JPF Home Page Forums General Messages General Message Forum Native American Indians invented the Blues

Hi Colm, I don't know where to start, or even get into this conversation for fear of digging a hole that I can't get out of.

I'm glad that you mentioned the Lomax's. I first learned of them from "The Life And Legend Of Leadbelly". Huddy Leadbetter actually traveled with them after he was released from prison. Someone had to lift that 200 pound tape recorder from the trunk of their car. May as well be Leadbelly.

Mississippi John Hurt was a sharecropper from Avalon Miss. He was more of a folk singer than a bluesman and had a unique guitar style. Made some recordings in the 30's (I think) for OKEY Records, but was soon forgotten until the revival of folk and blues in the late 50's and early 60's. No one would know about John Hurt if not for some college kids who looked for him and found him on his farm around '59. The story goes that when they drove to his house, he thought that they were KKK. They had to talk him out of the house. He later played at the Newport Folk Festival and made enough money that he didn't have to farm anymore. Of course he was also at an advanced age by then.

As with Leadbelly, John Hurt wasn't a blues guy by definition. He played story songs that were changed lyrically over the years. The content of the lyrics may suggest a bluesy subject, but those guy's weren't like Robert Johnson. Robert Johnson never shared his lyrics nor wrote them down. He didn't want others stealing his songs. He changed them constantly to avoid plagiarism. Lot's of folks were illiterate in those days and couldn't write his lyrics down. Remember that he only toured in Miss., Ark, and maybe Tx., not including his trips to Chicago, Memphis, and Houston.

I just can't make a connection to blues and Native Americans. I was assigned as a judge to Native American music in the last JPF awards and nothing hinted toward Delta Blues. "Redbone" is a rock and roll band, the only Indian band that I know of. I lived in Oklahoma for 5 years, got to know lots of native Americans, been invited to Pow Wows. I just can't see the connection from where I sit.

You have provided some great info here, and I think that you should go ahead and leave a link for your book. I don't think the moderators would mind since you gave back in a non-spammy way. Best of luck, Ben