List of blues standards

[3] Many blues songs were developed in American folk music traditions and individual songwriters are sometimes unidentified.

[1] Blues historian Gerard Herzhaft noted: In the case of very old blues songs, there is the constant recourse to oral tradition that conveyed the tune and even the song itself while at the same time evolving for several decades.

[7] Many popular renditions, as reflected in the record charts, are more modern versions featuring electric instruments.

King and Muddy Waters, with the most standards on the charts at five each,[8] used electric blues-ensemble arrangements.

Music journalist Richie Unterberger commented on the adaptability of blues: "From its inception, the blues has always responded to developments in popular music as a whole: the use of guitar and piano in American folk and gospel, the percussive rhythms of jazz, the lyrics of Tin Pan Alley, and the widespread use of amplification and electric instruments all helped shape the evolution of the blues.