The Origins of the Blues

Blind Leman Jefferson started recording for Paramount Records in 1926. His first record, Got the Blues, was a massive success. Label signed up pretty much every black man with a guitar they could find. But this generation of people didn't think of themselves as blues singers or blues men. They were songsters - entertainers who played whatever audiences wanted to hear. This included old folk songs, wordville songs and polka music. We have few recordings of them performing this kind of song.