Blues Underground

This photograph shows blues musicians Gabriel Brown and Rochelle French in Eatonville, Florida in 1935. Zora Neale Hurston introduced Library of Congress folklorist Alan Lomax to Brown. Lomax’s recordings for the Library of Congress led Brown into a professional recording career with blues labels until 1952. Similar obscure blues artists performed for Floridians across the state. The blues offered musicians a way to criticize racism and exploitation. Performances were a “safe” place to unite and escape the harsh realities of the Jim Crow south.

• Folklorist Alan Lomax recorded this selection in 1935 in Eatonville, Florida. The selection is broken into two parts demonstrating Florida A&M College graduate Gabriel Brown’s exceptional guitar talent. Brown alludes to working-class hero John Henry in the song. Audiences often viewed blues artists as working-class heroes in their own right. Brown tapped into the growing popularity of blues music. His unique and intricate guitar style led him to performances in New York City, professional recording contracts, and a busy touring schedule after World War II.

• Library of Congress folklorist Alan Lomax discovered Booker T. Sapps in Belle Glade, Florida. Sapps and other musicians worked the citrus fields in Belle Glade and entertained other farmworkers during their off hours. Working-class audiences across Florida enjoyed blues performances. Music promoters recognized the music’s popularity and began organizing tours throughout the state at small nightclubs, taverns, and cafes in African American communities. Sapps is playing the harmonica in this photo accompanied by fellow harmonica player Roger Matthews and guitarist Willie Flowers.

• Agriculture and other industries brought thousands of laborers to South Florida every year. Alan Lomax recorded Booker T. Sapps in Belle Glade in 1935. Sapps and other local musicians worked in the citrus fields. They entertained other farmworkers and earned extra money on the side. Later, when the Circuit was in full swing, musicians like Sapps could take their skills on the road throughout the Southeast.

The blues allowed performers and audiences to criticize racial oppression, working conditions, and other aspects of life in the South. This lyric fragment recorded by Zora Neale Hurston displays a common form of social criticism in blues lyrics. Jacksonville-based performer Willie Joe Roberts redirected his anger over the illiterate overseer who controlled his life and labor into a sharp ironic thrust. This was a common device in Southern blues lyrics.