The Blues: A History

Home The Delta Maps History The Blue Note Examples Men and Women of the Blues Back to Dr. Kracht's Page

The Delta isn't a river delta. The name refers to the Mississippi delta region, an alluvial plain which stretches near Memphis, Tennessee south to Vicksburg, Mississippi, and the east-west boundaries would be considered the Mississippi river to the west and the Yazoo river to the east. Delta blues was first recorded in the 1920's. Slide guitars and harmonicas dominated the music, while the vocals were passionate and fiery. Recorded Delta blues is mostly one person singing and playing an acoustic guitar. Bands were more common at live performances. Delta blues spread across the country creating variations in the blues. More Maps of the Area