Category Archives: Delta Blues

Electric Mud–The Life and Music of Muddy Waters,1915-1983 (Blues Stories, 7)

Posted on July 1, 2013 by georgelamplugh

Muddy Waters (April 14, 1915-April 30, 1983) was born McKinley A. Morganfield in Rolling Fork, Mississippi. His family moved farther north, to the Stovall Plantation near Clarksdale, when he was about three, and it was there that he eventually taught … Continue reading →

Posted in Alan Lomax, Chicago Blues, Delta Blues, Muddy Waters, The Blues, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

The Mississippi Delta and the Blues (Blues Stories, 6)

Posted on July 9, 2012 by georgelamplugh

Geographers define a “delta” as the triangular-shaped fertile area created by siltation at the mouth of a river.  But, when Blues fans refer to “the Delta,” “the land where the Blues began,” we mean “the fertile alluvial plain shared by the … Continue reading →

Posted in "Charley Patton", Alan Lomax, American History, Delta Blues, History, Muddy Waters, Research, Robert Johnson, Son House, Southern (Georgia) History, Southern History, The Blues | 4 Comments

20th-Century Blues Men (Blues Stories, 5)

Posted on June 1, 2012 by georgelamplugh

[Note:  This post is the companion piece to “20th-Century Blues Women.”  A slightly different format this time, without an introductory essay (for those interested in one, go here.); instead, I offer biographical sketches of some favorite 20th-century Blues men and a song or two that capture the essence … Continue reading →

Posted in "Charley Patton", Alan Lomax, American History, Blind Willie McTell, Chicago Blues, Delta Blues, History, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Piedmont Blues, Research, Robert Johnson, Son House, Southern (Georgia) History, Southern History, The Blues | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

20th-Century Blues Women (Blues Stories, 4)

Posted on April 1, 2012 by georgelamplugh

A funny thing happened when I researched the role of women in developing the Blues in the twentieth century:  I found an alternative narrative that contained a few surprises.  For example, the year 2003 was designated by Congress as “The … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, Bessie Smith, Big Mama Thornton, Billie Holiday, Blues Women, Chicago Blues, Delta Blues, Francine Reed, History, Ma Rainey, Mamie Smith, Memphis Minnie, Memphis Minnie, Ruth Brown, Sippie Wallace and Bonnie Raitt, Southern History, The Blues | 3 Comments

Blues Geography (Blues Stories, 3)

Posted on March 10, 2012 by georgelamplugh

Any discussion of geographical variations in the Blues, while important in developing some understanding of the music, is also problematic, because those labels can be slippery.  As Francis Davis points out, “the widespread availability of country blues records quickly blurred … Continue reading →

Posted in "Charley Patton", Alan Lomax, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Blind Willie McTell, Brownie McGee, Chicago Blues, Delta Blues, Howlin' Wolf, Memphis Minnie, Memphis Minnie, Muddy Waters, Piedmont Blues, Robert Johnson, Son House, Southern (Georgia) History, Southern History, TBone Walker, Texas Blues, The Blues, Uncategorized | Tagged | 3 Comments

The Birth of the Blues (Blues Stories, 2)

Posted on February 1, 2012 by georgelamplugh

                                           [Another in a series of posts about the history of the Blues and about some of those who sang and played … Continue reading →

Posted in Alan Lomax, American History, Delta Blues, History, Southern History, The Blues | 6 Comments