And yet, the Delta refused to disappear. Its history seeped into the soil, carried in the music that emerged from the land’s heart. The blues—raw, haunting, defiant—rose from the experiences of those who had worked and suffered there. It was a music that echoed with the stories of broken dreams and enduring resilience.
Image: Son House, pictured in 1964, will be the focus of the Journey to the Son festival in Rochester, Dick Waterman
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These rhythms followed the migrants north, weaving into the cultural fabric of industrial cities, a reminder of the Delta’s influence even as its population dwindled.
By the mid-20th century, cotton, the crop that had once been the lifeblood of the global economy, became an afterthought. Oil had taken its place as the new king, and the world moved on.
Image: In the late 90s the six row cotton picker
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