After the Civil War, many Black Americans began to move to the distinct cultural region known as the "Mississippi Delta", seeking jobs, higher wages, and opportunities to buy land. At family barbecues, community gatherings, and local juke joints, Black cotton farmers, sharecroppers, and other laborers began to fuse their regional musical styles and instruments. It was in this environment, that "the blues", as we know it today, was born and evolved. In this lesson, you will learn all about the instruments and playing styles that shaped early "country" blues forms (specifically the Delta and Piedmont styles). From Etta Baker, who popularized a unique fingerpicking style that continues to be used today to Memphis Minnie, who is often called the "Queen of the Country Blues", this lesson (once again) highlights how women have been instrumental in the evolution of this genre.

Lesson Paths & Learning Objectives

1. The Deep South: Mississippi Delta Blues

   • Explain where and when the “country blues” developed.
   • Identify important characteristics of the distinct form of country blues known as the “Delta Blues”.
   • Identify several important country blues musicians.
   • 25+ minutes

2. The Tub, Harmonica, and Diddley Bow

   • Identify three instruments that were important in the development of early country blues styles.
   • Explain why these instruments were used by blues musicians in rural areas in the early 1900s.
   • 20+ minutes

3. Pickin' and Slidin'

   • Identify where the Piedmont Blues originated.
   • Aurally identify and describe two distinct guitar playing styles associated with the Delta and Piedmont Blues.
   • 20+ minutes