The first decade of the 20th century was a seminal era in the history of contemporary American music. This is because two pivotal genres started evolving in that period. One is blues. And the other is jazz, which followed almost immediately after. Blues, it is said, originated in the cotton fields in the southern part of the United States, where African-American slaves would sing about their life to ease the burden of their labour, borrowing heavily from gospel and country music. Their songs didn't necessarily stem from self-pity, although that thematic scheme did form a part of the genre, which is why it's called “blues” in the first place.