Origins of the blues
Many of these blues elements, such as the call-and-response format, can be traced back to the music of Africa. When African slaves went to work in North America, they took musical traditions with them. Early forms of music include spirituals and work songs. Spirituals were religious songs and work songs were sung to the rhythm of working. Work songs included a vocal call and response, or where the lead drummer makes a beat and then the others respond to it.