The Mississippi Delta is historically famous for its fertile soil and the poverty of farm workers living there. Guitar and harmonica are the dominant instruments in Delta blues. Vocal styles range from introspective and soulful to passionate and fiery.

The most potent legend in the blues was Robert L. Johnson. He was born near Hazlehurst and ran away from home as a teenager to learn guitar from Son House. Legend has it that Johnson sold his soul to the devil in exchange for his talent to play and sing the blues better than anyone else. He worked the Delta, then traveled the upper South and East.

According to legend, as a young man living on a plantation in rural Mississippi, Johnson had a tremendous desire to become a great blues musician. One of the legends often told says that Johnson was instructed to take his guitar to a crossroad near Dockery Plantation at midnight.

1 day ago · Riley B. King, better known as B.B. King, was born in Itta Bena, Mississippi, and became one of the greatest blues musicians of all time. His expressive guitar style, characterized by smooth ...

Mississippi John Hurt brought unprecedented warmth to the blues, characterized by his gentle, gracious presence as a performer and the tenderness and depth of his songwriting. Hurt mastered a...

This category includes blues musicians who live in or were born in Mississippi. The following 200 pages are in this category, out of approximately 207 total. This list may not reflect recent changes.

More than 100 years ago, a child was born in Mississippi – a dirt-poor, African-American who would grow up, learn to sing and play the blues, and eventually achieve worldwide renown.

Mississippi blues grew more as musicians moved north to cities like Chicago and discovered jazz and tin pan alley music. They intensified their instruments electrically and included drums and horns, morphing solo blues artists into blues bands.

In December 2010, Porter set out to document Mississippi’s living blues legends through Blues @ Home, a collection of 31 paintings and coinciding oral histories collected by collaborator Lauchlin Fields.

Sep 13, 2024 · Born McKinley Morganfield in Mississippi in 1913, Muddy Waters became one of the most influential and iconic figures in the history of blues music. Known for his deep, soulful voice and electrifying guitar playing, Muddy Waters helped shape the sound of modern blues.