The 1950's was the era when the sound of blues as we tend to think of it today was cast. I have used a combination of old charts and my own preferences and ears to make these choices as being representative of that development. There is no doubt that entirely different choices were possible that would be equally valid. I have, in general, passed on the jump blues which I associate more with the 40's and the subsequent R&B of the 50's like Etta James, as being representative of something different. I acknowledge that this is something of a modern division that was not the norm amongst the 50's black audiences for whom the music was played, but I had a 'sound' that I was pursuing here. Think of this as a Blues 100 class - not the in depth type of examination that one might expect in a 101, 102, etc. type class, but real honest to god blues as opposed to so many mixes on the Blues charts around here that contain no blues at all!
