The blues are a category, or genre, of music that originated in the rural American southern areas populated by African Americans. As blues musicians moved north to urban areas in the midwestern and northeastern United States the style of music began to change.

Blues music can be categorized into two major groups which are often referred to as "country" and "urban" blues. These two groups can further be divided into subgroups based on the style of music or geography.

Country Blues

The country blues, as the name implies, began in rural areas. Country blues music is usually acoustic.