Listen What I Gotta Say: Women in the Blues
Lesson 5:
Blues in the Country
What makes the country blues "country"?
Elizabeth Cotten with Guitar, by John Cohen. Folkways Records.
Blues in the Country
Store and "Juke Joint", by Marion Post Walcott. Library of Congress.
The Deep South: Mississippi Delta Blues
Component 1
25+ minutes
King and Anderson Plantation, Clarksdale, Mississippi Delta, by Marion Post Wolcott. Library of Congress.
The Deep South: Country Blues
Let's listen to an example of country blues–one of the earliest forms of blues music.
"Low Down Rounder's Blues", by Peg Leg Howell
Can you hear:
- One voice?
- One guitar?
- fingerstyle playing?
The Deep South: Country Blues
Let's listen to an example of country blues–one of the earliest forms of blues music.
"Low Down Rounder's Blues", by Peg Leg Howell
Can you hear:
- One voice?
- Fingers plucking the guitar strings?
The Mississippi Delta
Many people call the Mississippi Delta region (shown in green),
"the land where the blues began"!
Blues in the Mississippi Delta
Black farmers, sharecroppers, and workers in the Mississippi Delta region played the blues at country barbeques, and family gatherings.
Queen of Hearts, Juke Joint, by David LaFevor. Smithsonian Magazine.
Mississippi Delta Blues Musicians
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The Mississippi Delta is a region in northwest Mississippi.
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Many well-known bluesmen and blueswomen were born in or near this region (the Delta region is shown in green).
Mississippi Delta Blues Musicians Birth Map, by Danielle Nalangan. Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.
Take a look at the map.
Discussion
Houses in the Mississippi, by Ann Charters. Folkways Records.
What is something interesting you learned from the video?
Attentive Listening: Delta Blues
Let's listen to a musical example, by Delta Blues musician Big Joe Williams.
What musical sounds do you notice? What do you wonder about?
Big Joe Williams, unknown photographer. Folkways Records.
"Married Woman Blues"
Listening for Delta Blues Characteristics
Listen to "Married Woman Blues" again.
Check off the musical and stylistic characteristics you hear.
Voice
Solo or multiple
Instruments
acoustic or amplified
guitar/harmonica
Form/Structure
call & response
rhyme
Pitch/Melody
sliding and bending
blues notes
Rhythm/Beat
solid and/or percussive
Lyrics
autobiographical/everyday life
Optional Activity: Compare and Contrast
Remember: The "Delta" blues is one distinct type of country blues.
"Married Woman Blues," by Big Joe Williams
"Low Down Rounder's Blues," by Peg Leg Howell
What are some similarities and differences between these two examples?
Women in the Country Blues
Women played the country blues too!
What do you notice?
What do you wonder?
Elizabeth Cotten:
Memphis Minnie:
Images: Elizabeth Cotten with Guitar, by John Cohen. Folkways Records. Memphis Minnie, by. National Musuem of American History.
"Freight Train"
"Hold Me Blues"
Relationships Between Blues Styles
1920s
1930s and Beyond
Country Blues
Urban Blues
Learning Checkpoint
- Where and when was the country blues "born"?
- What are some musical and stylistic characteristics of the distinct form of country blues known as the Delta Blues?
- Who were some important country blues musicians?
End of Component 1: Where will you go next?
The Tub, Harmonica, and Diddley Bow
Component 2
20+ minutes
Beale Street, by Arthur Leipzig. National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Listening for Country Blues Instruments
What instruments do you hear?
"Salty Dog Blues," by Red Willie Smith
Especially in rural America, some musicians have used household tools and everyday items to create instruments.
Guitar and "Tub"
Left: Washtub Bass, unknown maker. National Museum of American History. Right: Red Willie Smith with Guitar, by Harold Courlander. Folkways Records.
The song you just heard was played on guitar and sung by "Red" Willie Smith. His friend, Huston Townsend, played an instrument called the "tub".
Generally Speaking .....
African Earth Bow
African Earth Bow Diagram, by Harold Courlander. Folkways Records.
"American" Tub
The "American" version differs from the original:
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Instead of a hole in the ground covered with animal skin, the echo chamber is upside-down washtub.
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A string is connected to a stick and leaned against the washtub.
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A player plucks the string with his or her thumb and forefinger.
American Washtub, by Harold Courlander. Folkways Records.
Text
Evolution of the "Tub"
Beale Street, by Arthur Leipzig. National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Look closely at the photo of a 1940s band in downtown Memphis, Tennessee.
Can you see three instruments and three dancers? They're having fun!
"Salty Dog Blues"
Listen for the sound of the "tub". When you find it, tap along with the steady beat.
"Salty Dog Blues," by Red Willie Smith
Let's return to the recording of "Salty Dog Blues".
Let's listen to an excerpt from a different recording.
What instruments do you hear?
"I'm So Glad that Trouble Won't Last Always," by Elder Roma Wilson
Listening for Country Blues Instruments
The Harmonica
Left: Blues Harp Harmonica, by M. Hohner. National Museum of American History. Right: Elder Roma Wilson, by Chris Strachwitz. Arhoolie Records.
The recording you just listened to featured a solo male voice and a harmonica.
Big Mama Thornton and Her Harmonica
Big Mama Thornton With Her Band, photograph by Chris Strachwitz. The Arhoolie Foundation.
Big Mama Thornton is considered one of the greatest blues harmonica players of all time.
What do you notice about her playing style?
"I Need Your Love"
Delta Blues Characteristics
"I Need Your Love," by Big Mama Thornton
"Married Woman Blues," by Big Joe Williams
Ideas for Engaged Listening
"Married Woman Blues," by Big Joe Williams
"I Need Your Love," by Big Mama Thornton
- Walk to the beat.
- Tap on beats 2 and 4.
- Improvise a rhythm (pat on your lap).
- Play an air guitar.
- Tap or clap on beats 2 and 4.
- Walk to the beat during the vocal parts ... freeze when you only hear instruments.
- Play an air harmonica or drum set.
The Diddley Bow
Diddley Bow Dulcimer, made by Compton Jones. National Museum of American History.
The diddley bow was another instrument that became popular with blues music.
Diddley Bow in Action
Lonnie Pitchford: Diddley-Bow Tune #2, Alan Lomax Archive.
Here is country blues musician Lonnie Pritchford playing the diddley bow in Mississippi
Optional Closing Discussion
Here are the instruments in this pathway:
Which was your favorite, and why?
Diddly
Bow
Learning Checkpoint
What are three important instruments that we associate with country blues?
Why were these instrument used?
"woof woof"
End of Component 2: Where will you go next?
Pickin' and Slidin'
Component 3
20+ minutes
Etta Baker, by David Holt. The Etta Baker Project.
Country Blues Instruments: The Guitar
Dobro Guitar, made by John Dopyera. National Museum of American History.
In Component 2, we explored three instruments that play a role in country blues:The tub, harmonica, and diddley bow.
We can't forget the "Dobro" guitar!
Its distinct, high-pitched tone was a big part of the rural blues sound.
Attentive Listening: "Sun Goin' Down"
Here is Delta blues musician Son House playing "Sun Goin’ Down” on his dobro.
How would you describe his playing style?
"Sun Goin' Down," by Son House
Son House, unknown photographer. {PD-old-70-expired}, via Wikimedia Commons.
Country Blues: Slidin'
Son House's style was unique.
Listen again! Can you hear the "slides?"
He strummed the strings energetically with his right hand.
He stretched or bent the strings with his left hand to change the pitch.
This is"sliding."
"Sun Goin' Down," by Son House
The Piedmont Blues
The Piedmont Blues is another type of country blues. Watch how John Cephas picks a tune on his guitar.
Dog Days of August, featuring John Cephas and Phil Wiggins. Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.
The Piedmont Blues
The Appalachian Region Map, courtesy of the Appalachian Regional Commision.
The Piedmont Blues was born in the Appalachian mountains.
Piedmont guitarists use their thumb and fingers to pluck a tune.
The thumb plays the low or bass notes while the other fingers pick the melody.
Text
Women in the Piedmont Blues
Elizabeth Cotten and Etta Baker are two well-known blueswomen who used the Piedmont style.
How would you describe the style?
Does it sound familiar?
Images: Elizabeth Cotten with Guitar, by John Cohen. Folkways Records. Etta Baker, by David Holt. The Etta Baker Project.
"Freight Train"
"One Dime Blues"
Meet the Artist: Elizabeth Cotton
Elizabeth Cotten with Guitar, by John Cohen. Folkways Records.
Elizabeth Cotten taught herself to play the guitar and banjo as a young girl.
Notice how she holds her guitar upside down with the bass strings on the bottom.
She won a Grammy Award in 1985 when she was 90.
Meet the Artist: Etta Baker
Etta Baker, a blues musician with African-American, Native American, and European-American heritage began playing the guitar at the age of three.
Etta played both the 6-string and the 12-string acoustic guitar and the five-string banjo. She played the blues for nearly ninety years.
Country Blues: Pickin'
In her song, "One Dime Blues", Etta Baker:
Listen again for this "picking" technique:
Plays a bass line on the lower strings with her thumb.
Picks out a melody on the higher strings.
"One Dime Blues," by Etta Baker
Optional Closing Discussion
Which style of guitar playing did you prefer, and why?
- Strumming and Sliding (Son House)?
- Finger Picking (Etta Baker)?
"Sun Goin' Down," by Son House
"One Dime Blues," by Etta Baker
Learning Checkpoint
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What type of guitar did Son House use? What does it sound like?
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What are two distinct guitar playing styles that are associated with country blues styles?
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What is the Piedmont Blues and where did it originate?
End of Lesson 5: Where will you go next?
Lesson 5 Media Credits
Audio courtesy of
Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
Video courtesy of
Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
Smithsonian Channel
Alan Lomax Archive
Images courtesy of
Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
The Arhoolie Foundation
Library of Congress
National Museum of American History
National Museum of African American History and Culture
The Appalachian Regional Commission
Archives of American Art
The Etta Baker Project
David LaFevor
© 2022 Smithsonian Institution. Personal, educational, and non-commercial uses allowed; commercial rights reserved. See Smithsonian terms of use for more information.
This Lesson was funded in part by the Grammy Museum Grant and the Smithsonian Youth Access Grants Program, with support from the Society for Ethnomusicology and the National Association for Music Education.
For full bibliography and media credits, see Lesson 1 landing page.