Country blues songs were first recorded in the mid-1920's by artists from the Misssissippi Delta, Texas and Southeast (Piedmont). Prior to these recordings the blues was simply a common song form in these regions-just one of many other forms played by black and white performers alike, e.g., ragtime, gospel, "folk". The success of the early "race recordings" of the 20's resulted in a concentration of exposure and demand for blues songs and the emergence of blues as a style or genre and the bluesman as its specialist. This transition is readily apparent by contrasting the diverse recordings of Charlie Patton, the father of country blues and the more firmly stylized recordings of Robert Johnson who was particularly adept at matching the form to the medium of the 78rpm disk, but nonetheless includes a non-blues jingle for "Hot Tamales".
(by ADF)
