ENDEIT

Standards

The Birth Of The Blues chords & key

Ray Henderson

Key
C major
Form
AABA
Bars
32
Groove
Slow swing
Time signature
4/4

“The Birth Of The Blues” is a jazz standard by Ray Henderson. Most bands play it in C major, slow swing; the tune runs 32 bars in AABA form. Harmonically it contains 6 major ii–V–I cadences, uses 13 different chords. In this atlas it appears on 3 album tracks.

Chord changes

Showing in: Concert (C) — C major

A
Cmaj7D♭dim7
Dm7G7
Cmaj7E7
Fmaj7G♭dim7
G7
Dm7G7
1.
C6E♭dim7
Dm7D♭7
2.
C6F7
C6
B
E7
E7
E7
E7
A7
A7
D7
Dm7D♭7
A
Cmaj7D♭dim7
Dm7G7
Cmaj7E7
Fmaj7G♭dim7
G7
Dm7G7
C6E♭dim7
Dm7G7

Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.

Harmonic analysis

6Major ii–V–I
0Minor ii–V–i
7ii–V moves
2Tritone substitutions
2Dominant chains
13Different chords

Most used chords

  • G7×10
  • Dm7×9
  • E7×7
  • Cmaj7×6
  • C6×4
  • D♭dim7×3

Characteristics

  • AABA song form

Recorded on these albums

1961 Genius + Soul = Jazz
Ray Charles · “Birth of the Blues”
2002 It’s Easy to Remember
Bing Crosby · “The Birth of the Blues”
2015 The Complete Hits 1943-62
Frank Sinatra · “The Birth of the Blues”

Historic 78 rpm recordings

  • Birth of the blues Leo Mathisen's Orkester · Henderson · Sidney Marke archive.org ↗
  • THE BIRTH OF THE BLUES De Silva · Brown · Henderson archive.org ↗
  • BIRTH OF THE BLUES EDDIE "PIANO" MILLER TRIO · Henderson · De Sylva · Brown · 1952 archive.org ↗

Standards with similar changes

Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.

TitleComposerKeyFormGroove
Robbin's Nest 27% Thompson-Jacquet C major AABA · 32 Medium swing
Penthouse Serenade 26% Jason-Burton F major AABA · 32 Medium swing
I've Got The World On A String 23% Harold Arlen F major AABA · 32 Medium swing
My Buddy 20% Walter Donaldson G major AA · 32 Jazz waltz
That's Amore (That's Love) 20% Warren-Brooks B♭ major AB · 32 Medium swing

Frequently asked questions

What key is The Birth Of The Blues in?

The Birth Of The Blues is usually played in C major. For B♭ instruments that is D major, for E♭ instruments A major.

Who wrote The Birth Of The Blues?

The Birth Of The Blues was written by Ray Henderson.

What is the form of The Birth Of The Blues?

The Birth Of The Blues has 4 sections (AABA) with 32 bars in total.

How fast is The Birth Of The Blues played?

The usual groove is Slow swing.

What are the chord changes to The Birth Of The Blues?

The opening bars are Cmaj7 Dbdim7 | Dm7 G7 | Cmaj7 E7 | Fmaj7 Gbdim7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.