Piedmont blues facts for kids

Piedmont blues (also called East Coast Blues) is a special kind of blues music. It started on the East Coast of the USA. The name comes from the Piedmont, a hilly area between Richmond, Virginia and Atlanta, Georgia. But this music style is also played in other states like Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Florida.

What Makes Piedmont Blues Special?

The main instruments in Piedmont blues are the guitar, singing, drums, and bass. This style is usually played on acoustic instruments, which means they don't need electricity to make sound.

One big difference between Piedmont blues and another style called Delta blues is the rhythm. Piedmont blues has a rhythm that sounds a lot like ragtime music. It was also influenced by country string bands, traveling medicine shows, and popular songs from the early 1900s.

Piedmont blues mixed music ideas from both Black and White musicians. It also blended sounds from country areas and busy cities in the Southeast and mid-Atlantic parts of the USA. Unlike Delta blues, Piedmont blues was influenced by White music too.

Famous Piedmont Blues Artists

In the early 1900s, many artists helped make Piedmont blues popular. Some of these famous musicians included Blind Boy Fuller, Blind Blake, Blind Willie McTell, Rev. Gary Davis, and Sonny Terry.

Women also played the Piedmont guitar style. Two important women were Etta Baker and Elizabeth Cotten. Elizabeth Cotten's song “Freight Train” is one of the most well-known Piedmont tunes.

Before World War II, Piedmont blues was very popular with African-Americans in the Southern USA. The best time for this music was in the 1920s and 1930s.

Important Piedmont Blues Musicians

Blind Willie McTell recording music in Atlanta, 1940

Buddy Moss playing guitar in Greene County, Georgia, 1941

Many talented musicians played Piedmont blues. Here are some of them, grouped by where they were from:

Musicians from Florida

• Blind Blake
• Gabriel Brown

Musicians from Georgia

• Blind Willie McTell
• Barbecue Bob
• "Laughing" Charley Lincoln
• Buddy Moss
• Tampa Red

Musicians from South Carolina

• Pink Anderson
• Reverend Gary Davis
• Josh White

Musicians from North Carolina

• Blind Boy Fuller
• Sonny Terry
• Etta Baker
• Elizabeth Cotten

Musicians from Tennessee

• Brownie McGhee
• Cripple Clarence Lofton

Musicians from Virginia

• Jimmie Strother
• Luke Jordan
• John Jackson

Musicians from Washington, DC

• John Cephas
• Phil Wiggins

See also

In Spanish: Piedmont blues para niños