built to move a crowd. In 1955, Bo Diddley popularized a signature “strut” rhythm—the kind you can clap as “ba-ba-BUM… ba-ba”—and it became known as the Bo Diddley beat.
It powered early classics like “Not Fade Away,” and it still sounds fresh in its more modern adaptations like “Faith” or “Suddenly I See.” That’s the power of a versatile beat!
If any of these stories made you want to touch a little of that history at your own keyboard, this is a great place to start—especially if your fingers feel like they only have one speed: slow.
In this free lesson, I'll show you a simple 12-bar blues pattern in the key of C that still sounds great at an easy tempo. You’ll use a steady left-hand pattern built from just the outside notes of the chords (so it feels doable fast), and then you’ll add a right-hand improv approach that keeps things safe and musical—so you can play something bluesy without feeling like you’re guessing.
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