Swamp blues has a laid-back, slow tempo, and generally is a more rhythmic variation of Louisiana blues, incorporating influences from New Orleans blues, zydeco, soul music and Cajun music.[3] It is characterized by simple but effective guitar work and is influenced by the boogie patterns used on Jimmy Reed records and the work of Lightnin' Hopkins and Muddy Waters.[4] The sound of swamp blues was characterized by "eerie echo, shuffle beats, tremolo guitars, searing harmonica and sparse percussion".[5]
Swamp blues originated in the Black communities of Southwest Louisiana in the 1950s[2] and was particularly associated with record producer J. D. "Jay" Miller.[5] In the 1950s, Miller recorded many blues artists around the city, distributing their recordings through Excello RecordsinNashville, Tennessee.[6] The most successful and influential artist with whom he worked was guitarist and harmonica player Slim Harpo.[7] Other major artists included Lightnin' Slim, Lazy Lester, Silas Hogan, Lonesome Sundown,[5] and piano player Katie Webster.[6] A number of their songs, particularly those of Slim Harpo, were covered by British Invasion bands, including the Rolling Stones, The Kinks and the Yardbirds.[8] The popularity of the genre faded in the 1970s, with many swamp bluesmen turning to zydeco which remained popular with black audiences.[6]
^ abcR. Unterberger, S. Hicks and J. Dempsey, Music USA: the Rough Guide (London: Rough Guides, 1999), ISBN1-85828-421-X, p. 175.
^ abcG. Herzhaft, Encyclopedia of the Blues, trans B. Debord (University of Arkansas Press, 2nd ed., 1997), ISBN1-55728-452-0, pp. 140–4.
^Du Noyer, Paul (2003). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music (1st ed.). Fulham, London: Flame Tree Publishing. p. 162. ISBN1-904041-96-5.
^R. Unterberger, "Louisiana blues", in V. Bogdanov, C. Woodstra, S. T. Erlewine, eds., All Music Guide to the Blues: The Definitive Guide to the Blues (Milwaukee, WI: Backbeat Books, 3rd ed., 2003), ISBN0-87930-736-6, pp. 687–8.
