Some musical education for Phil Robertson and his fanboys.

Robertson said no blacks were singing the blues before welfare was instituted.

Robertson needs to tell that to John Tefteller. Tefteller is the country's leading expert on blues records. And Tefteller now has a standing offer to pay fifty grand (the linked story says $25,000 but Tefteller has now upped the offer to $50k) for some particular blues records.
This was not blues music created after welfare. It was created before World War 2.

Here's the story...

http://www.goldminemag.com/features/willie-brown-where-are-you

And here's the same bluesman singing and playing. Again, not singing and playing after the 1960's. Singing and playing a long long time before that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fXvTzeLcJ4

Brown recorded this between 1928 and 1930.  Either right before or right after the start of the Great Depression.

Don't pay attention to the vocals because the vocals on delta blues are an acquired taste and some never acquire it.

What you want to listen to is the guitar work.  Brown and other delta bluesmen invented the guitar playing that inspired all the R&B and rock and roll guitar that came later.  If you know R&B and rock and roll music you will hear that when you listen to this record.

Brown was born in Clarksdale,  MS.  Clarksdale is the home of blues music. It's 75 miles south of Memphis in the heart of the Mississippi delta.
The Clarksdale train station was a gathering place for the earliest creators of the blues.    They would hang out there playing their music and busking for handouts given them by people traveling to and fro on the trains.

Bob you ever been to Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale?
It's a awesome bar, Morgan Freeman is part owner.
Across the street is the Delta Blues Museum.

I ended up at Wally World after all recently and was astounded at the amount of Duck Dynasty merchandise. Particularly appealing were the 12" Dynasty dolls. I wonder if they made the shelves in time for Christmas. Oh, well...

polecat wrote:Bob you ever been to Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale?
It's a awesome bar, Morgan Freeman is part owner.
Across the street is the Delta Blues Museum.

Clarksdale is on my bucket list, polecat. I would have seen it already but I just never go in that direction anymore.