Meanings
nountalking blues (countable and uncountable, plural talking blues)
- countableuncountableentertainmentA form of folk music characterized by rhythmic speech or near-speech where the melody is free, but the rhythm is strict.
The talking blues were first recorded in 1926, performed by a mandolinist named Chris Bouchillon.
2005, Dick Weissman, edited by Richard Carlin, Blues, Infobase Publishing, →ISBN, page 2321 more example
If Guthrie's talking blues are comedic powerhouses, the same can surely be said of his singing blues.
2019, Will Kaufman, Mapping Woody Guthrie, University of Oklahoma Press, →ISBN, page 26
Origin
From the song “Talking Blues”, recorded by Chris Bouchillon in Atlanta in 1926.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
talking blues. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/talking%20blues
MLA
“talking blues.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/talking%20blues. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “talking blues,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/talking%20blues.
Source: talking blues on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.