Introduction: The Origin of the Blues
According to many textbooks, the blues is a genre that was born in the rural Mississippi Delta, with roots in the “sorrow songs” of enslaved people. It’s easy, however, to poke holes in this origin story and instead start to see the blues as a joyful, rebellious musical expression that formed in an urban environment. In this episode of Folk Files, we’ll take a look at different theories about the origin of the blues, separate fact from fiction, and uncover the reason why the Mississippi Delta narrative was promoted so strongly.
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Credits
Host: Olivia Harding
Chris Thomas King’s The Blues: The Authentic Narrative of My Music and Culture
Visit the Delta Blues Museum
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Assistant Producer: Aaron J. Morton
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Musical Excerpts
Muddy Waters
“Mannish Boy”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSfqNEvykv0
Muddy Waters
“Hoochie Coochie Man”
https://youtu.be/e_l6A7krjrQ?si=X3KcIB0gup3J60Bw
Jelly Roll Morton
“Buddy Bolden’s Blues”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSFr1S0z6dA
Jelly Roll Morton
Jelly Roll Morton – Library Of Congress Recordings (1938): The Complete And Full 8-Discs by Alan Lomax
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAieghW4Oss
Mississippi John Hurt
“Make Me a Pallet on Your Floor”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qC18_XEAe2o
Jelly Roll Morton
“Mamie’s Blues”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCiOSpsH_cc
Mamie Smith
“You Can’t Keep a Good Man Down”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNgXS8Gajto
Mamie Smith
“Crazy Blues”
https://youtu.be/qaz4Ziw_CfQ?si=vORIWnmYIek77SmD
Charlie Patton
“Pony Blues”
https://youtu.be/tNexYjCufcg
King Oliver and Louis Armstrong
“Dippermouth Blues”
https://youtu.be/PwpriGltf9g?si=3RSzxk5RYiVt_h1B
Lonnie Johnson
“Blue Ghost Blues”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxQXXcZ_G2U
Jelly Roll Morton
“Winin’ Boy Blues”
https://youtu.be/fxkvu_gWlQI
Original Dixieland Jass Band
“Livery Stable Blues”
https://youtu.be/5WojNaU4-kI?si=0-yOaeyAadIsaD0g
Marco Fumo
“I Got the Blues”
https://youtu.be/TMty4bcgUaM?si=sva4fNVH5rhjMmtx
Lead Belly
“Where Did You Sleep Last Night”
https://youtu.be/PsfcUZBMSSg?si=LZwH5nlWUqMCp8fr
Bessie Brown
“Mississippi Delta Blues”
https://youtu.be/-mca0HijXhc?si=bRA4DQmy3NqKrtgN
Tommy Johnson
“Canned Heat Blues”
https://youtu.be/RHw1ugBLS5g?si=FxJ1h-5aa_gp_-eg