With an increasing number of African Americans moving to urban areas in the 1940s and '50s, and with amplified electric guitars playing a larger role in the music's development, Chicago saw the blues evolve from its Southern roots into a more expanded, modern sound. Musicians were putting the blues into a band context by incorporating drums, piano, electric bass, and even horns, a lineup that soon became the standard blueprint for all modern blues ensembles. Chicago blues represents a style of electric and acoustic blues that still has close ties to the music's early roots but is perhaps built more for playing in bars and clubs than on front porchs.

Notable Artists: Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Otis Rush