Do you know why there are so many versions of popular blues songs?

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I think you can trace this back to the origins of blues. Nl african music. I listen to a lot of capoeira music these days which also has african roots and it's remarkable how certain elements that are also prevailant in blues can also be found in it. Call and response to name one. They also do the same thing with songs. every one copies from one another and joins pieces of songs together to make a new one. Which leads me to reason that it has to be a typical african thing. The songs in itself are just regarded as music but not really belonging to some one in particular that's probably why it's so common to copy songs.

because they are great songs, and they are easy to put your own little twist on

Excellent Question.

I think the reason for this is that Blues Music is alot like Open Source computing. The creators of the music really leave the final product open to all those who come after. Anyone who feels the desire to re-interpret a songs has the freedom to do so. It's not so much "Who's version is better.." but just that different versions of different Blues Songs can offer quite a wide pallette of textures and emotions to the listener.

It's really a great concept: Someone creates a beuatiful piece of music, and maybe at some point in the future, someone else comes along and puts a new twist on that same song. Cool Stuff.

Kevin Chisholm - American Guitarist

I think it is because each blues singer has (had) such a unique and individual style, and sings the song the way he or she thinks it should be sung and wants to sing it, not as somebody else sings it or how some record executive tells them to.

Blues is a feeling,usually not good. So I think the feelings and pain are differrent, not to mention the people.

different musicians have different views on how a song should be played and different ways of playing the same thing

mostly because it is folk music, part of the tradition of passing it down

These are what are called Standards. Standards are common to all genres.
The Beatles "Yesterday" is the most popular song recorded and a obvious standard. Other tunes like "Stardust" or "St. Louis Blues" were standards of earlier 20th century.

because if you play music professionally they want to hear the standards and then if your good your songs breaking a new song is harder than just doing sets for the crowd to please them its easy to make your money being the guy who can cover the great music by popular singer than to be unique unique is poor like painters lucky not to starve . i vote for food anyday so ill sing what they want the story is in guitarman by bread

blues is just recycling other peoples ideas and making them your own. "Diddie Wa Diddie" became "Diddy Wah Diddy" when it was revived and updated