How to Hear Delta Blues

Delta blues is one of the earliest styles of blues, developing in the Mississippi Delta sometime after the Civil War. The guitar-dominated delta blues influenced not only other styles of blues music, but also modern rock and jazz. Delta blues is more than a slide guitar, it's also emotionally-charged lyrics that speak to the heart and soul. Follow these steps to hear delta blues.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Turntable for listening to albums

1. Buy or borrow delta blues. Look in old record stores to hear people like Willie Brown, Skip James, Jimmie Burns and Charley Patton. Your best chance is buying vinyl, so make sure you have a turntable.

2. Turn that dial in search of a blues station on the radio. When you find one, call in and ask to hear some delta blues.

3. Check the Internet for blues stations that play delta blues. You'll discover some free ones and some available by subscription like rhapsody.com.

4. Tune in to satellite radio. Sirius offers "Sirius Blues," and XM provides "Bluesville."

5. Attend a blues club. Blues clubs are based in many urban areas. Find delta blues in rural areas throughout the South.

6. Visit the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale, Mississippi. The museum is located at the crossroads that the great bluesman Robert Johnson (and later Eric Clapton) sang about, where legend has it that Johnson sold his soul to the devil so that he could play blues guitar. Permanent and traveling exhibits dominate the museum (like Muddy Waters), but there is also a classroom for lectures and a stage for local blues festivals. Everywhere you go, delta blues greets your ears.

7. Go to a blues festival. The Delta Blues Museum holds festivals like the Juke Joint Festival each April. The big festival comes in September with the Mississippi Delta Blues and Heritage Festival.

Resources

• Search for online radio stations where you can hear the delta blues.