It is sad that we don't know more about the origin of the blues, but "ain't that America?" At the beginning of this century, you couldn't find a scholar interested in folk music, particularly the folk music of black people. All ears pointed to Europe. Ragtime, the popular American music at the turn of the century, was reviled by the so-called elite. They talked about it as if it was a plague, an infection creeping out from black America.

By the time the blues revival comes along, the originators are long dead. They didn't leave behind letters. They probably couldn't read or write. Rats! So, all we're left with is their legacy, the dim mememories of some who knew them, and their music.

Peace.