Grunge and the Delta Blues

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Play a popular grunge song such as Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” next to a classic Delta blues song like “Rollin’ And Tumblin’” by Muddy Waters and disregard the lyrics and you will hear two types of music that seem to be polar opposites. Grunge has a harsh, loud, almost obnoxious sound with heavy distortion on the instruments and the lead singer is usually screaming into the microphone. The Delta Blues on the other hand has a softer more melodic folksy sound that uses basic instruments and the vocals are relaxed. At first glance, or listen rather, there seems to be nothing that these two genres have in common. Having been born and raised in the Seattle area I am well acquainted with grunge music and grunge culture. Although I was born in ’96, which was a couple years after the height of grunge, I can still see the after effects of this music and can even still hear it on the radio. However in regards to the Delta blues, I have absolutely no exposure. This music was well before my time and I have never been any where near the south. What little I did know about the blues certainly did not strike me as being similar to grunge. That is until further research and analysis on the topics caused me to change my opinion. Although from different times and ethnic groups, the culture that formed these musical groups, the popularization and demise of the genres, and the message that the music from these genres bring share striking similarities.
The first similarity between the two music genres is the historical context that the music was born out of. The start of blues music can be traced back to African Americans during the time of slavery and continued on into the twentieth century where African Americans were isolated and oppres...

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...ord and ignore the lyrics and it is unlikely that you will find any similarities, but look further into the culture that the music came from and the message brought by the lyrics and you can see a striking resemblance.

Works Cited

Bell, Thomas. “Why Seattle? An Examination of an Alternative Rock Culture Hearth.” Journal of Cultural Geography 18.1 (1998): 35-47

Marin, Rick. “Grunge: A Success Story.” The New York Times (1992): 1-2

O’Connell, Christian. “The Color of the Blues.” Southern Cultures 19.1 (2013): 61-81
Pearson, Barry Lee. “’When you’re born and raised in the Delta, you just write what you see’: Delta Blues Stories.” Arkansas Review: A journal of Delta Studies 29:1 (1998)

Talley, Tara. "Grunge and Blues, A Sociological Comparison: How Space and Place Influence the Development and Spread of Regional Musical Styles." ChrestoMathy 4.1 (2005): 228-40

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