Blues music is more than a mere reflection of a suffering artist; the genre emerged from a group in society that

faced a sordid history full of exploitation and oppression. In the article A New Shade of Blue by Stephen Humphries, Humphries explains the rich history of blues music. He states, there are all these stories of European musicologists in the 19th century coming and observing slave music and scratching their headsThe spirituals they heard used minor blue notes in between major notes, which wasnt part of European music (qtd. in Humphries). Humphries argues that European musicologists did not understand the sullen lyrics and blue notes notes achieved by striking two notes, one half step apart, simultaneously to create a dissonant sound. He further demonstrates that these two elements are characteristic of spirituals; songs sung by slaves that also have similar themes to those heard in blues music. Slaves would often use music to help cope with lifes hardships and the music carried the immense sorrow they felt. It is no wonder Europeans could not understand this style of music; they neither experienced nor witnessed the horrific reality of slavery. Ultimately, this article reveals the historic roots of blues music and demonstrates how a genre exemplifies the history of African Americans, and as we will see, still reflects the hardships they face today.