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Dirty blues encompasses forms of blues music that deal with socially
taboo A taboo or tabu is a social group's ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...
and
obscene An obscenity is any utterance or act that strongly offends the prevalent morality of the time. It is derived from the Latin ''obscēnus'', ''obscaenus'', "boding ill; disgusting; indecent", of uncertain etymology. Such loaded language can be use ...
subjects, often referring to sexual acts and drug use. Due to the sometimes graphic subject matter, such music was often banned from radio and only available on a
jukebox A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that will play a patron's selection from self-contained media. The classic jukebox has buttons, with letters and numbers on them, which are used to sele ...
. The style was most popular in the years before World War II, although it had a revival in the early 1950s. Many songs used innuendo, slang terms, or
double entendre A double entendre (plural double entendres) is a figure of speech or a particular way of wording that is devised to have a double meaning, of which one is typically obvious, whereas the other often conveys a message that would be too socially ...
s, such as Lil Johnson's "Press My Button (Ring My Bell)" (''"Come on baby, let's have some fun / Just put your hot dog in my bun"''). However, some were very explicit. The most extreme examples were rarely recorded at all, a notable exception being
Lucille Bogan Lucille Bogan (born Lucile Anderson; April 1, 1897August 10, 1948) was an American classic female blues singer and songwriter, among the first to be recorded. She also recorded under the pseudonym Bessie Jackson. Music critic Ernest Borneman no ...
's obscene version of " Shave 'Em Dry" (1935), which
Elijah Wald Elijah Wald (born 1959) is an American folk blues guitarist and music historian. He is a 2002 Grammy Award winner for his liner notes to ''The Arhoolie Records 40th Anniversary Box: The Journey of Chris Strachwitz''. Life Wald was born in 1959 ...
has noted as "by far the most explicit blues song preserved at a commercial pre-war recording session". The more noteworthy musicians who utilised the style included
Bo Carter Armenter (or Armentia) Chatmon (March 21, 1893 or January 1894 – September 21, 1964), known as Bo Carter, was an early American blues musician. He was a member of the Mississippi Sheiks in concerts and on a few of their recordings. He also man ...
, Bull Moose Jackson, Harlem Hamfats,
Wynonie Harris Wynonie Harris (August 24, 1915 – June 14, 1969) was an American blues shouter and rhythm-and-blues singer of upbeat songs, featuring humorous, often ribald lyrics. He had fifteen Top 10 hits between 1946 and 1952. Harris is attributed by ...
, and
Hank Ballard Hank Ballard (born John Henry Kendricks; November 18, 1927 – March 2, 2003) was an American singer and songwriter, the lead vocalist of The Midnighters and one of the first rock and roll artists to emerge in the early 1950s. He played an inte ...
and The Midnighters. Compilation albums include ''The Copulatin' Blues'' (Stash Records: 1976, re-released Mojo Records: 1996), ''Them Dirty Blues'' (Jass Records: 1989) and ''You Got to Give Me Some of It: 55 Risque Blues and R&B Classics 1928–1954'' (Jasmine Records: 2015).


Notable songs

*NB. According to AllMusic, this list of dirty blues songs also included "What the Blues Is All About" by Chick Willis, "Cigarette" by Backwards Sam Firk, and "
Georgia Grind "Georgia Grind" is a jazz and dirty blues tune, written by Spencer Williams and copyrighted by him in 1926. The lyrics were added by Bud Allen. A recording was released by Louis Armstrong with his Hot Five by Okeh Records on a 78 rpm, mono ...
" (1926). The latter's music was written by
Spencer Williams Spencer Williams (October 14, 1889 – July 14, 1965) was an American jazz and popular music composer, pianist, and singer. He is best known for his hit songs "Basin Street Blues", " I Ain't Got Nobody", " Royal Garden Blues", " I've Found a New ...
and recorded by
Blue Lu Barker Louisa "Blue Lu" Barker (née Louise Dupont) (November 13, 1913 – May 7, 1998) was an American jazz and blues singer. Her better-known recordings include "Don't You Feel My Leg" (1938), which she wrote with her husband, "Georgia Grind" and "Lo ...
and
Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and Singing, vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and se ...
among others.


See also

*
Dirty rap Dirty rap (also known as porno rap, porn rap, sex rap, booty rap, or pornocore) is a subgenre of hip hop music that contains lyrical content revolving mainly around sexually explicit subjects. The lyrics are often overtly explicit and graphic ...
*
Hokum Hokum is a particular song type of American blues music—a humorous song which uses extended analogies or euphemistic terms to make sexual innuendos. This trope goes back to early blues recordings and is used from time to time in modern Amer ...


References

{{Blues Blues music genres Hokum blues songs Off-color humor Obscenity controversies in music