The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #13574   Message #112300
Posted By: Roger in Baltimore
07-Sep-99 - 09:39 PM
Thread Name: BS: Delta Blues, what are they?
Subject: Delta Blues, what are they?
In the thread about Starbucks Delta Blues CD a small discussion is brewing. What are Delta Blues? I suspect there are some artists on which most of us could agree. There are other artists on which we would definitely disagree.

Two artists that fall in my "definitely Delta" category are Bukka White and Son House. Both rely on a thumb-driven heavy driving bass beat for many songs with melody and frill notes added with an upward brush of one or two fingers.

But isn't Robert Johnson the King of the Delta Blues? The description above doesn't fit very well for him.

I await the opinions and suggestions of others. I suspect this discussion should be as cantankerous as the "what is folk music?" ones I've read.

Roger in Baltimore