Listen What I Gotta Say: Women in the Blues

6th grade–8th grade

Lesson Hub 6:

Blues in the City

The question to consider throughout this Lesson is:

What happened when blues musicians migrated for better opportunities?

Subway, by Lily Furedi. Smithsonian American Art Museum.

A color photograph depicts the inside of a crowded subway car. Passengers sit or stand on either side of the car, many of them reading newspapers or books. Most of the women and the men wear hats and clothing that hail from the 1940s. They might be headed to offices. In the right foreground a woman is seated facing backwards. She wears a pleated blue dress, white heels and a white hat. Her hands rest in her lap.

Blues in the City

A smaller version of the same photograph of the crowded subway car illustrates the right side of this slide.

Path 1

The Great Migration and Music

HISTORY & CULTURE

45+ MINUTES

Path 2

Urbanization: Sounds of the Electric Blues

MUSIC LISTENING

15+ MINUTES

Path 3

Singing With Big Mama, Part 2

MUSIC MAKING

30+ MINUTES

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 1: The Great Migration

Path 1

The Great Migration and Music

45+ minutes

Migratory Agricultural Workers on Route 27, by Jack Delano. Library of Congress.

The black and white photograph depicts two men with heads bowed holding suitcase-like bags and walking away from the camera on a footpath beside a nearly empty highway. Both wear long-sleeved shirts, the man on the right has rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt. The road is lined with trees. A vehicle – perhaps a bus – is visible in the distance.

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 1: The Great Migration

Leaving the Deep South

At the turn of the 20th century, many African Americans began to migrate to northern urban centers (Chicago, St. Louis, DC, Harlem, Detroit, etc.).

This mass shift of Black people from the south to the urban north is commonly called the Great Migration.

A closeup of the man on the left in the previous slide shows him walking and carrying a dark suitcase. He faces away from the camera, so only his back is visible. The suitcase has straps wrapped around it.

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 1: The Great Migration

Watch this video...

...which describes the Great Migration and explains the reasons why tens of thousands of African Americans left the South at the turn of the 20th century.

History Brief: The Great Migration, by Reading through History.

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 1: The Great Migration

Reasons for the Great Migration

In some cases, they were looking for jobs.

Some people were trying to find better educational opportunities.

Others were trying to escape racism and violence.

Left: Cotton Picking, Pulaski County, Arkansas, by Ben Shahn. Right: Women Welders at the Landers, Frary, and Clark Plant, by Gordon Parks. Library of Congress.

Two separate photographs are joined to create this image, which comprises the cover photo of Field to Factory, an album released by Smithsonian Folkways. On the left, three workers are seen from the back in a cotton field dragging large white cloth bags of cotton through the fields they just picked. On the right, a closeup photo shows two women welders. Both wear heavy protective clothing and welder's masks that are pushed high up on their heads to reveal their faces.

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 1: The Great Migration

Geography of the Great Migration

Great Migration, by Bill of Rights Institute. CC BY 4.0, via Flickr.

The key to this map of the United States explains that the map illustrates the major streams of the Great Migration: light green represents Southwest to Midwest and Far West; blue represents South Central to Midwest, and pale orange represents Southeast to Northeast.

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 1: The Great Migration

Activity 1: Learning through Liner Notes

In this activity, students will learn more about the Great Migration by reading liner notes that accompany Field to Factory - Voices of the Great Migration: Recalling the African American Migration to the Northern Cities, an album released by Smithsonian Folkways Recordings in 1994.

Field to Factory - Voices of the Great Migration: Recalling the African American Migration to the Northern Cities, cover design by Carol Hardy. Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.

This slide uses the same dual photo image of cotton pickers and factory workers. The title of the recording is visible on the upper left, with the word “field” on a green background and the word “factory” on a brown background.

Click the down arrow for more instructions.

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 1: The Great Migration

Activity: Learning through Liner Notes

Divide into small groups to read these sections:

Introduction (2-3)
Field to Factory: African American Migration 1915-1940 (4-5)
Life in the South: Why Leave? (5-7)
New Demands for Labor (8)
The Decision to Move (8-9)
The Trip North (9-13)
Was it Better or Worse? (13-14)
The Years that Followed (14-15)

The background image on this slide repeats slide #4 – two men walking down a highway carrying suitcases, heads bowed, wearing hats.

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 1: The Great Migration

Activity 2: Exploring the Stories of Migrants

Examining primary sources and reflecting on their meaning can increase our understanding of human experiences.

Letters from migrants, collected by Emmett J. Scott, were published in The Journal of Negro History in 1919.

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 1: The Great Migration

Reflection and Discussion

Why did African Americans feel that they had to leave the South?

Why might African Americans have felt that opportunities would not be made available for them and their families in the South?

How do you think that they felt when moving across country?

Do you think you will ever need to move to a new location to have better opportunities? Why or why not?

Generally Speaking .....

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 1: The Great Migration

Music and the Great Migration

What happens to music when people migrate?

Watch this video to learn more:

The Great Migration, by Carnegie Hall.

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 1: The Great Migration

Musical Life: Changes in the City

The Great Migration brought blues musicians and their music to a wider audience. Northern and Western cities became hot spots for African American musical creativity.

Musicians began to influence each other, using different instruments and instrumentation / ensemble combinations (electronic vs. acoustic; solo performance vs. ensembles), and had opportunities to perform at a wider variety of venues (juke joints, rent parties, public venues, etc.).

In these urban environments, more African American audience members had the funds needed to purchase records and frequent concerts.

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 1: The Great Migration

The Chicago Blues

Chicago was one of the most easily accessible locations for blues musicians to migrate to when leaving the South, since there was a one-way train from the Mississippi Delta to Chicago.

Maxwell Street Camp Meeting, by Charles W. Cushman, CC-BY-2.0, via IMLS DCC and Flickr.

This hand-colored photograph of a busy street scene in Chicago shows a crowd gathered around two street musicians. The view of the two guitar players – one a man wearing a maroon suit and the other a woman in a purple dress – is partially obscured by a man wearing a tan suit and reaching behind an old Gibson amplifier, which sits squarely at the bottom center of the photo. The folks crowded around the musicians are mostly dressed warmly in suits and hats, though one onlooker wears a short-sleeved T-shirt and holds his hands behind his back. They all stare intently at the musicians, who occupy the center of the photo, as they strum their instruments.

"Wang Dang Doodle," recorded by Koko Taylor.

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 1: The Great Migration

Meet the Artist: Koko Taylor

Born on a sharecropper’s farm outside Memphis, TN, Taylor began belting the blues with her siblings on their homemade instruments.

In 1952, Taylor traveled to Chicago with nothing but, in Koko’s words, “thirty-five cents and a box of Ritz Crackers.”

Koko Taylor was one of few women who found success in the male-dominated blues world. She took her music from the tiny clubs of Chicago’s South Side to concert halls and major festivals all over the world.

Koko Taylor, photo by Stefan Marise. University of Mississippi Libraries.

A closeup black and white photo of Koko Taylor holding a microphone close to her mouth and belting out a song.

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 1: The Great Migration

Optional Activity: Compare and Contrast

The "Delta" blues is one distinct type of country blues.

The "Chicago" blues is one distinct type of urban blues.

"Married Woman Blues," by Big Joe Williams

"Wang Dang Doodle," by Koko Taylor

Coin-sized portrait of Big Joe Williams, a beefy blues singer, mouth open and a full-size guitar beneath his fingers sings into a microphone. He wears a loud patterned long-sleeved buttoned shirt.

The same photograph of Koko Taylor that appeared on the previous slide is cropped here into a coin-sized circle.

1920s

1930s and Beyond

Country Blues

Urban Blues

Delta Blues

Piedmont Blues

Memphis Blues

Electric Blues

Chicago Blues

Jump Blues

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 1: The Great Migration

Relationships Between Blues Styles

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 1: The Great Migration

Learning Checkpoint

Why did African Americans begin to migrate north and west to urban centers in the U.S. at the beginning of the 20th century?
What happens to music when people migrate?
How did the blues change when musicians migrated to more urban areas?

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 1: The Great Migration

End of Path 1: Where will you go next?

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Advance to the next History and Culture Path:

Legendary Blues Women

Women in the Blues - Lesson 7, Path 1

Return to Pathway homepage:

Listen What I Gotta Say: Women in the Blues

Continue to Path 2:

Urbanization: Sounds of the Electric Blues

Take a shortcut to Path 3:

Singing With Big Mama, Part 2

15+ minutes

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 2: Electric Blues

Path 2

Urbanization: Sounds of the Electric Blues

Chicago Blues, cover design by Wayne Pope. Arhoolie Records.

The slide is illustrated by the album cover of Johnny Young, Chicago Blues, a Folkways release. The photo on the album cover shows two musicians – one faces the camera and holds a guitar and the faces sideways and holds a harmonica to his mouth. The album title is depicted in bright blue with turquoise lettering, perhaps highlighting the “Blues” content of the album.

"Killer Diller," by Memphis Minnie

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 2: Electric Blues

Attentive Listening: The Electric Blues

“On The Road Again,” by Johnny Young

Listen to excerpts from these tracks.

What musical/stylistic characteristics do you notice?

Lesson 2: Before the Blues / Component 3: Field Hollers

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 2: Electric Blues

The Rise of Amplification

As blues musicians began to migrate to major cities across the United States, there were minor changes in instrumentation and the use of amplification became more popular.

Why do you think blues musicians only began using amplification after moving to cities?

Electric Guitar Amplifier, by Fender. National Museum of American History.

The photo shows an old wooden Fender amplifier with a carrying handle.

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 2: Electric Blues

Attentive Listening: The Electric Blues

Listen again.

What instruments do you hear?

What do you notice about the tempo?

“On The Road Again,” by Johnny Young

"Killer Diller," by Memphis Minnie

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 2: Electric Blues

Regional Styles of Urban Blues

Not all "urban" blues was the same!

Regional styles of urban blues developed across the United States—West Coast, New Orleans, St. Louis, Detroit, Chicago, and all major sites where African Americans migrated at the turn of the century or post WWI.

Left: Sister Rosetta Tharpe: America's Greatest Gospel Singing and Guitar Playing Star, by Jazzshows Limited. National Museum of African American History and Culture. Right: Bessie Smith, by Carl Van Vechten. National Portrait Gallery.

This slide presents two photographs. Left: Sister Rosetta Tharpe stands with arms outstretched and a guitar strapped to her shoulder in this blue souvenir cover to a concert program. Black text on the cover reads “Jazzshows present Sister Rosetta Tharpe America’s Greatest Gospel Singing and Guitar Playing Star; Souvenir Program, One Shilling.”

Right: This sepia-toned portrait of singer Bessie Smith shows her sitting facing front with her eyes glancing sideways. Her hair is short and she is wearing a sparkly dress which is mostly hidden by the bouquet of large feathers she holds in her hands. Behind her is a floral cloth background.

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 2: Electric Blues

Listening to Different Types of Urban Blues

Classic Blues

“St. Louis Blues” - Bessie Smith

Gospel Blues

“Let it Shine” - Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Chicago Blues

“Wang Dang Doodle” - Koko Taylor

Jump Blues / Early R & B

“Wild Wild Young Men” - Ruth Brown

Rhythm & Blues (R & B)

“You Better Move Out Man” - Beatrice Stewart

Ruth Brown Promotional Poster, Shaw Artists Corporation. {PD US no notice}, via Wikimedia Commons.

This red and white and black promotional poster features a flashy photograph of singer Ruth Brown. The poster advertises a concert at the Mambo Club on Saturday Nite, Feb. 1 in Wichita Kansas. Additional text splashed over the poster tells the time of the concert: 8 pm to 1 am; names new hits that will be featured, such as “Lucky Lips,” and announces the addition to the performance of Paul Williams and his orchestra. Admission is $2.50.

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 2: Electric Blues

Learning Checkpoint

How did migration to urban centers influence the development of different blues styles?
What are some musical and stylistic characteristics of different styles of urban blues music?

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 2: Electric Blues

End of Path 2: Where will you go next?

Continue to Path 3:

Singing With Big Mama, Part 2

Advance to the next Music Listening Path:

The Songs of Queens

Women in the Blues - Lesson 7, Path 2

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Return to Pathway homepage:

Listen What I Gotta Say: Women in the Blues

Choose an Intersecting Path:

Zydeco: The 1950s and Beyond

Cajun and Zydeco Music Pathway - Lesson 8, Path 2

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 3: Big Mama, Part 2

Path 3

Singing With Big Mama, Part 2

30+ minutes

Big Mama Thornton with Band, by Chris Strachwitz. Arhoolie Records.

A full-frontal view of Big Mama Thornton wearing a floral dress, her right hand by her side; she is clearly singing, backed by a drummer in her band.

Lesson 2: Before the Blues / Component 3: Field Hollers

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 3: Big Mama, Part 2

Who Was Big Mama Thornton?

Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton (1926–1984) was born and raised in rural Alabama, leaving home at age 14 to tour with a group called the Hot Harlem Review.

Around 1950, she recorded her first hit song called "Hound Dog." Suddenly, she was in high demand and performed in many cities throughout the United States and beyond.

Big Mama Thornton, Berkeley Folk Festival, photo by Kelly Hart; © Northwestern University. Courtesy of Berkeley Folk Music Festival Archive, Charles Deering McCormick Library of Special Collections, Northwestern University Libraries.

Big Mama Thornton faces the camera, looking slightly to the side and smiles. She wears a ruffled blouse and dangly earrings.

Lesson 2: Before the Blues / Component 3: Field Hollers

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 3: Big Mama, Part 2

Women in the Blues!

We often forget about the substantial role that women played in forming and popularizing the blues.

Big Mama Thornton was instrumental in extending the reach of the blues to white audiences.

In fact, two leading rock ‘n’ roll artists were inspired by her music and performance style, recording some of her songs:

Janis Joplin - “Ball and Chain”
Elvis Presley - "Hound Dog"

Big Mama Thornton, Arms Crossed, ©Jim Marshall Photography LLC.

Big Mama Thornton, arms crossed, with a serious expression on her face stands behind a microphone. She wears a white T-shirt tucked into her dark pants.

Lesson 2: Before the Blues / Component 3: Field Hollers

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 3: Big Mama, Part 2

Optional: Compare and Contrast

What similarities and differences do you notice between these versions of the songs?

"Ball N' Chain," by Big Mama Thornton

"Ball and Chain," by Janis Joplin

"Hound Dog," by Big Mama Thornton

"Hound Dog," by Elvis Presley

Lesson 2: Before the Blues / Component 3: Field Hollers

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 3: Big Mama, Part 2

Singing With Big Mama, Part 2!

To better understand Big Mama Thornton's style and how her music was key in crossing race and genre barriers, we will learn one of her songs, "I'm Feeling Alright."

Let's start by listening while tapping along on beats 2 & 4.

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 3: Big Mama, Part 2

Attentive Listening: "I'm Feeling Alright"

Listen to short excerpts from Big Mama's "I'm Feeling Alright."

Think about a different question each time:

How would you describe the tempo?

How does it make you feel?

What instruments do you hear?

What do you notice about the structure?

I	IV	I	I
IV	IV	I	I
V	IV	I	I - V

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 3: Big Mama, Part 2

"I'm Feeling Alright"

Listening for the 12-Bar Blues

This song uses a standard 12-Bar Blues chord progression.

Standard 12-bar blues chords

"I'm Feeling Alright"

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 3: Big Mama, Part 2

Listening for AAB Lyrical Form

This song uses a standardized lyrical form called AAB:

The "blues stanza" generally consists of three lines, each of which is set to four measures of music.

I'm feeling alright this morning, because my baby's coming home

Hey - I'm feeling alright this morning, because my baby's coming home

I got a letter yesterday that he’ll be there this early morning

Engaged Listening: "I'm Feeling Alright"

Now that you're familiar with the tune, it's time to sing along with Big Mama!

Blues music is often learned "by ear."

I'm feeling alright this morning, because my baby's coming home

Hey - I'm feeling alright this morning, because my baby's coming home

I got a letter yesterday that he’ll be there this early morn

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 3: Big Mama, Part 2

Generally Speaking .....

Suggestions and notes:

Perform "I'm Feeling Alright"

Sing the whole song with and without the recording.
If possible (when singing without the recording), sing in the key appropriate to the voices of the students (e.g. C, for young voices, with middle C being the lowest pitch, and the song having a range of an octave).
Teachers (or students) can consider adding piano or guitar accompaniment and/or rhythm section (especially at first, keep it simple!).
Discuss performance criteria as a class . . . Remember to sing expressively.
Learn a blues scale and practice improvising short melodic riffs.
Practice, refine, and perhaps even perform for an audience.

Click HERE for lyrics

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 3: Big Mama, Part 2

Lyrics of "I'm Feeling Alright" by Big Mama Thornton

I'm feeling alright this morning, because my baby's coming home (2x)

I got a letter yesterday that he’ll be there this early morn

I got the blues at midnight, I'll be so glad when its day (2x)

Cause I’m so in love with my baby because he’s coming home today

Instrumental Break

I love my baby child better than I do myself (2x)

I gotta let the whole world know about it cause I don’t want nobody else

I love my better baby better than I do anything in this world (2x)

Cause he’s the only boy and mama is the only girl

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 3: Big Mama, Part 2

Attentive Listening: "I'm Feeling Alright" (different version)

Next, you will engage with a different version of this song (also recorded by Big Mama Thornton).

A repeat of the photo on slide 29: Big Mama Thornton wearing a white T-shirt tucked into dark pants standing with her arms crossed behind a microphone.

Tap or pat along on beats 2 & 4.
Sing along on the first verse.

What similarities and differences do you notice between these versions?

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 3: Big Mama, Part 2

Lyrics of "I'm Feeling Alright" by Big Mama Thornton

I'm feeling alright this morning, because my baby's coming home (2x)

I got a letter yesterday that he’ll be there this early morn

I got the blues at midnight, I'll be so glad when its day (2x)

Cause I’m so in love with my baby because he’s coming home today

Instrumental Break

I love my baby child better than I do myself (2x)

I gotta let the whole world know about it cause I don’t want nobody else

I love my better baby better than I do anything in this world (2x)

Cause he’s the only boy and mama is the only girl

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Component 3: Big Mama, Part 2

Reflection and Discussion

Lesson 2: Before the Blues / Component 3: Field Hollers

How did you feel as you were engaging with a faster version of the song?

Why do you think Big Mama Thornton changed the tempo for this version?

Which version did you like better, and why?

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 3: Big Mama, Part 2

Generally Speaking .....

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 3: Big Mama, Part 2

Optional: Create your own version of "I'm Feeling Alright"

"I'm Feeling Alright" (slower version)

"I'm Feeling Alright" (faster version)

Suggestions and notes:

Sing the whole song again with each recording.
If possible (when singing without the recording), sing in the key appropriate to the voices of the students (e.g. C, for young voices, with middle C being the lowest pitch, and the song having a range of an octave).
Teachers (or students) can consider adding piano or guitar accompaniment and/or rhythm section (especially at first, keep it simple!).
Each time you practice, interpret it in a new way (change something).
Discuss how you felt about each version and make choices about how you would like to interpret the song for performance.
Practice, refine, and perhaps even perform for an audience.

Lyrics of "I'm Feeling Alright" by Big Mama Thornton

I'm feeling alright this morning, because my baby's coming home (2x)

I got a letter yesterday that he’ll be there this early morn

I got the blues at midnight, I'll be so glad when its day (2x)

Cause I’m so in love with my baby because he’s coming home today

Instrumental Break

I love my baby child better than I do myself (2x)

I gotta let the whole world know about it cause I don’t want nobody else

I love my better baby better than I do anything in this world (2x)

Cause he’s the only boy and mama is the only girl

"I'm Feeling Alright" (slower version)

"I'm Feeling Alright" (faster version)

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 3: Big Mama, Part 2

More Reflection and Discussion

Lesson 2: Before the Blues / Component 3: Field Hollers

Did changing the musical elements and expressive qualities change the “essence” of the song/your performance?

What are some reasons why performers might change their interpretation based on the performance context and/or audience?

Did the music become less or more personal when you performed for an audience? How did the audience respond?

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 3: Big Mama, Part 2

Learning Checkpoint

What are some musical and stylistic characteristics of Big Mama Thornton's song, "I'm Feeling Alright"?
Why were Big Mama's contributions so important to the development of blues music and other American musical styles?
How can performers convey the intent of a musical composition and why do they change their interpretation from one performance to the next?

Lesson 2: Before the Blues / Component 3: Field Hollers

Lesson 6: Blues in the City / Path 3: Big Mama, Part 2

Lesson 6: Blues in the City

End of Path 3 and Lesson Hub 6: Where will you go next?

Continue to Lesson Hub 7:

Blues Royalty: Women Who Ruled the Blues

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Return to Pathway homepage:

Listen What I Gotta Say: Women in the Blues

Find a Different Smithsonian Folkways Music Pathway to Explore!

Choose an Intersecting Path:

Dolores Huerta: Planting the Seed

Music of the Chicano Movement Pathway: Lesson 10, Path 1

Lesson 6 Media Credits

Audio courtesy of

Smithsonian Folkways Recordings

Sony Music Entertainment

Universal Music Enterprises

Warner Music Group

Video courtesy of

Carnegie Hall

Reading Through History

Images courtesy of

The Arhoolie Foundation

Jim Marshall Photography, LLC

Library of Congress

National Museum of African American History and Culture

National Museum of American History

National Portrait Gallery

Northwestern University Libraries

Smithsonian American Art Museum

Smithsonian Folkways Recordings

University of Mississippi Libraries

Click here to take a short survey about your experience with this lesson

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 6 landing page.