Slide / Resonator / Guitar Blues
Slide / Resonator / Guitar Blues centers expressive guitar technique: bottleneck slides, resonator projection, lap-steel sustain, open tunings, string bends, vibrato, and vocal-like phrasing. The family spans Delta field recordings, country blues, sacred slide, electric Chicago and Texas slide, swamp tremolo, blues-rock heroics, and modern guitar showcases.
History
Slide blues developed from African American string traditions, Hawaiian guitar influence, homemade bottlenecks, knife slides, open-tuned country blues, and the need for guitars to carry voice-like melody in loud or outdoor settings. Charley Patton, Son House, Blind Willie Johnson, Tampa Red, Bukka White, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Elmore James, Earl Hooker, Hound Dog Taylor, Duane Allman, Johnny Winter, Ry Cooder, and Bonnie Raitt all carried the technique into different eras. The family influenced electric blues, rock guitar, country dobro, sacred steel, blues-rock, Americana, and modern guitar culture.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- Jas Obrecht, Early Blues: The First Stars of Blues Guitar
- Samuel Charters, The Country Blues
- Paul Oliver, The Story of the Blues
- AllMusic