Boogie-woogie

Boogie-woogie, also known as boogie, is a genre of blues music that became popular during the late 1920s, but had already developed in African-American communities since the 1870s. It was eventually extended from piano to piano duo and trio, guitar, big band, country and western, and gospel. While standard blues traditionally expresses a variety of emotions, boogie-woogie is mainly dance music (although not usually played for the competitive dance known as boogie-woogie, a term of convenience in that sport). The genre had a significant influence on rhythm and blues and rock and roll. In Texas, a piano style arose known as "fast western," often credited as the origin of boogie-woogie. The basic boogie-woogie rhythm, which was an outgrowth of ragtime and rural blues, intentionally evoked the rhythmic clacking of steam locomotives throughout the Deep South. Musical scholars and researchers claim that African American piano players would travel up and down the turpentine camps and entertain workers after a long hard day with upbeat blues within bars. This is where boogie-woogie piano music was further refined and variegated. Boogie-woogie waned in popularity in the 1930s, but enjoyed a resurgence and its greatest acclaim in the 1940s, reaching audiences around the world. Among its most famous acts was the "Boogie-Woogie Trio" of Pete Johnson, Albert Ammons, and Meade "Lux" Lewis. Other popular boogie-woogie pianists of this peak era were Maurice Rocco and Freddie Slack. There were also many very notable women boogie-woogie pianists during this time, including Hadda Brooks, Winifred Atwell, Martha Davis, and Hazel Scott, as well as in later years, such as Katie Webster.