Mississippi is said to be the birthplace of the blues, a music that migrated along rivers and rail lines to hubs such as Kansas City, Memphis and Chicago. In blues history, Miami and Atlanta tend to be overlooked, yet they were major metropolises of the southeast, magnets for Blacks seeking escape from rural life in the middle of the last century.
A new collection, Down Home Blues, surveys a rich trove of blues recordings from the southeast states from the 1940s and ‘50s. The tracks originally saw release on indie label 45s and seldom gained much attention beyond local jukeboxes. Notable exceptions include two sides by Ray Charles, recorded in 1951, that served as stepping stones on his way toward universal acclaim.
The offerings echo much of what was occurring elsewhere in the blues as older acoustic guitar and harmonica performances gave way to full bands with hard drumming, thumping string bass and searing electric guitar. The lyrics took on expected themes as the singers mused on women, booze, loss and dissatisfaction. The voices were sometimes mournful but the music was assertive and increasingly loud.
