The origins of blues are not unlike the origins of life. For many years it was recorded only by memory, and relayed only live, and in person. The blues were born in the North Mississippi Delta following the Civil War. Influenced by African roots, field hollers , ballads, church music and rhythmic dance tunes called jump-ups evolved into a music for a singer who would engage in call-and-response with his guitar. He would sing a line, and the guitar would answer.       From the crossroads of Highways 61 and 49, and the platform of the Clarksdale Railway Station, the blues headed north to Beale Street in Memphis. The blues have strongly influenced almost all popular music including jazz, country, and rock and roll and continue to help shape music worldwide. Bad luck and trouble are always present in the Blues. Relentless rhythms repeat the chants of sorrow, and the pity of a lost soul many times over.       The blues form was first popularized about 1911-14 by the black composer W.C. Handy. However, the poetic and musical form of the blues first crystallized  around 1910 and gained popularity through the publication of Handy's Memphis Blues(1912) and St.Louis Blues(1914). Instrumental blues had been recorded as early as 1913. During the twenties, the blues became a national craze. Mamie Smith recorded the first vocal blues song, Crazy Blues in 1920.       In the early 1960s, the urban bluesmen were "discovered" by young white American and European musicians. Many blues-based bands brought the blues to young white audiences. Since the sixties, rock has undergone several blues revivals. Some rock guitarists have used the blues as a foundation for offshoot   styles. The latest generation of blues players like Robert Cray and the late Stevie Ray Vaughan, gracing   the blues tradition with their incredible technicality , have drawn a new generation listeners to the blues. What is the best title for the text?
The Origins of Blues How Rock Was Influenced by the Blues A Short Blues History How Blues Became Popular