When the Blues were Black

Above, Mississippi Fred McDowell, a farmer by day for most of his life and a talented blues musician on weekends. He lived into the 1970s, long enough to be 'discovered' and lionized by white audiences in the US and Europe.

Long before white musicians or rock acts like the Rolling Stones, blues music originated amongst African-Americans in the Deep South shortly after the Civil War. It incorporated characteristic chordal and rhythm structures as well as the familiar call and response structure of spirituals, work songs, and field hollers. It also incorporated so-called blue notes, flattened in pitch, within its structure.

Dean College History Professor, Dr. Rob Lawson will share his insights on this topic on Sunday, Sept. 8 at the Franklin Historical Museum. His books, Jim Crow's Counterculture: The Blues and Black Southerners, 1890-1945 broke ground in its exploration of the meanings and motivations for creating blues music, in particular, its apposition (and sometimes opposition) to the oppression imposed by Jim Crow laws and a segregated culture. Lawson will provide commentary and illustrative musical examples to accompany his talk.

The Franklin Historical Museum is at 80 West Central St., Franklin. Doors open at 1 and the presentation begins at 1:15. Presentations typically include audience questions and run about an hour in length. The event is FREE, but donations are encouraged.