In 1850, some 300 Black people lived in Chicago, during each of the following decades, that number tripled. By 1930, more than half of the African American population in the United States lived in northern cities and towns. Between 1910 and 1920, over 60,000 black people migrated to Chicago. Out of the 109,000 blacks living in Chicago, 90,000 were migrants, and 20,000 of them were born in Mississippi. Many companies in the North required labor, and offered reasonable compens

W. C. Handy, also known as the "Father of the Blues," was crucial in bringing structure, form, and legitimacy to the blues music genre. Besides being a cornetist and bandleader, Handy was also a composer and publisher.

The Piedmont region has always had a robust Anglo-American folk tradition, particularly among poor whites living in the Appalachian Mountains. This dominant folk tradition significantly influenced the development of blues music.

There is a long list of Delta Bluesmen: Bukka White, Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williams, B.B. King, Little Milton, John Lee Hooker, Howling Wolf, Elmore James, and many others who would reshape the Delta style to form the distinctive Chicago style blues.

"Work songs had three primary functions: 1) They helped supply a rhythm of work or synchronized rhythm of movement. 2) They helped to pass the time while performing tedious tasks. 3) They offered an outlet for frustration and anger.

The Africans that survived the middle passages experienced culture shock. Most African tribes had strict customs, rituals, ceremonies, and taboos that dominated their lives. Being left alone, unclothed, and friendless was a shock more traumatic than the sting of the whip or physical punishment.

African American history begins with the slave trade. Many of the enslaved Africans were from the West African Coastal region.

Blues music emerged as folk music on the cotton plantations in the South.