The Delta blues is one of the earliest styles of blues music. It originated in the Mississippi Delta, a region of the United States that stretches from Memphis, Tennessee in the north to Vicksburg, Mississippi in the south, the Mississippi River on the west to the Yazoo River on the east. Slide guitar and harmonica dominate the instruments used. The vocals range from introspective and soulful to passionate and fiery.
Delta blues music was first recorded in the late 1920s. The early recordings consist mostly of one person singing and playing an instrument, though the use of a band was more common during live performances. The recording of early Delta blues (as well as other genres) owes much to John Lomax, who criss-crossed the Southern US recording music played and sung by ordinary people. His recordings number in the thousands, and now reside in the Smithsonian Institution.
«Delta blues» is a style as much as a geographical appellation: Skip James and Elmore James, who were not born in the Delta, were considered Delta blues musicians. Performers traveled throughout the Mississippi Delta Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, and Tennessee. Eventually, Delta blues spread out across the country, giving rise to a host of regional variations, including Chicago and Detroit blues.
Scholars disagree as to whether there is a substantial, musicological difference between blues that originated in this region and in other parts of the country. The defining characteristic of Delta blues would seem to be instrumentation and an emphasis on rhythm; the basic harmonic structure is not substantially different from that of blues performed elsewhere.
Because the Mississippi Delta was essentially feudal in the 1920s and earlier, and the plantation system was oppressive, there existed a subculture of blues artists who were refugees from that system.
The Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman Farm was an important influence on several blues musicians who were imprisoned there, and was referenced in songs such as Bukka White’s ‘Parchman Farm Blues’ and Leadbelly’s ‘Midnight Special’. Thus Delta blues can refer to one of the first pop-music subcultures as well as to a performing style.
List of artists:
Ishman Bracey
Willie Brown
R. L. Burnside
Sam Chatmon
James Cotton
Mike Cross
Arthur Crudup
David Honeyboy Edwards (1915- ) Delta Blues Singer and Guitarist, A Friend of Robert Johnson
T-Model Ford
Earl Hooker
Son House (1902-1988) Very Influential Blues Singer and Guitarist from Mississippi.
John Lee Hooker (1917-2001) Blues Singer and Guitarist
Mississippi John Hurt (1892-1966)
Skip James (1902-1969) American blues singer, guitarist, pianist and songwriter, One of the most original of the Blues Musicians.
Robert Johnson (1911-1938) Most Famous Delta Blues Guitarist and Singer
Tommy Johnson
Paul Jones
Robert Lockwood Jr.
Tommy McClennan
Mississippi Fred McDowell
Charley Patton (1891-1934) Delta Blues Musician, One of the first «Stars»
Paul Pena
Johnny Shines
Henry Sloan Mentor to Patton
Sunnyland Slim
Geechie Temple
Hound Dog Taylor
Muddy Waters (McKinley Morganfield (1915-1983) Legendary Blues Artist, His Appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1960 created an awareness of the blues for the mass mainstream culture.
Bukka White
Big Joe Williams
Elmo Williams
- Delta Frank’s Blues Blowtorch – Saturday nights on WGLT-FM 103.3 in Peoria, Illinois. Serving the central state for over 15 years, and now available on the World Wide Web.
- Vestige Records – Featuring releases from Blues Rock guitarist Sean Chambers and Delta Blues guitarist Rocky Lawrence.
- Delta Blues Superstars – Included is a series of portraits of blues greats such as John Hurt, Blind Boy Fuller, Charlie Patton and many others. By Neil Harpe.
- Delta Blues Education Program – A fund created to bring together the children and master musicians of the Mississippi Delta for the continuation of the Delta Blues tradition. Includes program objectives and description, musician information, news and links.
- Delta Cultural Center – Museum in the Arkansas Delta offering a look at the culture of a unique region through its music, people and traditions. The Delta Cultural Center’s Delta Music Documentation Project is an active project focusing on Blues and Gospels deep roots in the Delta.
- Block, Rory – Multiple W.C. Handy Award winner Mississippi Delta Country Blues singer/songwriter and guitarist. Her site includes a bio, discography, reviews, news, tour dates and sound samples.
Delta Blues Museum – The Museum houses thousands of books, recordings, tapes, CDs, videos, rare photographs and memorabilia tracing the roots of this unique American phenomenon. - Sardinas, Eric – Texas and Delta blues slide guitarist based in the Los Angeles, California area.
- Little Whitt and Big Bo – Country and Delta blues guitar and harmonica duo. This page at BluesWeb offers some biographical information and sound samples.
- Mudcat Blues Band – Georgia based band playing their blues Delta-style, mixed with funk, ragtime, gospel, Cajun, jazz, country, vaudeville and Georgia blues. Site offers band information, tour schedule, pictures and message board.
- Divin’ Duck Blues Band – From Opovo, Yugoslavia. Biography, lyrics, sound files, schedule, and pictures.
- Blues Lyrics Online – Includes lyrics to «Get Up Off Your Knees», «Kind Lovin’ Blues», «Organ Grinder Blues», and «There’ll Be Some Changes Made.»
- Johnson, Valerie – Valerie is the lead singer of no less than three different bands, mainly old style jazz and blues, from San Luis Obispo, California.
- Southbound Train Blues Band – Online presence for one of the few Israeli Delta Blues bands.
