in 1974 Rock music uses driving rhythms and
electric guitar techniques such as
distortion and
power chords already used by 1950s
electric blues guitarists, particularly
Memphis bluesmen such as
Joe Hill Louis,
Willie Johnson and
Pat Hare. Characteristics that blues rock adopted from electric blues include its dense texture, basic blues band instrumentation, rough declamatory vocal style, heavy guitar
riffs, string-bending blues-scale guitar solos, strong beat, thick riff-laden texture, and posturing performances. Precursors to blues rock included the
Chicago blues musicians
Elmore James,
Albert King, and
Freddie King, who began incorporating rock and roll elements into their blues music during the late 1950s to early 1960s. 1963 marked the appearance of American rock guitar soloist
Lonnie Mack, whose idiosyncratic, fast-paced electric blues guitar style came to be identified with the advent of blues rock as a distinct genre. His instrumentals from that period were recognizable as blues or
rhythm and blues tunes, but he relied heavily upon fast-picking techniques derived from traditional American
country and
bluegrass genres. The best-known of these are the 1963
Billboard hit singles "
Memphis" and "Wham!". Around the same time, the
Paul Butterfield Blues Band was formed. Fronted by
blues harp player and singer
Paul Butterfield, it included two members from
Howlin' Wolf's touring band, bassist
Jerome Arnold and drummer
Sam Lay, and later two electric guitarists,
Mike Bloomfield and
Elvin Bishop. In 1965, its debut album,
The Paul Butterfield Blues Band was released.
AllMusic's
Michael Erlewine commented, "Used to hearing blues covered by groups like the Rolling Stones, that first album had an enormous impact on young (and primarily White) rock players." The second album
East West (1966) introduced extended soloing – the 13 minute instrumental title track included jazz and Indian
raga influences – that served as a model for
psychedelic and
acid rock. In 1965, avid blues collectors
Bob Hite and
Alan Wilson formed
Canned Heat. Their early recordings focused heavily on electric versions of
Delta blues songs, but soon began exploring long
musical improvisations ("
jams") built around
John Lee Hooker songs. Other popular mid-1960s groups, such as
the Doors and
Big Brother and the Holding Company with
Janis Joplin, also adapted songs by blues artists to include elements of rock. Butterfield, Canned Heat, and Joplin performed at the
Monterey (1967) and
Woodstock (1969) festivals. In the UK, several musicians honed their skills in a handful of British blues bands, primarily those of
Cyril Davies and
Alexis Korner. While the early
British rhythm and blues groups, such as
the Rolling Stones,
the Yardbirds, and
the Animals, incorporated American
R&B,
rock and roll, and
pop,
John Mayall took a more distinctly electric blues approach. In 1966, he released
Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton, the first of several influential blues rock albums. When
Eric Clapton left Mayall to form
Cream, they created a hybrid style with blues, rock, and
jazz improvisation, which was the most innovative to date. British band
Fleetwood Mac initially played traditionally-oriented electric blues, but soon evolved. Their guitarist
Peter Green, who was Clapton's replacement with Mayall, brought many innovations to their music.
Chicken Shack, early
Jethro Tull, Keef Hartley Band and
Climax Blues Band recorded blues rock songs. The electric guitar playing of
Jimi Hendrix (a veteran of many American rhythm and blues and
soul groups from the early-mid-1960s) and his
power trios,
the Jimi Hendrix Experience and
Band of Gypsys, had a broad and lasting influence on the development of blues rock, especially for guitarists. Clapton continued to explore several musical styles and contributed to bringing blues rock into the mainstream. In the late 1960s,
Jeff Beck, with his band
the Jeff Beck Group, developed blues rock into a form of heavy rock.
Jimmy Page, who replaced Beck in the Yardbirds, followed suit with
Led Zeppelin and became a major force in the 1970s
heavy metal scene. Other blues rock musicians in the 1970s include
Pat Travers,
Rory Gallagher,
Robin Trower and
Roy Buchanan. Beginning in the early 1970s, American bands such as
Aerosmith fused blues with a hard rock edge. Blues rock grew to include
Southern rock bands, like
the Allman Brothers Band,
ZZ Top and
Lynyrd Skynyrd, while the British scene, except for the advent of groups such as
Status Quo and
Foghat, became focused on heavy metal innovation. == 1980s–present ==