Nashville, Austin, New Orleans, Chicago, and New York are some of the more notable American locations for music. However, the location that partially gave these places their music: the Mississippi Delta. One of the foundational genres of American folk, rock, and country music is blues music. Without the blues, the sound of these genres would sound entirely different, and their popular trajectory would also look entirely different. Needless to say, the blues were and still are crucial to American music, and they were born in the storied Mississippi Delta.
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For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Mississippi Delta, it is the northwest section of Mississippi that lies between the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers. It is one of the most culturally rich places in the United States, and one facet of its culture that makes it such is the blues. That being so, here are three of the finest bluesmen to ever come out of the Mississippi Delta.
Robert Johnson
The most storied and mysterious musician to ever play the blues is, without a doubt, Robert Johnson. As the folkloric story goes, Robert Johnson made a deal with the devil in order to procure his skills on the guitar. Whether you believe that or not, Johnson still exists as arguably the most important figure in the history of the blues.
In addition to the folkloric veil covering his legacy, other facets that make Johnson such a remarkably influential guitar player are his implementation of the slide and the walking bassline. Both tactics would become foundational elements of the Mississippi Delta Blues sound.
Charley Patton
There would be no Robert Johnson if not for Charley Patton. Charley Patton, also known as the “Father of the Delta Blues,” has seemingly influenced every single person to ever play the genre. Given his outstanding influence on the genre, Charley Patton is often credited as being the most important figure in the history of the genre.
While Patton never lived long enough to see his influence come completely to fruition, he himself had a string of prolific pieces. Some of those pieces include “Down The Dirt Road Blues”, “A Spoonful Blues”, and “Pony Blues”.
Muddy Waters
Muddy Waters took what Robert Johnson and Charley Patton created and made it into a new sub-genre typically known as the Chicago Blues. Consequently, Waters is often known as the “Father of Chicago Blues.” In short, Muddy Waters took the early 20th-century blues and transformed them with the use of electric instruments. Consequently, Waters was a major influence on the development of rock ‘n’ roll.
Waters influenced rock legends such as The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, and really any rock and roller who fancied themselves a guitar player. Some of his notable works include “Mannish Boy”, “Rollin’ Stone”, and “Baby, Please Don’t Go”.
Photo by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns
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