Top Delta Blues Musicians

Quick Guide to Important and Influential Early Blues Artists.

Aug 5, 2008 John Ford

"Delta blues" is historically used to describe the music originating in the Mississippi Delta. The delta sound migrated north evolving into R&B and rock and roll.

The term “delta blues” has historically been used to describe blues music originating in the Mississippi Delta. In recent years, it has become synonymous with blues played throughout the south in the ‘20s and ‘30s. Eventually, delta blues migrated north with the Great Depression – giving birth to the urban blues of Chicago and Detroit.

Delta Blues History and Influences

Early delta blues artists were recorded as they traveled the south, earning a living playing juke joints and street corners. Music historians like Alan Lomax and record labels producing “race records” recorded much of the works of early bluesmen. The tremors of the delta blues influence on American music can still be felt reverberating through country, jazz, pop, and rap. Delta blues laid the foundation for R&B and rock and roll.

Influental Bluesmen

Robert Johnson: Johnson is the most well known and widely recognized of the delta blues performers. He is revered and admired for his playing and songwriting skills by contemporary rock musicians including Jimi Page and Eric Clapton. In the liner notes of Robert Johnson’s boxed set “Complete Recordings,” Clapton calls Johnson “the most important blues musician who ever lived."

Charlie Patton: Considered the father of the delta blues, Patton’s recordings, although technically lacking in sound quality, are among the most deeply soulful of the early blues artists. Patton was a versatile performer who was adept at traditional blues, white old-timey songs and Americanized child ballads. In many ways, Patton was the poster child for the stereotypical bluesman; known for his hard drinking, womanizing, fighting and playing his guitar with wild abandon, often behind his neck. Jimi Hendrix would revive the flashy technique nearly a half a century later.

Skip James: Skip was the son of a preacher who played guitar and piano with equal skill. Known for his finger-picking guitar style, James tuned his guitar down to D minor contrasting with his high-lonesome voice, reminiscent of white hillbilly singers. As a songwriter, Skip James’ lyrics resonate with depth and maturity not found in the music of many of his peers. James’ songs “Hard Time Killin' Floor Blues,” “I’m So Glad” and “Special Rider Blues” are both blues and rock standards.

Blind Willie Johnson: This Texas born bluesman often praised as best slide guitarist to ever live, first learned to play on a homemade cigar box guitar. Jefferson lived out his days in poverty, preaching and singing on the streets of Beaumont, Texas. Led Zeppelin popularized blind Willie Johnson’s song “In My Time of Dying” in the ‘70s. The White Stripes recorded two of his best known songs, “John the Revelator” and “Lord, I Just Can’t Keep from Cryin'.” Johnson’s instrumental “Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground” was launched into space on the Voyager spacecraft’s “golden record” as a representation of American music in the 20th century.

Blind Lemon Jefferson: Known as the “Father of Texas Blues,” Jefferson was one of the most popular blues performers of his day. His style and technical ability on the guitar continues to echo through American music and is still an influence on countless rock musicians. Bob Dylan recorded the Jefferson classic “See That My Grave is Kept Clean” on his debut album in 1962. The “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame” lists “Matchbox Blues” as one of the 500 songs that shaped rock and roll.

The Legacy of Delta Blues

These important artists are just a small sampling of the hundreds of bluesmen from the rural south who helped carve the legacy of American music. Learn more at “The Delta Blues Museum,” located at the crossroads of the blues, Clarksdale, Mississippi.

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