Fingerstyle Piedmont Blues

History

The style’s technique almost defines the region in popular memory, and revival musicians themselves have often described it in those terms. Blind Blake, Rev. Gary Davis, Blind Boy Fuller, Etta Baker, John Jackson, and Cephas & Wiggins all embody the approach, while John Cephas’s own explanation of Piedmont style as bass line and melody happening simultaneously remains one of the clearest descriptions of the tradition’s mechanics.

Defining artists

• Blind BlakeSpotifyYouTube
• Rev. Gary DavisSpotifyYouTube
• Blind Boy FullerSpotifyYouTube
• Etta BakerSpotifyYouTube
• John JacksonSpotifyYouTube
• Cephas and WigginsSpotifyYouTube

Essential listening

• Diddie Wa Diddie — Blind BlakeSpotifyYouTube
• Cocaine Blues — Rev. Gary DavisSpotifyYouTube
• Step It Up and Go — Blind Boy FullerSpotifyYouTube
• One Dime Blues — Etta BakerSpotifyYouTube
• Steamboat Whistle — John JacksonSpotifyYouTube
• Richmond Blues — Cephas and WigginsSpotifyYouTube

Sources

• Smithsonian Magazine on John Cephas’s technical explanation of Piedmont guitar
• Music Maker Foundation, “Discover the Piedmont Blues”
• North Carolina Music Office on Blind Boy Fuller
• Britannica, Etta Baker