There have been times where I've played an artist like Mississippi Fred McDowell, Junior Kimbrough, RL Burnside, Calvin Jackson or Jessie Mae Hemphill on my radio show or out dj'ing a party and someone will say "Awww, yeah! Some Delta blues!"
I always take a few moments to educated them that this is music is from a different part of the region and has some distinct differences. Compared to the Delta blues style, Mississippi hill country music is bit more unconventional in song structure. There are less chord changes and it's often much more hypnotic and trance inducing for starters. It's more about a beat and rhythm for grooving and dancing.
Jessie definitely had all those things down. It came naturally for her.
What are you listening to tonight?
