The middle of seventeen brothers, House was born in Riverton, two miles from Clarksdale, Mississippi. Around age seven or eight, he was brought by his mother to Tallulah, Louisiana after his parents separated. The young Son House was determined to become a Baptist preacher, and at age 15 began his pr

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Raised in Avalon, Mississippi, Hurt learned to play guitar at age 9. He spent much of his youth playing old time music for friends and dances, earning a living as a farm hand into the 1920s. In 1923 he often partnered with the fiddle player Willie Narmour (Carroll County Blues) as a substitute for hi

Gritty, Playful, Repetitive, Rhythmic, Self-reflection, Witty

Bessie Smith, the 6-foot, 200-pound Empress of the Blues, commanded stage and street with a fierce violence and a resonant, endless well of a voice. Born in Chattanooga, Tennesee, in 1894, Smith began her career singing on street corners. Under the mentorship of "Ma" Rainey, one of the most popular p

Ecstatic, Gritty, In-your-face, Violent

Truly the father of Chicago blues, Muddy brought his Mississippi sound up from the Delta, combined it with the electric guitar, and redefined the genre. Waters taught himself how to play the blues by listening to Robert Johnson records. Eventually, he left Mississippi to play and sing in the Silas Gr

Gritty, Primal, Visceral