Jim Croce - Bad, Bad Leroy Brown

Jazz music has often been called the only art form to originate in the United States, yet blues music arose right beside jazz. In fact, the two styles have many parallels. Both were created by African Americans in the southern United States in the latter part of the 19th century and spread from there in the early decades of the 20th century, both contain the sad sounding blue note, which is the bending of a particular note a quarter or half tone, and both feature syncopation and improvisation. Blues and jazz have had huge influences on American popular music. In fact, many key elements we hear in pop, soul, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll have their beginnings in blues music. A careful study of the blues can contribute to a greater understanding of these other musical genres. Though never the leader in music sales, blues music has retained a significant presence, not only in concerts and festivals throughout the United States but also in our daily lives. Nowadays, we can hear the sound of the blues in unexpected places, from the warm warble of an amplified harmonica on a television commercial to the sad cry of a slide guitar on a new country and western song.

Blues music also became popular with British musicians... Ironically, young white British musicians were largely responsible for the revival of the blues in the U.S. during the 1960s and 1970s. Social commentators have credited this musical integration of older black musicians and young white audiences with contributing to the success of the civil rights movement in the United States and, ultimately, helping to improve race relations there. Although the blues and today’s pop music have little in common musically, there are a surprising number of similarities... Because the blues has served as the basis for other forms of American music, its influence has been significant.

Source: The Red Hot Blues by Kent S. Markle


Jim Croce - Bad, Bad Leroy Brown

• Genre: Pop/Rock
• Released Date: 1974
• Released On: Photographs & Memories: His Greatest Hits Album

"Jim Croce was a folk rock singer who released a number of hits during the early 1970s. Some were memorable enough to become lasting memes, such as the phrase “you don’t tug on Superman’s cape”."

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