Good point, Joseph. And good examples. Yes, I do think "art blues," and Handy in particular, must have had an influence on Sandburg and friends.

This illustrates how important it is to remember that Sandburg and friends were responsive to modernizing trends in other forms of music, and to a lesser degree in the arts as a whole. They had their ears wide open and were not restricting themselves as closely to "pure" folk forms as, say, Cecil Sharp or the Lomaxes.

I'd like, too, to make a correction to my last post above:

There is no flatted 6th in I'm Sad And I'm Lonely.

Bob