Blues music emerged in the early twentieth century in the United States as one of the most distinctive and original of American musical forms. It is an African American creation and one of the great contributions to American popular culture. Blues music is often thought of as being sad music, expressing the hardships endured by many African Americans. Although it can certainly be sad, the blues is also a way to deal with hardship and celebrate good times, too. Blues music comes in a wide variety of styles, from acoustic rural blues to urban electric blues. Because of this variety, and because it is about basic human emotions (love and heartbreak, happy times and sad), blues music speaks to people of all races and backgrounds. It has also been a very influential musical form. Without blues, there would be no rock and roll (see entry under 1950s—Music...