style
Anglo-American ballad (folk tradition)
Jean Ritchie – “Barbara Allen”
Classic blues
Bessie Smith – “St. Louis Blues”
Ma Rainey – “Prove It on Me Blues”
Early Rock / R&B
“Rocket 88” – Jackie Brenston
Which songs are the 12 bar blues
Robert Johnson – “Cross Road Blues”Bessie Smith – “St. Louis Blues”
Ma Rainey – “Prove it on Me Blues”
Big Mama Thornton – “Hound Dog”
Muddy Waters – “I Can’t Be Satisfied”
Jackie Brenston & Delta Cats – “Rocket 88”
Chuck Berry – “Maybellene”
Work song
Lightning Washington – “Long John”
Jump blues
“Choo Choo Ch’Boogie” – Louis Jordan
Rock ’n’ Roll
Chuck Berry – “Maybellene”
which songs are not the 12 bar blues
Jean Ritchie – “Barbara Allen” ❌ (folk ballad, strophic)
Lightning Washington – “Long John” ❌ (work song, call & response)
Scott Joplin – “Maple Leaf Rag” ❌ (ragtime, syncopated piano)
Louis Armstrong – “West End Blues” ❌ (jazz, solo trumpet, swing)
Louis Jordan – “Choo Choo Ch’Boogie” ❌ (jump blues, boogie rhythm)
Charles Brown – “Black Night” ❌ (slow R&B, not strict 12-bar)
Elvis Presley – “Mystery Train” ❌ (rockabilly, more AABA / country fusion)
Richie Valens – “La Bamba” ❌ (Latin son jarocho rhythm)
Ragtime
Scott Joplin – “Maple Leaf Rag”
Early R&B
Charles Brown – “Black Night”
Rockabilly
Elvis Presley – “Mystery Train”
Country blues
Robert Johnson – “Cross Road Blues”
Rhythm & Blues
Big Mama Thornton – “Hound Dog”
Latin-influenced rock
Richie Valens – “La Bamba”
Early jazz
Louis Armstrong – “West End Blues”
Electric blues
Muddy Waters – “I Can’t Be Satisfied”
12-Bar Blues
I–IV–V chord progression across 12 measures.