Interesting conversation.

I have always thought it interesting that Jimmie Rodgers is regarded as the father of country music, and yet his songs were VERY much influenced by the blues.

Music is not a static thing. It evolves and changes nonstop. I borrow from you, you borrow from me, and maybe somebody else borrows the new sounds we got from borrowing from each other. We can say, "so-and-so started THIS sound" but how can we really be sure? Even something new comes from something old.

I understand what Ed's trying to ask, although my first reaction was like many of yours: how does he know I'm white? Likewise, being involved in living history, I have often asked the same question. Why are there not more minorities involved in living history? United States history belongs to them too. There are more blacks getting involved in living history and that is encouraging to me.

Music, like history, belongs to everyone. People will gravitate toward what they like and often that cuts across cultural lines.