People have been brainwashed into believing that it's got to be down or it wouldn't be blues. But it's not so. It's got to be a fact or it wouldn't be blues.
Willie DixonRead
The blues will always be because the blues are the roots of all American music.
Interpretation
The blues genre is foundational to American music, influencing many other styles.
Willie Dixon's quote emphasizes the significance of the blues in the landscape of American music, suggesting that it is not just a genre but the very roots from which numerous other music styles have blossomed. By acknowledging the 'blues' as a fundamental element, Dixon recognizes its impact and the deep connections it shares with the diverse musical expressions found across America.
In practice
During a music history lecture, you could use this quote to illustrate the evolution of American music.
People have been brainwashed into believing that it's got to be down or it wouldn't be blues. But it's not so. It's got to be a fact or it wouldn't be blues.
The whole of life itself expresses the blues. That's why I always say the blues are the true facts of life expressed in words and song, inspiration, feeling and understanding. The blues can be about anything pertaining to the facts of life. The blues call on God as much as a spiritual song do.
The blues is the roots, the rest is the fruits.
The blues has been the foundation of all other American music since the beginning.
The Blues are the true facts of life expressed in words and song, inspiration, feeling, and understanding.
There is no such thing as happy music.
I owe very, very much to Mozart; and if one studies, for instance, the way in which I write for string quartet, then one cannot deny that I have learned this directly from Mozart. And I am proud of it!
If you don't own the stage, you shouldn't be in rock n' roll.
Just because you're not a drummer doesn't mean you don't have to keep time.
It pulled me like a magnet, jazz did, because it was a way that I could express myself.
The guitar for me is a translation device. It's not a goal. And in some ways, jazz isn't a destination for me. For me, jazz is a vehicle that takes you to the true destination - a musical one that describes all kinds of stuff about the human condition and the way music works.
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