Blame it on the blues – Free Jazz Lead Sheet
G to C Major – Charles L. Johnson 1914
Blame It on the Blues (1914) by Charles L. Johnson is a classic early blues-jazz standard. View this free online lead sheet in G to C major, including melody and chords for jazz performance.
About this song:
Blame It on the Blues (1914) by Charles L. Johnson is an early American popular blues-influenced composition associated with ragtime and early jazz dance music. The piece reflects early 20th-century popular dance culture and blues harmonic influence before the swing era fully developed. Its catchy melodic line and rhythmic syncopation made it popular among early jazz dance orchestras.
This free online lead sheet presents the melody and chords in G to C major tonal centers, making it suitable for jazz bands, ragtime ensembles, and blues-style performance.
About the Composer: Charles L. Johnson
Charles L. Johnson (1876–1950) was an American composer associated with ragtime and early popular dance music. He wrote numerous popular instrumental pieces during the early 20th century and helped shape early American popular music styles. Johnson's compositions often blended ragtime rhythms with blues melodic influences, making them accessible for dance orchestras and early jazz performers. His work contributed to the development of popular instrumental dance repertoire during the transition from ragtime to jazz.
Musical Structure and Form
Typically performed with tonal movement between G major and C major, featuring early blues-influenced harmonic progressions, syncopated rhythmic patterns, and short melodic phrases suitable for improvisation.
