Texas Blues
A Texas-born blues tradition that moved from acoustic country blues into a more supple electric language, with Blind Lemon Jefferson and T-Bone Walker forming two of its clearest historical anchors.
Origins and context
Documented in African American blues communities in Texas, especially around Dallas and East Texas, before spreading through recording, touring, and later electric blues performance.
The sound
Characteristics
- Electric guitar
- Vocal blues
- Swing-influenced phrasing
- Solo guitar lines
- Rhythm section
History
Texas blues took shape in the early decades of the 20th century, rooted in African American communities across Texas. The Texas State Historical Association notes Blind Lemon Jefferson as a pivotal early figure: by March 1926 he had become the first male folk blues singer and guitarist to record, and his guitar approach helped establish what is now called the Texas style. In the electric era, T-Bone Walker helped carry that style into a new sound world. TSHA and the Library of Congress both point to the way Texas blues absorbed jazz and swing influences, while Walker’s later amplification of his guitar lines around 1940 helped define the modern electric blues guitar voice.
Notable artists
- BLBlind Lemon Jefferson
- TWT-Bone Walker
- LHLightnin' Hopkins
- LBLead Belly
Essential listening
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Explore connected genres
Sources and further reading
- tshaonline.org
T-Bone Walker helped shape the modern electric blues guitar sound, drawing on Texas blues and jazz/swing influences.
- loc.gov
The Library of Congress describes blues as a secular African American genre created in the rural American South at the end of the nineteenth century.
- Blind Lemon Jefferson
- T-Bone Walker
- Blind Lemon Jefferson
- T-Bone Walker