Singin' the Blues...

"The blues" covers a lot of territory as a musical genre - there's Chicago Blues, New Orleans Blues, Zydeco, St. Louis blues and lots more, but it seems it's all uniquely American - it tells the story of our sorrow and our hope.

My first recollection of the blues is about a song that's not even real blues, it's a song about "Singing the Blues" - here's Guy Mitchell to tell you all about it:

I was about 10 years old when the song was released and for a long time it was about all I knew about the blues.  I know a lot more now then I knew then but I'm still no expert.  But one thing I have learned is that while "singing the blues" can mean feeling down and out it can also be about hope and joy and the triumph of the human spirit.  And here's Saffire - The Uppity Blues Women to tell you all about that kind of blues:

"Dance with death or dance with life, which one do I choose...?"

And sometimes the blues is just pure entertainment, as the Huxtable family demonstrates in my favorite version of Ray Charles' "The Night Time is the Right Time":

Like I said, "the blues" covers a lot of territory, and it's all good.