Bottleneck Blues
tagStarted early 1900sPeak 1927–1937; revived 1960sLast big hit still active
Bottleneck blues is defined by slide played with a bottleneck, knife, or similar object, producing fluid glissando and moaning intonation impossible on fretted notes alone. The tone can be sweet or abrasive, but it almost always adds an eerie vocal contour to the guitar line.
History
Bottleneck technique became one of the most recognizable Delta signatures and later spread into electric blues and rock. Son House, Robert Johnson, Bukka White, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Elmore James, and Johnny Shines are among the clearest exemplars of how slide phrasing reshaped blues melody and emotion.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- Britannica and the Library of Congress on Mississippi Delta blues
- Britannica on slide guitar
- Smithsonian on Bentonia’s minor-key continuity.