24th Annual Student Research Conference
Females in Blues
Abi M. Ricks
Dr. Clifton Kreps, Faculty Mentor
The blues tradition is a male dominated one. In any discussion of the blues, the first names to come up are usually Robert Johnson, Son House, Muddy Waters, W.C. Handy, or B.B. King. But there have also been plenty of female blues singers and musicians, some of whom are for example Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Memphis Minnie and Billie Holiday. This paper explores the significance of females in blues music and their struggles within the genre from early years of the twentieth century into the blues/jazz era of the 1940s.
Keywords: females, blues, jazz, sexism
Topic(s):Interdisciplinary
Music
Women's and Gender Studies
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 22-1
Location: MG 2090
Time: 9:30