The BLues project 2017: mississippi delta Blues
The Mississippi Delta is holy ground when it comes to American music. Blues, Country, and Rock and Roll, can all trace their roots to the fertile land in the shared flood plain between the Yazoo and Mississippi Rivers in the Northwest corner of the state of Mississippi. It has been described as "the Most Southern Place on Earth" because in many ways it represents the stereotypical american South with its extreme income inequality, clear racial divisions, and traditional southern culture. This is the land where the blues began, and by digging into the land, its people, and its sounds, we can learn a lot about why African-Americans from this small piece of Mississippi earth would change the face of American music.
Concert Finale:
Saturday, March 18th, 2017
Chesterton High School Auditorium
7:00pm (Doors open at 6pm)
$5/person, $20/family
Important Documents for Students:
Student Report Assignment Sheet
Student Report Calendar
POSTER CONTEST INFO
Important Documents for Performers:
Practice info
Practice Song order
Musician Practice Calendar
Congratulations to 2017 Poster contest winner, Annalee Cvelbar!
Saturday, March 18th, 2017
Chesterton High School Auditorium
7:00pm (Doors open at 6pm)
$5/person, $20/family
Important Documents for Students:
Student Report Assignment Sheet
Student Report Calendar
POSTER CONTEST INFO
Important Documents for Performers:
Practice info
Practice Song order
Musician Practice Calendar
Congratulations to 2017 Poster contest winner, Annalee Cvelbar!
1. Mississippi mud - introduction
2. Oh Mary Don't You weep
Chords/Lyrics: Oh Mary Don't You Weep lyrics
Audio: Oh Mary Don't You Weep mp3
Oh Mary Don't You Weep - Mike Farris mp3
Topic: The Sounds of Slavery
Africans were held in bondage in the United States as early as 1619 in the English colony at Jamestown, VA. Slave labor helped make cash crops like tobacco, corn, indigo, and cotton the backbone of the southern economy. The rich soil of the Mississippi Delta region was fertile for farming, but the swampy forests of the made large plantations impractical. It wasn't until cotton boomed in the 1830's that pioneering planters decided to take a chance on clearing the forests with large groups of slaves, and the Mississippi Delta became prime farm land. The music that would become known as the blues sprung from the sounds that slaves made while working in the Delta fields. Work songs, Field Hollers, and Spirituals all helped to form the emotional, musical, and rhythmic DNA of the blues. These types of slave songs developed many musical characteristics that are found in blues music today, such as the call and response style, a strong rhythm, and plenty of soulful vocal embellishments. Tell us more about these types of early slave songs. Why were they sung? What purposes did they serve? What did they sound like?
Links: http://www.negrospirituals.com/history.htm
Audio: Oh Mary Don't You Weep mp3
Oh Mary Don't You Weep - Mike Farris mp3
Topic: The Sounds of Slavery
Africans were held in bondage in the United States as early as 1619 in the English colony at Jamestown, VA. Slave labor helped make cash crops like tobacco, corn, indigo, and cotton the backbone of the southern economy. The rich soil of the Mississippi Delta region was fertile for farming, but the swampy forests of the made large plantations impractical. It wasn't until cotton boomed in the 1830's that pioneering planters decided to take a chance on clearing the forests with large groups of slaves, and the Mississippi Delta became prime farm land. The music that would become known as the blues sprung from the sounds that slaves made while working in the Delta fields. Work songs, Field Hollers, and Spirituals all helped to form the emotional, musical, and rhythmic DNA of the blues. These types of slave songs developed many musical characteristics that are found in blues music today, such as the call and response style, a strong rhythm, and plenty of soulful vocal embellishments. Tell us more about these types of early slave songs. Why were they sung? What purposes did they serve? What did they sound like?
Links: http://www.negrospirituals.com/history.htm
3. Hard time killing floor blues
Chords/Lyrics: Hard Time Killing Floor Blues - D
Audio: Hard Time Killing Floor Blues mp3
Topic: The Sounds of Sharecropping
After legal slavery ended, most African American still lived under a form of economic slavery called sharecropping. Economically, they were often still tied to southern planters, and socially, they still faced racism and legal prejudice. The blues is sometimes called "sharecropping music," because it was often sharecroppers who were playing it and feeling it. Where once there were hundreds of slaves working and singing together on Delta plantation, now those same slaves were working on the same plantations, but working individually on their own plot of land. The songs, like the work, were often the same, but became more individualized instead of many voices singing together, the same spirituals, work songs, and field-hollers were now often heard being sung or played by a lone sharecropper. Tell us how the sharecropping system worked, and why most workers felt like it was little to no improvement over slavery.
Links: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reconstruction/sharecrop/sf_economy.html
Audio: Hard Time Killing Floor Blues mp3
Topic: The Sounds of Sharecropping
After legal slavery ended, most African American still lived under a form of economic slavery called sharecropping. Economically, they were often still tied to southern planters, and socially, they still faced racism and legal prejudice. The blues is sometimes called "sharecropping music," because it was often sharecroppers who were playing it and feeling it. Where once there were hundreds of slaves working and singing together on Delta plantation, now those same slaves were working on the same plantations, but working individually on their own plot of land. The songs, like the work, were often the same, but became more individualized instead of many voices singing together, the same spirituals, work songs, and field-hollers were now often heard being sung or played by a lone sharecropper. Tell us how the sharecropping system worked, and why most workers felt like it was little to no improvement over slavery.
Links: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reconstruction/sharecrop/sf_economy.html
4. Mississippi Boll Weevil Blues
Chords/Lyrics: Mississippi Boll Weevil Blues
Audio: Mississippi Boll Weevil Blues mp3
Topic: Charlie Patton and Dockery Plantation
It is said that Dockery Plantation, in the heart of the Mississippi Delta, is the birthplace of the blues. Will Dockery bought the land known as Dockery Farms in 1895, and it grew to become one of the largest in the Delta. It was here that the first blues “star” was born. Charley Patton is known as the Father of the Delta Blues and spent many a day playing the blues on the porch of the Dockery Commissary store. Patton’s popularity stretched throughout the Delta, and many future musicians like Howlin’ Wolf and Pops Staples learned to play from him. Tell me more about the history behind Dockery Plantation. What was it about Dockery that made it a perfect place for the blues to develop and spread? Who was Charley Patton, what was his relation to Dockery, and why is he known as the Father of the Delta Blues?
Links: http://www.dockeryfarms.org/
Audio: Mississippi Boll Weevil Blues mp3
Topic: Charlie Patton and Dockery Plantation
It is said that Dockery Plantation, in the heart of the Mississippi Delta, is the birthplace of the blues. Will Dockery bought the land known as Dockery Farms in 1895, and it grew to become one of the largest in the Delta. It was here that the first blues “star” was born. Charley Patton is known as the Father of the Delta Blues and spent many a day playing the blues on the porch of the Dockery Commissary store. Patton’s popularity stretched throughout the Delta, and many future musicians like Howlin’ Wolf and Pops Staples learned to play from him. Tell me more about the history behind Dockery Plantation. What was it about Dockery that made it a perfect place for the blues to develop and spread? Who was Charley Patton, what was his relation to Dockery, and why is he known as the Father of the Delta Blues?
Links: http://www.dockeryfarms.org/
5. Death Letter Blues
Chords/Lyrics: Death Letter Blues - G
Audio: Death Letter Blues mp3
Topic: Son House
Eddie James House, Jr., better known as “Son” House, was one of the pioneers of the Delta blues. After making some of the earliest recorded Delta Blues in the 1930s and 40s, he walked away from music and seemingly disappeared. But his reputation and recordings became for many who heard him, the purest and rawest music they ever heard. He went on to inspire others like Howlin Wolr and Robert Johnson, and In the 1960s, during a resurgence in the blues, some blues historians went hunting for him, only to discover him in New York. It had been so long since he'd played, House had to relearn his own songs, but he recorded a new album and toured the world, enjoying a level of stardom that he’d never dreamed of. Tell me the story of Son House and his “rediscovery.” What was his life like? What did he sound like? Why is he so important to the history of the blues?
Links: http://www.msbluestrail.org/blues-trail-markers/son-house
Audio: Death Letter Blues mp3
Topic: Son House
Eddie James House, Jr., better known as “Son” House, was one of the pioneers of the Delta blues. After making some of the earliest recorded Delta Blues in the 1930s and 40s, he walked away from music and seemingly disappeared. But his reputation and recordings became for many who heard him, the purest and rawest music they ever heard. He went on to inspire others like Howlin Wolr and Robert Johnson, and In the 1960s, during a resurgence in the blues, some blues historians went hunting for him, only to discover him in New York. It had been so long since he'd played, House had to relearn his own songs, but he recorded a new album and toured the world, enjoying a level of stardom that he’d never dreamed of. Tell me the story of Son House and his “rediscovery.” What was his life like? What did he sound like? Why is he so important to the history of the blues?
Links: http://www.msbluestrail.org/blues-trail-markers/son-house
6. Mississippi River Blues
Chords/Lyrics: Mississippi River Blues
Audio: Mississippi River Blues mp3
Topic: The Mighty Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the main artery of the United States. It connects us with this land, each other, and the outside world. For the people that have lived along the banks of the Mississippi River over countless generations, it has been a source of water, transportation, and crop irrigation, but it has also been a source of death and destruction. Tell me about the history of the Mighty Mississippi River, the communities that have depended on it (from Native Americans to today) and how it has affected them, and the river’s importance to the history and development of the USA.
Links: www.americanrivers.org/river/mississippi-river/
Audio: Mississippi River Blues mp3
Topic: The Mighty Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the main artery of the United States. It connects us with this land, each other, and the outside world. For the people that have lived along the banks of the Mississippi River over countless generations, it has been a source of water, transportation, and crop irrigation, but it has also been a source of death and destruction. Tell me about the history of the Mighty Mississippi River, the communities that have depended on it (from Native Americans to today) and how it has affected them, and the river’s importance to the history and development of the USA.
Links: www.americanrivers.org/river/mississippi-river/
7. Rolling Stone
Chords/Lyrics: Rolling Stone - G
Audio: Rolling Stone mp3
Topic: Muddy Waters
The Father of the Chicago Blues, Muddy Waters was born in Rolling Fork, MS, and you could hear his deep delta roots in every note he played. He moved to Chicago during the Great Migration, plugged in his guitar, and would changed the history of music forever. His song, "Rolling Stone," a reworking of a classic Delta piece called "Catfish Blues," would inspire the name of not only one of the greatest rock bands of all time, but the most famous rock magazine of all time. Tell me the story of Muddy Waters, his time in the Mississippi Delta, and why his music was so revolutionary and influential.
Links: http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h3917.html
Audio: Rolling Stone mp3
Topic: Muddy Waters
The Father of the Chicago Blues, Muddy Waters was born in Rolling Fork, MS, and you could hear his deep delta roots in every note he played. He moved to Chicago during the Great Migration, plugged in his guitar, and would changed the history of music forever. His song, "Rolling Stone," a reworking of a classic Delta piece called "Catfish Blues," would inspire the name of not only one of the greatest rock bands of all time, but the most famous rock magazine of all time. Tell me the story of Muddy Waters, his time in the Mississippi Delta, and why his music was so revolutionary and influential.
Links: http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h3917.html
8. smokestack lightning
Chords/Lyrics: Smokestack Lightning - E
Audio: Smokestack Lightning mp3
Topic: The Great Migration and Chicago Blues
Between 1910-1960 millions of African-Americans made their way from the hard life and poor wages of the sharecropping south to Chicago to try and make a better life for themselves. When the sounds of the Mississippi Delta combined with Chicago's urban influences, a new brand of Blues was born that would gain popularity all over the world and lay the foundation for rock and roll. Tell me more about the Great Migration. Why did it happen? What did southerners hear about these northern cities that made them sound so appealing? Where did most of Chicago's African American migrants come from? Did they find what they were looking for in Chicago?
Links: http://www.msbluestrail.org/blues-trail-markers/chicago
Audio: Smokestack Lightning mp3
Topic: The Great Migration and Chicago Blues
Between 1910-1960 millions of African-Americans made their way from the hard life and poor wages of the sharecropping south to Chicago to try and make a better life for themselves. When the sounds of the Mississippi Delta combined with Chicago's urban influences, a new brand of Blues was born that would gain popularity all over the world and lay the foundation for rock and roll. Tell me more about the Great Migration. Why did it happen? What did southerners hear about these northern cities that made them sound so appealing? Where did most of Chicago's African American migrants come from? Did they find what they were looking for in Chicago?
Links: http://www.msbluestrail.org/blues-trail-markers/chicago
9. Highway 61 blues
Chords/Lyrics: Highway 61 Blues - E
Audio: Highway 61 Blues mp3
Topic: The Blues Highway: Highway 61
Highway 61 is known as the "Blues Highway," and countless numbers of Mississippi bluesmen have traveled north along this famous American road. The highway starts down in New Orleans, snakes through the Mississippi Delta, Memphis, St. Louis, and up towards Chicago before ending near the Canadian Border. It is no coincidence that these cities have such strong blues traditions. Tell me about Highway 61, its main stops in the Delta, and its place in the history and lore of the blues.
Links: http://www.msbluestrail.org/blues-trail-markers/highway-61-north
http://www.msbluestrail.org/blues-trail-markers/highway-61-south
http://www.msbluestrail.org/blues-trail-markers/highway-10-61
Audio: Highway 61 Blues mp3
Topic: The Blues Highway: Highway 61
Highway 61 is known as the "Blues Highway," and countless numbers of Mississippi bluesmen have traveled north along this famous American road. The highway starts down in New Orleans, snakes through the Mississippi Delta, Memphis, St. Louis, and up towards Chicago before ending near the Canadian Border. It is no coincidence that these cities have such strong blues traditions. Tell me about Highway 61, its main stops in the Delta, and its place in the history and lore of the blues.
Links: http://www.msbluestrail.org/blues-trail-markers/highway-61-north
http://www.msbluestrail.org/blues-trail-markers/highway-61-south
http://www.msbluestrail.org/blues-trail-markers/highway-10-61
10. hoochie coochie man
Chords/Lyrics: Hoochie Coochie Man - A
Audio: Hoochie Coochie Man mp3
Topic: Hoodoo
During the Great Migration, when thousands of African Americans moved from the rural south to the urban north, they carried with them their ideas, possessions, and their superstitions. Hoodoo was a kind of black magic referenced by many of the early bluesmen and women in many of their songs - mentions of mojos, black cat bones, John the Conqueror Root, and other "lucky charms" can be found in sprinkled in blues music all over the place. What is Hoodoo? What are these charms supposed to do? How did it effect people's lives in the Delta? What is the relationship between hoodoo and the blues?
Links: www.americanbluesscene.com/2015/07/language-of-the-blues-hoodoo/
Audio: Hoochie Coochie Man mp3
Topic: Hoodoo
During the Great Migration, when thousands of African Americans moved from the rural south to the urban north, they carried with them their ideas, possessions, and their superstitions. Hoodoo was a kind of black magic referenced by many of the early bluesmen and women in many of their songs - mentions of mojos, black cat bones, John the Conqueror Root, and other "lucky charms" can be found in sprinkled in blues music all over the place. What is Hoodoo? What are these charms supposed to do? How did it effect people's lives in the Delta? What is the relationship between hoodoo and the blues?
Links: www.americanbluesscene.com/2015/07/language-of-the-blues-hoodoo/
11. Crossroads Blues
Chords/Lyrics: Crossroads - A
Audio: Crossroads mp3
Topic: The King of the Delta Blues: Robert Johnson
Maybe the most important bluesman of all time was Robert Johnson, sometimes called the King of the Delta Blues. The legend is that he sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads in exchange for his incredible ability on the guitar. Tell us about the life of Robert Johnson and this legend. Is there any truth to it? What evidence is there to support it? What were the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death? Maybe the most important thing about Robert Johnson, however, is how is legacy has helped to build the foundation for modern blues and rock. What makes Robert Johnson so special, influential, and relevant today?
Links: http://www.msbluestrail.org/blues-trail-markers/robert-johnson-birthplace
http://www.msbluestrail.org/blues-trail-markers/robert-johnson-gravesite
Audio: Crossroads mp3
Topic: The King of the Delta Blues: Robert Johnson
Maybe the most important bluesman of all time was Robert Johnson, sometimes called the King of the Delta Blues. The legend is that he sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads in exchange for his incredible ability on the guitar. Tell us about the life of Robert Johnson and this legend. Is there any truth to it? What evidence is there to support it? What were the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death? Maybe the most important thing about Robert Johnson, however, is how is legacy has helped to build the foundation for modern blues and rock. What makes Robert Johnson so special, influential, and relevant today?
Links: http://www.msbluestrail.org/blues-trail-markers/robert-johnson-birthplace
http://www.msbluestrail.org/blues-trail-markers/robert-johnson-gravesite
12. when the levee breaks
Chords/Lyrics: When the Levee Breaks - F
Audio: When the Levee Breaks mp3
Topic: The Great Mississippi Flood
In 1927, the American south experienced the most destructive flood in US history, the Great Mississippi River Flood. The song that accompanies this topic is Led Zeppelin's recording of "When the Levee Breaks," which was originally by Memphis Minnie and her then husband, about this epic flood. On April 21, 1927, the levee at Mounds, MS, broke, resulting in the flooding of the entire Mississippi Delta. Explain the reasons for the Great Mississippi River Flood of 1927 and the extent of the damage. How were African-Americans in the Delta affected by the flood?
Links:https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/roaring-twenties/essays/great-1927-mississippi-river-flood
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/05/0501_river4.html
Audio: When the Levee Breaks mp3
Topic: The Great Mississippi Flood
In 1927, the American south experienced the most destructive flood in US history, the Great Mississippi River Flood. The song that accompanies this topic is Led Zeppelin's recording of "When the Levee Breaks," which was originally by Memphis Minnie and her then husband, about this epic flood. On April 21, 1927, the levee at Mounds, MS, broke, resulting in the flooding of the entire Mississippi Delta. Explain the reasons for the Great Mississippi River Flood of 1927 and the extent of the damage. How were African-Americans in the Delta affected by the flood?
Links:https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/roaring-twenties/essays/great-1927-mississippi-river-flood
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/05/0501_river4.html
13. st. louis blues
Chords/Lyrics: St. Louis Blues - E
Audio: St. Louis Blues mp3
Topic: The Father of the Blues: WC Handy
W.C. Handy is known as the “Father of the Blues” because he introduced the blues to worldwide audiences. Born in Florence, AL, just a few miles from the Mississippi border, It was in a train station in the Mississippi Delta that Handy first heard the blues. He took this sharecropping music and refined it, transcribing it into musical notation, and arranging for a full band. This made the blues accessible to the masses and popular with white audiences. Handy published St. Louis Blues in 1914, and soon everyone in America knew the song. It standardized our modern blues format and became a worldwide sensation. Tell us more about the “Father of the Blues,” his first encounter with this music, and the affect his biggest hit, “St. Louis Blues,” had on the world.
Links: http://msbluestrail.org/blues-trail-markers/w-c-handy
Audio: St. Louis Blues mp3
Topic: The Father of the Blues: WC Handy
W.C. Handy is known as the “Father of the Blues” because he introduced the blues to worldwide audiences. Born in Florence, AL, just a few miles from the Mississippi border, It was in a train station in the Mississippi Delta that Handy first heard the blues. He took this sharecropping music and refined it, transcribing it into musical notation, and arranging for a full band. This made the blues accessible to the masses and popular with white audiences. Handy published St. Louis Blues in 1914, and soon everyone in America knew the song. It standardized our modern blues format and became a worldwide sensation. Tell us more about the “Father of the Blues,” his first encounter with this music, and the affect his biggest hit, “St. Louis Blues,” had on the world.
Links: http://msbluestrail.org/blues-trail-markers/w-c-handy
14. Mound bayou
Chords/Lyrics: Mound Bayou - Bb
Audio: Mound Bayou mp3
Topic: Mound Bayou
Mound Bayou was a Mississippi Delta town that stood out from the rest. It was founded by ex-slaves as an all-black community where crime was low, wages were high, and education was emphasized. And for the most part, this black community was left alone by its surrounding white communities. Tell me about the rise and fall of this unique delta community, what made Mound Bayou so different, and what its like today.
Links: http://www.blackpast.org/aah/mound-bayou-1887
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ferGR39eZU
Audio: Mound Bayou mp3
Topic: Mound Bayou
Mound Bayou was a Mississippi Delta town that stood out from the rest. It was founded by ex-slaves as an all-black community where crime was low, wages were high, and education was emphasized. And for the most part, this black community was left alone by its surrounding white communities. Tell me about the rise and fall of this unique delta community, what made Mound Bayou so different, and what its like today.
Links: http://www.blackpast.org/aah/mound-bayou-1887
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ferGR39eZU
15. Rocket 88
Chords/Lyrics: Rocket 88 - E
Rocket 88 - Bb
Rocket 88 - trumpet (Bb)
Rocket 88 - alto sax (Bb)
Rocket 88 - trombone (Bb)
Audio: Rocket 88 mp3
Rocket 88 - E mp3
Rocket 88 - Bb mp3
Topic: Riverside Hotel
The Riverside Hotel, at 615 Sunflower Ave. in Clarksdale, Mississippi, has been run by the same family since the 1940s and is one of the most iconic locations in the Delta. Before it was a hotel, it was a black hospital that had a special significance to blues history as the spot that Bessie Smith died. Give me the history of the Riverside Hotel, some of the greats that stayed there, and some important events that happened inside its walls.
Links: http://msbluestrail.org/blues-trail-markers/riverside-hotel
Rocket 88 - Bb
Rocket 88 - trumpet (Bb)
Rocket 88 - alto sax (Bb)
Rocket 88 - trombone (Bb)
Audio: Rocket 88 mp3
Rocket 88 - E mp3
Rocket 88 - Bb mp3
Topic: Riverside Hotel
The Riverside Hotel, at 615 Sunflower Ave. in Clarksdale, Mississippi, has been run by the same family since the 1940s and is one of the most iconic locations in the Delta. Before it was a hotel, it was a black hospital that had a special significance to blues history as the spot that Bessie Smith died. Give me the history of the Riverside Hotel, some of the greats that stayed there, and some important events that happened inside its walls.
Links: http://msbluestrail.org/blues-trail-markers/riverside-hotel
16. cotton crop blues
Chords/Lyrics: Cotton Crop Blues - D
Audio: Cotton Crop Blues mp3
Topic: The Legendary Sun Studios
Its said that the Mississippi Delta begins in the lobby of the Peabody Hotel in Memphis and ends on Catfish Row in Vicksburg. Even though is technically located in Tennessee, Memphis is the apex of the Mississippi Delta. If you were a delta musician who wanted to earn some money, you were pulled as if by a magnet to Beale Street in Memphis, TN to try your luck in the many bars, stages, pool halls, and street corners in Memphis. With its strong blues foundation, its no wonder that according to many music historians, Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee is where Rock and Roll was born. It's the place where Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis made their their first songs. Even if you don’t buy the story that Elvis recorded the first Rock and Roll song, you could still trace rock’s origins to Sun Studio where Rocket 88 by Jackie Brenson was cut (a song actually written in the basement of the Riverside Hotel in Clarskdale, MS!). But even before rock and roll was cut in Sun, its founder, Sam Phillips, recorded some of the greatest blues artists in the Delta including Howlin Wolf and James Cotton. Tell me about the Sam Phillips, Sun Studios, and its importance to the development of the blues.
Links: https://blues.org/blues_hof_inductee/sam-phillips/
www.706unionavenue.nl/68811872
Audio: Cotton Crop Blues mp3
Topic: The Legendary Sun Studios
Its said that the Mississippi Delta begins in the lobby of the Peabody Hotel in Memphis and ends on Catfish Row in Vicksburg. Even though is technically located in Tennessee, Memphis is the apex of the Mississippi Delta. If you were a delta musician who wanted to earn some money, you were pulled as if by a magnet to Beale Street in Memphis, TN to try your luck in the many bars, stages, pool halls, and street corners in Memphis. With its strong blues foundation, its no wonder that according to many music historians, Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee is where Rock and Roll was born. It's the place where Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis made their their first songs. Even if you don’t buy the story that Elvis recorded the first Rock and Roll song, you could still trace rock’s origins to Sun Studio where Rocket 88 by Jackie Brenson was cut (a song actually written in the basement of the Riverside Hotel in Clarskdale, MS!). But even before rock and roll was cut in Sun, its founder, Sam Phillips, recorded some of the greatest blues artists in the Delta including Howlin Wolf and James Cotton. Tell me about the Sam Phillips, Sun Studios, and its importance to the development of the blues.
Links: https://blues.org/blues_hof_inductee/sam-phillips/
www.706unionavenue.nl/68811872
17. Last night
Chords/Lyrics: Last Night complete score
Last NIght - trumpet
Last Night - trombone
Last Night - Alto Sax
Audio: Last Night mp3
Topic: Soulsville, USA: The Sounds of Stax Records
Memphis’s Stax Records was the low down, dirty version of Detroit’s Motown. Although they were known for Soul music, certainly the blues heavily influenced everything that was recorded there. They even dabbled in recording some blues artists, such as Albert King, whose Stax album, “Born Under a Bad Sign” is recognized as being one of the top 100 albums in history. One of the most interesting facts is that the house band for Stax, Booker T and the MGs, was an integrated band (made up of blacks and whites) right in the middle of the turbulent 60’s civil rights movement. With chaos surrounding them, they quietly and professionally modeled how races should live and work together. Tell me about this revolutionary record company’s rise, its first era (1959-1967) of success, and about the sounds that made it famous.
Links: http://www.wattstax.com/backstory/staxhistory.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9W4zlYem67w
Last NIght - trumpet
Last Night - trombone
Last Night - Alto Sax
Audio: Last Night mp3
Topic: Soulsville, USA: The Sounds of Stax Records
Memphis’s Stax Records was the low down, dirty version of Detroit’s Motown. Although they were known for Soul music, certainly the blues heavily influenced everything that was recorded there. They even dabbled in recording some blues artists, such as Albert King, whose Stax album, “Born Under a Bad Sign” is recognized as being one of the top 100 albums in history. One of the most interesting facts is that the house band for Stax, Booker T and the MGs, was an integrated band (made up of blacks and whites) right in the middle of the turbulent 60’s civil rights movement. With chaos surrounding them, they quietly and professionally modeled how races should live and work together. Tell me about this revolutionary record company’s rise, its first era (1959-1967) of success, and about the sounds that made it famous.
Links: http://www.wattstax.com/backstory/staxhistory.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9W4zlYem67w
18. down in mississippi
Chords/Lyrics: Down in Mississippi - C
Down in Mississippi - E
Audio: Down in Mississippi - Terry Evans (live) mp3
Down in Mississippi - Blues Project practice recording mp3
Down In Mississippi - Practice recording - C mp3
Topic: Jim Crow Laws
After African Americans were freed from slavery, many southern states used the legal system to keep African- Americans down. At first, southern states passed laws know as the "Black Codes" to achieve this purpose. Later, "Jim Crow" laws took their place, separating whites and black in all aspects of life, and allowing whites to continue their dominance southern society. Address the origins of Jim Crow laws, how they got their name, and how they affected African Americans in the south, especially in the delat
Links: www.history.com/news/ask-history/was-jim-crow-a-real-person
Down in Mississippi - E
Audio: Down in Mississippi - Terry Evans (live) mp3
Down in Mississippi - Blues Project practice recording mp3
Down In Mississippi - Practice recording - C mp3
Topic: Jim Crow Laws
After African Americans were freed from slavery, many southern states used the legal system to keep African- Americans down. At first, southern states passed laws know as the "Black Codes" to achieve this purpose. Later, "Jim Crow" laws took their place, separating whites and black in all aspects of life, and allowing whites to continue their dominance southern society. Address the origins of Jim Crow laws, how they got their name, and how they affected African Americans in the south, especially in the delat
Links: www.history.com/news/ask-history/was-jim-crow-a-real-person
19. parchman farm
Chords/Lyrics: Parchman Farm - E
Audio: Parchman Farm mp3
Topic: Parchman Farm
Slavery was abolished in the United States in 1865, but you’d never know it if you visited the Mississippi State Penitentiary, more commonly known as Parchman Farm. You see, Parchman was a state-run plantation worked by prisoners. And as long as there were prisoners, there was free labor. As it turned out, the vast majority of prisoners were black and many said the conditions in Parchman were actually worse than slavery.. Many bluesmen spent time there as did the Freedom Riders during the Civil Rights Movement. Explain how this for-profit criminal justice system worked, how it affected the African American population in Mississippi, and how the for-profit prison system came to an end in Mississippi.
Links: http://msbluestrail.org/blues-trail-markers/parchman-farm
Audio: Parchman Farm mp3
Topic: Parchman Farm
Slavery was abolished in the United States in 1865, but you’d never know it if you visited the Mississippi State Penitentiary, more commonly known as Parchman Farm. You see, Parchman was a state-run plantation worked by prisoners. And as long as there were prisoners, there was free labor. As it turned out, the vast majority of prisoners were black and many said the conditions in Parchman were actually worse than slavery.. Many bluesmen spent time there as did the Freedom Riders during the Civil Rights Movement. Explain how this for-profit criminal justice system worked, how it affected the African American population in Mississippi, and how the for-profit prison system came to an end in Mississippi.
Links: http://msbluestrail.org/blues-trail-markers/parchman-farm
20. the Death of Emmett till
Chords/Lyrics: The Death of Emmett Till - A
Audio: The Death of Emmett Till mp3
The Death of Emmett Till - B mp3
Topic: The Murder of Emmett Till
In 1955, a 14 year old boy from Chicago was murdered while visiting relatives in the Mississippi Delta. The entire nation watched as two Mississippi men were put on trial for the murder and ended up walking out of the courtroom free men, only to confess to the murder months later. Tell us about the murder and trial. Explain why this event is considered by many to be the start of the modern Civil Rights movement and how it affected African Americans across the country.
Links: http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/emmett-till
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjYD5PJVYkU
Audio: The Death of Emmett Till mp3
The Death of Emmett Till - B mp3
Topic: The Murder of Emmett Till
In 1955, a 14 year old boy from Chicago was murdered while visiting relatives in the Mississippi Delta. The entire nation watched as two Mississippi men were put on trial for the murder and ended up walking out of the courtroom free men, only to confess to the murder months later. Tell us about the murder and trial. Explain why this event is considered by many to be the start of the modern Civil Rights movement and how it affected African Americans across the country.
Links: http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/emmett-till
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjYD5PJVYkU
21. in the mississippi river
Chords/Lyrics: In the Mississippi River - E
Audio: In the Mississippi River mp3
Topic: Freedom Summer
In the summer of 1964, groups of young Americans, white and black, traveled to Mississippi to try and register as many African-Americans as possible to vote. Throughout history, Mississippi had prevented blacks from voting based on all sorts of sneaky legal language and fine print. Freedom Riders and others, mostly organized by SNCC, attempted to end this practice and help Mississippi’s black population to understand their right to vote and the importance of it. As white Mississippians feared losing their political control, violence was often used to discourage these suffrage efforts. In June, 3 Civil Rights workers were found dead in the Mississippi River, murdered by southern white supremacists. Tell us about Freedom Summer, if the effort was successful, the Freedom Summer Murders, and how it affected the course of the Civil Rights Movement.
Links: www.watson.org/~lisa/blackhistory/civilrights-55-65/missippi.html
www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/timeline/freedomsummer-timeline/
Audio: In the Mississippi River mp3
Topic: Freedom Summer
In the summer of 1964, groups of young Americans, white and black, traveled to Mississippi to try and register as many African-Americans as possible to vote. Throughout history, Mississippi had prevented blacks from voting based on all sorts of sneaky legal language and fine print. Freedom Riders and others, mostly organized by SNCC, attempted to end this practice and help Mississippi’s black population to understand their right to vote and the importance of it. As white Mississippians feared losing their political control, violence was often used to discourage these suffrage efforts. In June, 3 Civil Rights workers were found dead in the Mississippi River, murdered by southern white supremacists. Tell us about Freedom Summer, if the effort was successful, the Freedom Summer Murders, and how it affected the course of the Civil Rights Movement.
Links: www.watson.org/~lisa/blackhistory/civilrights-55-65/missippi.html
www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/timeline/freedomsummer-timeline/
22. why i sing the blues
Chords/Lyrics: Why I Sing the Blues - C
Audio: Why I Sing the Blues mp3
Topic: The King of the Blues: BB King
Born in Itta Bena, Mississippi, Riley B. King drove a tractor on a Delta plantation before moving to Memphis to take a chance at music with his cousin Bukka White on Beale St. His first break was singing a jingle on WDIA radio for an elixir called Pepticon, but he would go on fill stadiums around the world, playing for kings and queens, and becoming the "Ambassador of the Blues." Tell me about his humble beginnings in the Mississippi Delta and his celebrated music career. What made BB King so special?
Links: http://www.msbluestrail.org/blues-trail-markers/b-b-king-birthplace
Audio: Why I Sing the Blues mp3
Topic: The King of the Blues: BB King
Born in Itta Bena, Mississippi, Riley B. King drove a tractor on a Delta plantation before moving to Memphis to take a chance at music with his cousin Bukka White on Beale St. His first break was singing a jingle on WDIA radio for an elixir called Pepticon, but he would go on fill stadiums around the world, playing for kings and queens, and becoming the "Ambassador of the Blues." Tell me about his humble beginnings in the Mississippi Delta and his celebrated music career. What made BB King so special?
Links: http://www.msbluestrail.org/blues-trail-markers/b-b-king-birthplace
23. this little light of mine
Chords/Lyrics: This Little Light of Mine - A
Audio: This Little Light of Mine mp3
Topic: Fannie Lou Hamer and Civil Rights
Fannie Lou Hamer of Ruleville, MS, was a courageous, determined, and talented leader in the Civil Rights movement and one of the most important organizers of the Mississippi Freedom Summer. Ms. Hamer came from deep in the Mississippi Delta and put her life on the line to fight for the equality for all African-Americans. She even traveled to Atlantic City in 1964 as a delegate for a new political party started by African Americans, the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, At the convention, she gave a moving testimony about her life on a southern plantation and the trouble she faced while trying to register to vote. Tell me more about the life of Fannie Lou Hamer, her experiences when trying to register to vote, her experience at the Democratic National Convention in 1964, and the importance of music to her work.
Links: mshistorynow.mdah.state.ms.us/articles/51/fannie-lou-hamer-civil-rights-activist
Audio: This Little Light of Mine mp3
Topic: Fannie Lou Hamer and Civil Rights
Fannie Lou Hamer of Ruleville, MS, was a courageous, determined, and talented leader in the Civil Rights movement and one of the most important organizers of the Mississippi Freedom Summer. Ms. Hamer came from deep in the Mississippi Delta and put her life on the line to fight for the equality for all African-Americans. She even traveled to Atlantic City in 1964 as a delegate for a new political party started by African Americans, the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, At the convention, she gave a moving testimony about her life on a southern plantation and the trouble she faced while trying to register to vote. Tell me more about the life of Fannie Lou Hamer, her experiences when trying to register to vote, her experience at the Democratic National Convention in 1964, and the importance of music to her work.
Links: mshistorynow.mdah.state.ms.us/articles/51/fannie-lou-hamer-civil-rights-activist