Delta blues is one of the earliest-known styles of blues. It originated in the Mississippi Delta, and is regarded as a regional variant of country blues. Guitar and harmonica are its dominant instruments; slide guitar is a hallmark of the style. Vocal styles in Delta blues range from introspective and soulful to passionate and fiery.
Although Delta blues certainly existed in some form or another at the turn of the twentieth century, it was first recorded in the late 1920s, when record companies realized the potential African-American market for "race records". The major labels produced the earliest recordings, consisting mostly of one person singing and playing an instrument. Live performances, however, more commonly involved a group of musicians. Record company talent scouts made some of the early recordings on field trips to the South, and some performers were invited to travel to northern cities to record. Current research suggests that Freddie Spruell is the first Delta blues artist to have been recorded; his "Milk Cow Blues" was recorded in Chicago in June 1926.[1] According to Dixon and Godrich (1981), Tommy Johnson and Ishmon Bracey were recorded by Victor on that company's second field trip to Memphis, in 1928. Robert Wilkins was first recorded by Victor in Memphis in 1928, and Big Joe Williams and Garfield Akers by Brunswick/Vocalion, also in Memphis, in 1929.
Charley Patton recorded for Paramount in Grafton, in June 1929 and May 1930. He also traveled to New York City for recording sessions in January and February 1934.
Subsequently, the early Delta blues (as well as other genres) were extensively recorded by John Lomax and his son Alan Lomax, who crisscrossed the southern U.S. recording music played and sung by ordinary people, helping establish the canon of genres known today as American folk music. Their recordings, numbering in the thousands, now reside in the Smithsonian Institution. According to Dixon and Godrich (1981) and Leadbitter and Slaven (1968), Alan Lomax and the Library of Congress researchers did not record any Delta bluesmen or blueswomen prior to 1941, when he recorded Son House and Willie Brown near Lake Cormorant, Mississippi, and Muddy Waters at Stovall, Mississippi. However, this claim has been disputed,[according to whom?] as John and Alan Lomax had recorded Lead Belly in 1933[citation needed] and Bukka White in 1939, and probably others as well.
Women performers
In big-city blues, women singers such as Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Mamie Smith dominated the recordings of the 1920s.[3] Although very few women were recorded playing Delta blues and other rural or folk-style blues, many performers did not get professionally recorded.
Geeshie Wiley was a blues singer and guitar player who recorded six songs for Paramount Records that were issued on three records in April 1930. According to the blues historian Don Kent, Wiley "may well have been the rural South's greatest female blues singer and musician".[4]
L. V. Thomas, better known as Elvie Thomas, was a blues singer and guitarist from Houston, Texas, who recorded with Geeshie Wiley.[5]
Memphis Minnie was a blues guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter whose recording career lasted for more than three decades. She recorded approximately 200 songs, some of the best known being "Bumble Bee", "Nothing in Rambling", and "Me and My Chauffeur Blues".
Bertha Lee was a blues singer, active in the 1920s and 1930s. She recorded with, and was the common-law wife of, Charley Patton.[6]
Rosa Lee Hill, daughter of Sid Hemphill, learned guitar from her father and by the time she was ten, was playing at dances with him.[7] Several of her songs, such as "Rolled and Tumbled", were recorded by Alan Lomax between 1959 and 1960.[8] Late 1960s, Jo Ann Kelly(UK) started her recording career.[9] From 1970s Bonnie Raitt and Phoebe Snow performed blues.[10]
Bonnie Raitt, Susan Tedeschi and Rory Block are contemporary women blues artists who were influenced by Delta blues and learned from some of the most notable of the original artists still living. Sue Foley and Shannon Curfman performed blues also.
Many Delta blues artists, such as Big Joe Williams, moved to Detroit and Chicago, creating a pop-influenced city blues style. This was displaced by the new Chicago blues sound in the early 1950s, pioneered by Delta bluesmen Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and Little Walter, that was harking back to a Delta-influenced sound, but with amplified instruments.
^Wyman, Havers, Doggett (2001). Bill Wyman's Blues Odyssey. Dorling Kindersley. pp. 77–96.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Kent, Don (1994). Liner notes to "Mississippi Masters: Early American Blues Classics 1927–35". Reprinted at ParamountsHome.org. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
^Sullivan, John Jeremiah (2014-04-12). "The Ballad of Geeshie and Elvie". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-04-17.
^"Biography by Joslyn Layne". AllMusic. Retrieved September 21, 2011.
delta, blues, racehorse, delta, blues, horse, 2000, film, delta, blues, film, this, article, includes, list, general, references, lacks, sufficient, corresponding, inline, citations, please, help, improve, this, article, introducing, more, precise, citations, . For the racehorse see Delta Blues horse For the 2000 film see Delta Blues film This article includes a list of general references but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations December 2011 Learn how and when to remove this template message Delta blues is one of the earliest known styles of blues It originated in the Mississippi Delta and is regarded as a regional variant of country blues Guitar and harmonica are its dominant instruments slide guitar is a hallmark of the style Vocal styles in Delta blues range from introspective and soulful to passionate and fiery Delta bluesStylistic originsBluesCultural originsEarly twentieth centuryMississippi U S Derivative formsChicago bluesDetroit blueselectric bluesThe Mississippi Delta not to be confused with the Mississippi River Delta in Louisiana Contents 1 Origin 2 Women performers 3 Influence 4 See also 5 References 6 Bibliography 7 External linksOrigin EditAlthough Delta blues certainly existed in some form or another at the turn of the twentieth century it was first recorded in the late 1920s when record companies realized the potential African American market for race records The major labels produced the earliest recordings consisting mostly of one person singing and playing an instrument Live performances however more commonly involved a group of musicians Record company talent scouts made some of the early recordings on field trips to the South and some performers were invited to travel to northern cities to record Current research suggests that Freddie Spruell is the first Delta blues artist to have been recorded his Milk Cow Blues was recorded in Chicago in June 1926 1 According to Dixon and Godrich 1981 Tommy Johnson and Ishmon Bracey were recorded by Victor on that company s second field trip to Memphis in 1928 Robert Wilkins was first recorded by Victor in Memphis in 1928 and Big Joe Williams and Garfield Akers by Brunswick Vocalion also in Memphis in 1929 Charley Patton recorded for Paramount in Grafton in June 1929 and May 1930 He also traveled to New York City for recording sessions in January and February 1934 Son House first recorded in Grafton Wisconsin in 1930 for Paramount Records 2 Robert Johnson recorded his only sessions in San Antonio in 1936 and in Dallas in 1937 for ARC Many other artists were recorded during this period Cross Road Blues source source track 47 second sample of Robert Johnson song Problems playing this file See media help Subsequently the early Delta blues as well as other genres were extensively recorded by John Lomax and his son Alan Lomax who crisscrossed the southern U S recording music played and sung by ordinary people helping establish the canon of genres known today as American folk music Their recordings numbering in the thousands now reside in the Smithsonian Institution According to Dixon and Godrich 1981 and Leadbitter and Slaven 1968 Alan Lomax and the Library of Congress researchers did not record any Delta bluesmen or blueswomen prior to 1941 when he recorded Son House and Willie Brown near Lake Cormorant Mississippi and Muddy Waters at Stovall Mississippi However this claim has been disputed according to whom as John and Alan Lomax had recorded Lead Belly in 1933 citation needed and Bukka White in 1939 and probably others as well Women performers EditIn big city blues women singers such as Ma Rainey Bessie Smith and Mamie Smith dominated the recordings of the 1920s 3 Although very few women were recorded playing Delta blues and other rural or folk style blues many performers did not get professionally recorded Geeshie Wiley was a blues singer and guitar player who recorded six songs for Paramount Records that were issued on three records in April 1930 According to the blues historian Don Kent Wiley may well have been the rural South s greatest female blues singer and musician 4 L V Thomas better known as Elvie Thomas was a blues singer and guitarist from Houston Texas who recorded with Geeshie Wiley 5 Memphis Minnie was a blues guitarist vocalist and songwriter whose recording career lasted for more than three decades She recorded approximately 200 songs some of the best known being Bumble Bee Nothing in Rambling and Me and My Chauffeur Blues Bertha Lee was a blues singer active in the 1920s and 1930s She recorded with and was the common law wife of Charley Patton 6 Rosa Lee Hill daughter of Sid Hemphill learned guitar from her father and by the time she was ten was playing at dances with him 7 Several of her songs such as Rolled and Tumbled were recorded by Alan Lomax between 1959 and 1960 8 Late 1960s Jo Ann Kelly UK started her recording career 9 From 1970s Bonnie Raitt and Phoebe Snow performed blues 10 Bonnie Raitt Susan Tedeschi and Rory Block are contemporary women blues artists who were influenced by Delta blues and learned from some of the most notable of the original artists still living Sue Foley and Shannon Curfman performed blues also Influence EditThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed November 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message Many Delta blues artists such as Big Joe Williams moved to Detroit and Chicago creating a pop influenced city blues style This was displaced by the new Chicago blues sound in the early 1950s pioneered by Delta bluesmen Muddy Waters Howlin Wolf and Little Walter that was harking back to a Delta influenced sound but with amplified instruments Delta blues was also an inspiration for the creation of British skiffle music from which eventually came the British invasion bands while simultaneously influencing British blues that led to the birth of early hard rock and heavy metal See also EditList of Delta blues musicians Delta Blues Museum Delta Cultural Center Music of MississippiReferences Edit Leggett Steve Freddie Spruell AllMusic Retrieved December 6 2011 Paramount Records www msbluestrail org Wyman Havers Doggett 2001 Bill Wyman s Blues Odyssey Dorling Kindersley pp 77 96 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link Kent Don 1994 Liner notes to Mississippi Masters Early American Blues Classics 1927 35 Reprinted at ParamountsHome org Retrieved 18 September 2016 Sullivan John Jeremiah 2014 04 12 The Ballad of Geeshie and Elvie The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved 2021 04 17 Biography by Joslyn Layne AllMusic Retrieved September 21 2011 Liner notes Lomax Collection Lomax Alan Hill Rosa 1959 09 25 Rolled and tumbled Alan Lomax Collection Martin Terry Jo Ann Kelly Martin amp Kingsbury Retrieved 5 November 2022 Phoebe Snow San Francisco Bay Blues AllMusic Retrieved 4 November 2022 Bibliography EditCobb Charles E Jr Traveling the Blues Highway National Geographic Magazine April 1999 vol 195 no 4 Dixon R M W and Godrich J 1981 Blues and Gospel Records 1902 1943 Storyville London Ferris William R 1988 Blues from the Delta rev ed Da Capo Press ISBN 0 306 80327 5 ISBN 978 0306803277 Ferris William R 2009 Give My Poor Heart Ease Voices of the Mississippi Blues University of North Carolina Press ISBN 0 8078 3325 8 ISBN 978 0807833254 with CD and DVD Ferris William R and Hinson Glenn 2009 The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture Vol 14 Folklife University of North Carolina Press ISBN 0 8078 3346 0 ISBN 978 0 8078 3346 9 Gioia Ted 2009 Delta Blues The Life and Times of the Mississippi Masters Who Revolutionized American Music W W Norton ISBN 0 393 33750 2 ISBN 978 0393337501 Hamilton Marybeth In Search of the Blues Harris Sheldon 1979 Blues Who s Who Da Capo Press Leadbitter M and Slaven N 1968 Blues Records 1943 1966 Oak Publications London Nicholson Robert 1999 Mississippi Blues Today Da Capo Press ISBN 0 306 80883 8 ISBN 978 0 306 80883 8 Palmer Robert 1982 Deep Blues A Musical and Cultural History of the Mississippi Delta Penguin Reprint edition ISBN 0 14 006223 8 ISBN 978 0 14 006223 6 Ramsey Frederic Jr 1960 Been Here and Gone New Brunswick New Jersey Rutgers University Press Idem Second printing 1969 New Brunswick New Jersey Rutgers University Press Idem 2000 University of Georgia Press Wilson Charles Reagan Ferris William Abadie Ann J 1989 Encyclopedia of Southern Culture Second Ed University of North Carolina Press ISBN 0 8078 1823 2 ISBN 978 0 8078 1823 7 External links EditTrail of the Hellhound Delta Blues in the lower Mississippi Valley The Mississippi Delta Blues Society of Indianola The Blues documentary by Martin Scorsese aired on PBS Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Delta blues amp oldid 1134571066, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
