by Graham Calabro

Created on: July 01, 2007   Last Updated: September 18, 2007

Introduction:
Country Blues is suspect to many names such as folk blues, rural blues or downhome blues and has arguably had the biggest influence on modern music. This is greatly because of such men as Robert Johnson among others who have been the major influences in many rock musicians careers and because the acoustic guitar was the focal point of the genre along with vocals.

The influenced include such names as Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Hot Tuna, The Allman Brothers Band, Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix just to name a handful. These bands in turn have influenced many main stream artists of the present day.

Musicians at a glance:
Country Blues was a male dominated genre with the likes of Robert Johnson, Edward James Son' House, Charley Patton (one of the first stars of Delta blues), Blind Lemon Jefferson, Big Bill Broonzy and Huddie William Ledbetter (Lead Belly). It was hard enough being a musician of African descent and twice as hard being female also.

Robert Johnson: 1911-1938
Arguably the most influential blues Guitarist, Vocalist, Songwriter of all time Robert Johnson (The Grand Father of Rock'n'Roll) was a travelling musician whose life was much of a folklore giving the true meaning to the word Legend'.

He was said to have sold his soul to the Devil on the Cross Roads' where he often travelled by bus, Hitch-Hiking and skipping trains and in turn he apparently got his extraordinary guitar talent.
This has many so called origins most believable is that Robert Johnson himself created the folklore after astonished comrades couldn't believe his sudden Improvement in his guitar playing. Supposedly it was a year in hiatus learning his craft which enabled him to improve so dramatically in a short period of time.

His death at the age of 27 was from drinking from an opened bottle which was given to him at a bar which had been laced with deadly chemicals. Already being intoxicated he didn't think twice although warned by a friend not to drink it.
He was poisoned because of an alleged affair he was having with a married woman.

Huddie William Ledbetter (Lead Belly): 1888-1949

Best known for his powerful vocals Lead Belly was also a virtuoso on a 12 string guitar and played other instruments such as the accordion, Piano, Harmonica, Concertina, Mandolin and Violin.

Lead Belly's life was a hard road to say the least, he was in and out of prison and was often finding himself in bar fights. On one occasion he bashed one of his cousins to death and was sentenced to

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