Between 1900 and 1940, early blues styles of Ragtime, Delta, Urban, and Texas evolved into their later counterparts – Atlanta, Memphis, Chicago and Texas Electric blues. Blues in the 20th ce

Between 1900 and 1940, early blues styles of Ragtime, Delta, Urban, and Texas evolved into their later counterparts – Atlanta, Memphis, Chicago and Texas Electric blues. Blues in the 20th century could no longer evolve in the regional isolation of the 19th century. Sound recording technology and broadcast radio ensured that musicians listened more and more to each other. So did America’s increasing mobility. Automobiles and buses replaced horseback and stagecoach. America’s cities grew in size rapidly as more and more citizens migrated to the urban life. Choose one mid-century style from Week 5’s playlists and listen carefully to at least four recordings in that style. Then re-listen to a single recording by Robert Johnson, Bessie Smith, Blind Blake, or Leadbelly. What was retained from Early Blues into your chosen style from the 1940s? What was changed? What was discarded?A good starting sentence might read like this, “I listened to four songs in the [your choice here] style. I compared them to the early blues recording, [early blues song title] by [early blues artist]” Discuss the questions above briefly, being as specific as you can.