© Copyright 2008 Alan White. All Rights Reserved.                       .Home of Mississippi John Hurt, Avalon, Mississippi 

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INTRODUCTION
 
Welcome to the Early Blues History Section.
 
On this page you will find:
- the Blues History Noticeboard, comprising links to Blues Essays, Articles, Poetry, Art, Tribute Projects and Talks, followed by
- the Blues Research Noticeboard, comprising details and links to blues research projects and links to associated websites, followed by
- the Blues Books Noticeboard, comprising links to recommended blues books, CDs, Movies, DVDs and on-line radio links, followed by
- the Blues Travelogues Noticeboard, comprising links to photo galleries, articles and essays on trips to the 'Land Where The Blues Began'
- all interspersed with relevant photographs, images and quotations.
Alternatively, click on the above buttons for all major sections of the website or click here for the main menu or click Early Blues Treasure Trove of miscellaneous links to all other sections of the website.

 

NEW HISTORY SECTION (from 1st March 2018):

This original ‘History’ Section of www.earlyblues.com has been re-created in an all new more manageable and easier to browse format together with extended content, especially on the history of British Blues welcoming new contributors Stevie King from the British Blues Archive organisation and Keith Woods from 'Tales From The Woods' magazine and roots music networking group.

The new format has been developed on www.earlyblues.org and will ultimately replace this original History Section of www.earlyblues.com, being entirely dedicated to the history and evolution of the Blues in essays and articles, cultural aspects, exhibitions, presentations, courses, talks, research projects, reference lists, recommended blues books, blues resting places, and links to other blues sites.

As this original History Section is so large the new format section has been developed over time (re-creating all elements of the old format content into the new format). For ease of conversion, all new entries from 1st March 2018 have now been created only in the new format. To keep each section complete there are links to the old format embedded in the new format content where the material has not yet been converted. When this is the case please click the back button or just close the page to return to the new format section.

So 'Earlyblues.com' now runs as two separate but interlinked websites:
www.earlyblues.com (original History Section) and
www.earlyblues.org (new expanded and re-formatted History Section).

Click here to see the new developing History Section, remembering that you can return to the full www.earlyblues.com website or this original History Section any time by clicking the link on the new format Home page.
 

 

 
Quote for earlyblues.com from Paul Oliver
(one of the world's leading authorities and writer on the history of the blues):
"Alan, congratulations on your Website (Early) Blues, sincerely, Paul Oliver"
See Interview with Paul Oliver

 


"...The blues tell the story of life’s difficulties — and, if you think for a moment, you realize that they take the hardest realities of life and put them into music, only to come out with some new hope or sense of triumph. This is triumphant music.”

- Martin Luther King Jr.

 

 
BLUES HISTORY NOTICEBOARD: ESSAYS, ARTICLES, POETRY, ART, POSTERS AND TALKS
 

Click the Blues Essays logo to browse essays, articles, tales, talks, books, poetry and everything else blues history related....

   
Click the Exhibitions logo for photo galleries of Blues Photographic Exhibitions including details of the artists, the photos and the background to the exhibition themes
   

Click the British Blues logo for a History of British Blues in articles and essays, interviews with legendary British blues artists, memories and memorabilia, and recommended British blues history books.
   

Acoustic Blues Magazine- nostalgic reproductions of a series of magazines published in 1991 promoting interest in UK blues artists, both those little known outside a particular region and the few that have achieved national and international fame.
   
Click the Blues Travelogues logo for a series of articles relating to blues trips to the 'Land Where The Blues Began'
   
Click the Blues Poetry logo for a collection of articles relating to Blues Poetry, the Poets and Poetry about the Blues and Blues Artists.
   
Click the Blues Art logo for collections of Artists, Illustrators and Sculptors of the Blues and links to their websites.
   
Click the logo for the 'Blues Artists and Their Instruments Guide' by Dai Thomas.
   

Coming soon: a photo gallery of the resting places of early blues artists.
   
Coming soon: a photo gallery of Masters of the Blues - a collection of photographs and details of iconic artists I have had the pleasure in photographing, meeting and occasionally interviewing.
   
Coming soon: a photo gallery of rare blues vinyl record album covers - personal collections, including details of labels, artists and additional notes about the recordings.
   
Click the logo to see a full list of essays and articles on the History of Gospel Music on the sister website www.earlygospel.com .
   
Click the Roots Español logo to browse a selection of blues essays translated into Spanish.
   
Click the logo for the 'Blues Memories' section where I invite you, the reader, to tell me how you first 'discovered' the blues.
   

Click the logo to see the Archive of Mississippi Max Haymes's Blues Club Posters.
   
Coming soon: a collection of blues related cartoons, jokes and humorous images.
   
Click the logo to see an impressive Blues Collage by Colin McNeill.
   

Click the logo for the European Blues Association (EBA) website.
The EBA, incorporating the 'Archive of African American Music',  is an educational organisation established in 1999 to promote African American music in its many forms and provide educational activities for young people and adults. The EBA encourages research into the music and its cultural heritage. In partnership with the University of Gloucestershire it facilitates the study and discussion of issues related to the development of Black Music and its relationships with pop music and culture.
   

Click the logo for the British Blues Archive (BBA) website.
The BBA is a registered charity which archives the history, musicians, the venues and the instruments that make up British Blues.
 
   

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© Copyright 2013 Gill Smith. All Rights Reserved.
Bessie Smith - A Painting by Gill Smith
© Copyright 2013 Gill Smith. All Rights Reserved.
 

 
 BLUES RESEARCH NOTICEBOARD

Check out: Slave To The Blues (Coffles and the Auction Block - Slave Roots of the Blues)
This article is part of a far larger work ('Slave To The Blues') which seeks to focus on the secular roots of the Blues back in slavery times in the USA. 
Slave To The Blues is a long term collaborative project between Max Haymes, Rex Haymes, Robin Andrews, Dai Thomas and Alan White, where we intend to highlight the non-religious music of the African American before 1865.
Check out: The Underground Railroad
- a new sister website currently under development which will give an
insight into the Underground Railroad movement during American slavery times, incorporating a collection of references to seminal works together with personal material and anecdotes. The website will include the origins of the underground railroad, a chronology of key dates and significant events, influential people, locations and associated events, essays and articles specialising in the underground railroad, research projects, a bibliography of key reference literature, a discography of related music and video, and Internet website references.


From the essay:
Slave To The Blues (Coffles and the Auction Block - Slave Roots of the Blues)
 

 
 BLUES BOOKS, CDs, DVDs, MOVIES AND RADIO LINKS NOTICEBOARD

© Copyright 2008 Alan White. All Rights Reserved.Updated: Blues Internet Magazines
Updated:
Streaming the Blues - Worldwide Blues Radio on the Internet
Updated: Recommended Blues Books - Blues, Gospel, Zydeco and R&B
Check out some Blues Video Clips (awesome!)

and finally how about some retail therapy ...


Check out details of Michael Gray's award-winning Book
 

 

Mural, Leland, Mississippi © Copyright 2008 Alan White. All Rights Reserved.
Mural, Leland, Mississippi © Copyright 2008 Alan White. All Rights Reserved.


Plaque painted at the side of the Mural
© Copyright 2008 Alan White. All Rights Reserved.
 

 
Quote for earlyblues.com from Dick Waterman
(Photographer, Blues Promoter, Author, and the only non-performer in the Blues Hall of Fame):
"All blues fans are grateful for your wonderful www.earlyblues.com - a most captivating resource for blues fans"  
www.dickwaterman.com
 

Agent, manager, producer, promoter, Dick Waterman is the only person inducted in The Blues Hall of Fame who was not either a performing artist or a record company executive. He established himself in the Blues community as a diligent advocate for the artists and the art of Blues. Waterman is primarily known today as an archivist and photographer of Blues, Country, Rock and Jazz legends from Mississippi John Hurt to Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton. His commitment to documenting the Blues artists he worked with and came into contact with throughout the years is legendary.
 

 
 BLUES TRAVELOGUES NOTICEBOARD

The Mississippi Delta: Birthplace of the Blues - "This Is Where the Soul of Man Never Dies."
       - by
Terry Messman

Annual Road Trip to the Mississippi Delta in 4 fascinating episodes!
       - by
Keith Murphy, with complementary photos by Alan White
'Deep South Early Blues travelogue' : Memphis thru to Clarksdale
Down The Dirt Road (travelling the Southern States) by Courtland Bresner - in 5 instalments:
              Down The Dirt Road (Part 1)
             
Down The Dirt Road (Part 2)
             
Down The Dirt Road (Part 3)
 
                    Down The Dirt Road (Part 4)
              Down The Dirt Road (Part 5)


Coming soon (sort of)...

1 -
'Deep South Country Blues, Plantations and New Orleans Jazz' :
        Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee
        (including Memphis, Helena, Clarksdale, Vicksburg, Natchez, New Orleans, Jackson and Nashville)
2 -
'Piedmont/East Coast Blues and the Civil Rights Movement' :
        Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Alabama
        (including Atlanta, Macon, Savannah, Charleston, Chattanooga, Birmingham and Montgomery)
3 -
'Urban Blues, Chicago and Route 66' :
        Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California
        (including
The Chicago Blues Festival
and Route 66 oddities)
4 -
'Hillbilly Country, The Blues Ridge Mountains, The Underground Railroad and The American Civil War' :
        Pennsylvania, Virginia and North Carolina
        (including Philadelphia, Gettysburg, Roanoke, Galax, Petersburg, Richmond and Manassas)
5 -
'St Louis Blues, Steamboats and The Underground Railroad' :
        Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana and Michigan
        (including Chicago, Davenport, Springfield, St Louis, Cairo, Louisville, Cincinnati and Battle Creek)

John Jorgenson © Copyright 2009 Alan White. All Rights Reserved.
 

Earlyblues website 'Treasure Trove' (click on a link to discover some gems):

Credentials   What is the Blues?   Background to Blues   Chronology of Blues   Artists & Bands Index   Featured Article   Blues Memories

Blues Festival Photos   Blues Movies   Blues DVDs   Blues Internet Mags   Blues Video Clips   Streaming The Blues   Blues Masters

Blues Guitar   Blues Anthology   Blues Paintings   Blues Travelogues   Blues Courses   Best of British Blues   Top Twenty Blues

Contributors   Blues Books   Blues Mall   Old Blues Adverts   Our Blues Links   Coming soon   Coming soon

Blues Researchers   Cumbria Blues   Lancashire Blues   North West England   North East England   The Midlands   Southern England

Scotland   Wales being updated   Hall of Fame   Resting Places   Blues Recipes   Blues Forum   Guest Book
 

  

Website, Photos and Text © Copyright 2000-2019 Alan White. All Rights Reserved.
For permission to copy, email:
alan.white@earlyblues.com

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