The Birth Of The Blues
View chords used in this chart
Intro: D7 G7 Dm7 G7 C Fdim C
A7 G#7 G7 C C/B Dm7 G7
They heard the breeze in the trees
G7M C E7 F
Singing weird melodies
D7 G7 C G#7 G7
And they made that the start of the blues
A7 G#7 G7 C Am Dm7
And from a jail came the wail
G7 C E7 F
Of a down-hearted frail
D7 G7 Dm7 G7 C Fdim C
And they played that as part of the blues
C C/B E7 Dm6 E7
From a whippoorwill, out on a hill
Dm6 Bm5-/7 E7 Bm5-/7
They took a new note
E7 A7 A4/7 A7
Pushed it through a horn til it was born
Am7 D7 G7
Into a new note
A7 G#7 G7 C Am Dm7 G7
And then they nursed it, rehearsed it
G C Bm5-/7 E7 F
And gave out the news
D7 Dm7 G7 C Am G#7 G7
That the southland gave birth to the blues
C C/B E7 Dm6 E7
From a whippoorwill, out on a hill
Dm6 Bm5-/7 E7 Bm5-/7
They took a new note
E7 A7 A4/7 A7
Pushed it through a horn til it was born
Am7 D7 G7
Into a new note
A7 G#7 G7 C Am Dm7 G7
And then they nursed it, rehearsed it,
G C Bm5-/7 E7 F
And gave out the news
D7 Dm7 G7 G#7 G7 Gdim C Bb7 G#7 C
That the southland gave birth to the blues
How to play The Birth Of The Blues
Use the controls above to change the key and text size. Follow the highlighted chords while listening, then practice each section slowly before playing at the original tempo.
What is the starting chord?
The first identified chord is D7. You can transpose without leaving the page.
Can I play it on guitar or keyboard?
Yes. The chord progression works on acoustic guitar, electric guitar and keyboard. Adapt the voicings to your instrument and level.