Blues music has often been credited as one of the most influential art forms, musical or otherwise, in recent history. The foundation of Rock n’ Roll, the rhythmic cornerstone of Hip Hop and the earliest compatriot of Jazz, we would not have the music we have today without it. While the Blues is not as popular as it once was there can be no denying that one would have difficulty finding as piece of modern western music completely void of Blues’ renowned influence. 

         The earliest forms of Blues music originates from work songs sang by African slaves in the American South. These songs were rhythmically sang, designed to heightening energy by matching the rhythm of the lyrics to the intense labour being performed. The primary influence on these songs was the West African music carried by early African slaves across the Atlantic. Following the Emancipation Proclamation and the outlawing of slavery in America in 1863, this music evolved rapidly; and by the early 20th century the songs became accompanied by guitar and piano arrangements and thus the Blues was born (Palmer, 1981). As the music evolved, it maintained many of the common themes found in its earliest forms; the hardships of life, love and loss were common among the blues. However, there is another theme in the music which I believe is often overlooked; and that is the religious theology contained within Blues music, a theme which was heavily influenced by the intensely Christian setting of the Deep South at the turn of the century. Not only did many Blues songs contain religious themes within the lyrics of the songs themselves, but it is my theory that a founding principle of the Blues was a theological expression in the face of the realities of life. Furthermore, not only did “Bluesmen” of generations past write and perform songs of theological expression, but by performing these songs for an audience created an atmosphere of informal theological communion. Therefore it is the goal of this website to present researched evidence which support this theory.