This episode is the first in a series on music history. I have a Masters in musicology and felt like some levity was needed in these times of craziness and uncertainty. So I present to you a little bit of history on the blues before the second world war. in the first recording, and point out the blues form and then play the song in full again. Next, I present some acoustic blues and give a little bit of history and my opinion on the singers. I hope you enjoy it; I did this from memory just because I'm passionate about the subject and didn't want to bog everybody down with facts and figures and dates and things of that nature. Do let me know what you think by leaving a review.
Alt Text of Picture as told to me by an Aira agent: the picture is of Bessie Smith, one of the first great female blues singers, singing into a microphone labeled CBS, so it's at the cbs studios presumably. It is a black-and-white photo and she appears to be wearing some sort of halter top and her mouth is open as she is singing. Behind her you can see the glass of the control room and people watching.