2. Telling It Like It Was The nature of the blues stems from experiences in Mississippi Delta Becoming a male adult in a social environment that denied manhood
3. Mississippi Delta Fertile farmland on either side of the Mississippi River Memphis, TN south (200 miles) to Vicksburg, MS 1840s land was cleared for farming 2 cash crops: cotton and lumber Railroads connect to the outside
4. The region was: Backwards Almost feudal Agrarian Dominated by a few wealthy white plantation owners/merchants Blacks outnumbered whites 4 to 1
5. African – Americans were still: Lowest social stratum Denied basic civil/legal rights Limited access to public education/health care Living conditions were crude/unsanitary Homes lacked plumbing/electricity Diets lack nourishing food
7. Blues players were living/playing in the midst of this and thus were affected by this.
8. Working conditions were also difficult/dangerous After Civil War (1865) the South was forced to free slaves Yet it did not abandon plantation economy
9. Sharecropping 92% of the black population lived in rural south (1862) By 1900 per capita income of the South was 51% of the national average.
10. Result: they owed more than they earned Similar to sharecropping on plantations They performed back- breaking labor from sunup to sundown Lived in unsanitary facilities Were perpetually in debt to the contractor No School
11. Levee contract labor system After the Civil War the Federal Govt. hired white contractors who leased convicts After the turn of the century this convict system gave way to Levee Camps
12. Discipline enforced by “strawbosses” and “shack bullies” Workers were charged exorbitant fees for food, water, clothing, shelter, and recreation.
13. Many Delta blues musicians worked in or performed in levee camps This helped shape their musical repertoire
14. Delta Blues Origins The blues evolved from agrarian poverty and racial segregation A folk music indigenous to the cotton belt Mostly African-American population Developed in isolation from dominant white culture
15. First Delta blues similar to worksongs/field hollers Earliest written description of the blues by Charles Peabody, 1901 By 1903 a slide was being used Subject matter focused on description of hardships/injustices – no overt protest
16. Music soon gravitated toward recreation Saturday night social gatherings – dated to slave era Dances held in homes, outdoors, juke joints (later)
17. Originally, fiddle was main instrument Repertoire included many Anglo-American fiddle tunes – suggesting that black and white musicians shared ideas.
18. Main break with old traditions was the use of the guitar and harmonica (harp) Self-taught Delta guitarists were most traditional/original Descended from 1 string instruments – diddley bow/berimbau
23. Heart and soul of early Delta tradition Most famous blues artist in the region Youngest of 1stgeneration Delta bluesmen
24. Learned music from the Chatmon family 3 generations of string band music Example: “Sittin’ On Top of the World” Chatmons
25.
26. Charley Patton came under the influence of Henry Sloan Sloan never recorded Considered one of the “founding fathers” of Delta blues
27. Patton and his cohorts spanned the gap between the songster tradition and newly emerging blues. Disciples included Willie Brown, Son House, and Tommy Johnson Songster – performed folksongs, popular songs, minstrel songs, and blues
28. Charley the Man Huck Finn features Flashy dresser Rambler, rowdy, fun-loving prankster Loved to drink and socialize
29. Charley the Performer Flamboyant/charismatic Also danced, told tales, bantered Played guitar behind his head, between his legs, lying on his back
30. Patton’s playing emphasized rhythm over melody Similar to West African drumming Stacking rhythms in layers Used voice as an instrument – rhythmic effects Example: “Spoonful” "Will you kill my man?"
31. Patton was schooled in entire spectrum of black folk music Re-worked 3 basic “tune families” Lyrically he fused vignettes of Delta life with black oral tradition
33. Delta Blues Networks Evidence suggest numerous networks, extended families, schools Patton & Co. were most popular
34. 3 Most Influential Bluesmen Who Played With Charley Patton Willie Brown Tommy Johnson Son House
35. Willie Brown (ca. 1911 – ca. 1940s) Spent most of his life in the Delta Expanded rhythmic possibilities of guitar Composed few songs Prominently mentioned in lyrics by Patton and Robert Johnson
36. Prevailing Social Conditions Made it Difficult for Women to Perform Blues Very dangerous lifestyle Women more likely joined church choir or minstrel troupe The few exceptions were: Josie Bush Louise Johnson Lucille Davis Mattie Delaney
37. Tommy Johnson (1896 – 1956) Spent most of his life in the Delta – Crystal Springs, MS Sold his soul to the devil Flamboyant guitar style – behind head/between legs Sold his soul to the devil
41. Son House (1902 – 1973) Perfected slide guitar technique Spent time on Parchman Farm Associated with Patton and Brown early 1930s “Rediscovered” by folkies in early 1960s
43. Robert Johnson (1911 – 1938) Key transitional figure between rural beginnings and modern urban blues Born in Hazelhurst, MS – south of the Delta Married by age 19 – wife and child died in childbirth
44. Restless spirit indicative of changing social consciousness among rural black population “Travel on, poor Bob, just can’t turn you ‘round”
45. Johnson’s Musical tastes Ventured Beyond the Delta Kokomo Arnold Scrapper Blackwell Lonnie Johnson
46. 2 Recording Sessions 1st – San Antonio, TX 1936 2nd – Dallas, TX – 1937 Total of 29 blues tunes
47. Johnson’s Guitar Style was Far – Reaching Tightening of rhythmic line was basis for urban blues to follow Made guitar sound like a band Shuffle rhythms
48. Many of Johnson’s Tunes Borrowed From Others “Walking Blues” from Son House’s “My Black Mama” “Sweet Home Chicago” from Kokomo Arnold’s “Old Original Kokomo Blues” “32 – 20 Blues” from Skip James’ “20 -20 Blues” “If I Had Possession Over Judgment Day” and “Travelling Riverside Blues” from traditional “rolling and tumbling” theme
49. Johnson’s Most Original Tune “Hellhound On My Trail” “I got to keep on moving, got to keep on moving, Blues falling down like hail, blues falling down like hail, Ummm blues falling down like hail, blues falling down like hail, And the day keeps on reminding me there’s a hellhound on my trail, Hellhound on my trail, hellhound on my trail.”
50. Themes in Johnson’s Music Social themes/images that dominate Johnson’s music are representative of the early Delta Mixture of personal observation and folklore updated black oral tradition Mobility = personal freedom – “Rambling On My Mind” Fatalism regarding forces against him – social/supernatural – “Crossroad Blues”
51. Dealings with the Devil Implicit in Johnson’s philosophy Encouraged the legend of selling his soul to the Devil “Me and the Devil Blues” “Early this morning when you knocked on my door, Early this morning when you knocked on my door, I said, “Hello Satan, I believe it’s time to go.”
52. Johnson’s Fatalism Implies a Capitulation to Overwhelming Social Constraints He has nothing to lose Element of defiance toward white culture Manifest in an African icon, disguised as Satan