Part of the series “Blues Journey,” produced for ArtsEdge at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Musicologist Kip Lornell explains that the blues sound was captured by Alan Lomax, who was among the first to record folk songs in the 1930s. Because of Lomax’s recordings, people across the country could hear the unique music of blues artists like Huddie Ledbetter (Leadbelly) and Muddy Waters for the first time.
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