Skip to main content Skip to main navigation
heart-solid My Visit Donate
Home Smithsonian Institution IK development site for ODI
Press Enter to activate a submenu, down arrow to access the items and Escape to close the submenu.
    • Overview
    • Museums and Zoo
    • Entry and Guidelines
    • Museum Maps
    • Dine and Shop
    • Accessibility
    • Visiting with Kids
    • Group Visits
    • Overview
    • Exhibitions
    • Online Events
    • All Events
    • IMAX & Planetarium
    • Overview
    • Topics
    • Collections
    • Research Resources
    • Stories
    • Podcasts
    • Overview
    • For Caregivers
    • For Educators
    • For Students
    • For Academics
    • For Lifelong Learners
    • Overview
    • Become a Member
    • Renew Membership
    • Make a Gift
    • Volunteer
    • Overview
    • Our Organization
    • Our Leadership
    • Reports and Plans
    • Newsdesk
heart-solid My Visit Donate

Blues Music: Iconic Instruments, Images, and Sounds

One of the most influential styles of American music, the Blues is a living tradition with multiple regional styles. Have a listen with the Sounds of the American Blues and The Roots of Rhythm & Blues playlists from Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, and explore our blues-related collection items.


  • National Museum of African American History and Culture 50 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • National Portrait Gallery 17 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • National Museum of American History 9 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Smithsonian American Art Museum 7 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage 6 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections 3 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Smithsonian Institution 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Smithsonian Music 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Photographs 60 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Portraits 43 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Video recordings 8 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Sound recordings 4 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Archival materials 3 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • digital media - born analog 3 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Collages (visual works) 2 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Graphic arts 2 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Guitars 2 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Interviews 2 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • African Americans 59 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Americans 3 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1920s 3 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1930s 5 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1940s 8 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1950s 10 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1960s 12 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1970s 11 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1980s 18 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1990s 28 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 2000s 2 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 2010s 6 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • United States 60 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • North and Central America 46 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Florida 28 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Broward County 16 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Fort Lauderdale 16 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Miami-Dade County 10 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Miami 8 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Charlotte 7 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Mecklenburg County 7 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • North Carolina 7 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection 50 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Photographs and Still Images 43 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Currently not on view 17 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • National Portrait Gallery Collection 17 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Music & Musical Instruments 9 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection 7 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • smithsonianfolkways 6 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Culture and the Arts: Musical Instruments 5 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Graphic Arts 5 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Culture and the Arts: Entertainment 4 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Photography 42 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Instrumentalists (Musicians) 39 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Singers (Musicians) 31 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Entertainers 24 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Musical instruments 21 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Portraits 21 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Men 19 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Arts and Culture 17 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Musicians 17 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Usage conditions apply 83 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Not determined 16 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • CC0 3 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus

Filter Settings

Included:

  • Remove Topic: Music close

B.B. King - Symphony Hall, Boston, Mass. - 1969

Suit Jacket worn by Bobby Rush

Empress of the Blues

Photograph of John Lee Hooker with diagram of the evolution of the blues

Emory Guitar played by Mississippi John Hurt at the 1963 Newport Folk Festival

Vampin' (Piney Brown Blues)

Buddy Guy, 1990

Stratocaster Electric Guitar

Eddie King, 1989

Harmonica owned by Big Mama Thornton

Lightnin' Hopkins

John Jackson - "Steamboat Whistle" [Live at The Barns at Wolf Trap 1997]

Junior Wells

Hohner Blues Harp Harmonica, played by Bobby Rush

B.B. King - Symphony Hall, Boston, Mass. - 1969

B. B. King

Still Boss of the Blues

John Jackson performs "Steamboat Whistle"

Dave Van Ronk - "Down South Blues" [Live at The Barns at Wolf Trap 1997]

Beverly Plays the Blues

B.B. King - Symphony Hall, Boston, Mass. - 1969

Earl King, 1992

Muddy Waters

B.B. King, 1973

Tears don't fall no more [sound recording] : blues and ballads / Lonnie Johnson

B. B. King

Ray Charles

Muddy Waters and Isaac Washington

Beale Street Blues

Muddy Waters, 1983

Good Morning ng Blues; How Long

Bessie Smith

Bessie Smith, from the unrealized portfolio "Noble Black Women: The Harlem Renaissance and After"

The Two Kings, Elvis Presley with B.B. King at WDIA Goodwill Review, Memphis, TN

Bessie Smith


  1. Current page 1
  2. Page 2
  3. Page 3
  4. Next page Next
  5. Last page Last
arrow-up Back to top
Home
  • Facebook facebook
  • Instagram instagram
  • LinkedIn linkedin
  • YouTube youtube

  • Contact Us
  • Get Involved
  • Shop Online
  • Job Opportunities
  • Equal Opportunity
  • Inspector General
  • Records Requests
  • Accessibility
  • Host Your Event
  • Press Room
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Use