Georgia Blues

History

Georgia’s recorded blues tradition was foundational to East Coast and Piedmont blues because artists such as Blind Willie McTell, Barbecue Bob, Curley Weaver, Buddy Moss, and Peg Leg Howell created a rich prewar catalog of twelve-string guitar, syncopated picking, and songster flexibility. Later figures such as Reverend Pearly Brown kept sacred and blues-based Georgia string tradition publicly visible, helping show that “Georgia blues” was never only a prewar shellac memory.

Defining artists

• Blind Willie McTellSpotifyYouTube
• Barbecue BobSpotifyYouTube
• Curley WeaverSpotifyYouTube
• Buddy MossSpotifyYouTube
• Peg Leg HowellSpotifyYouTube
• Reverend Pearly BrownSpotifyYouTube

Essential listening

• Statesboro Blues — Blind Willie McTellSpotifyYouTube
• Barbecue Blues — Barbecue BobSpotifyYouTube
• No No Blues — Curley WeaverSpotifyYouTube
• Red River Blues — Buddy MossSpotifyYouTube
• Low-Down Rounder Blues — Peg Leg HowellSpotifyYouTube
• God Don't Never Change — Reverend Pearly BrownSpotifyYouTube

Sources

• New Georgia Encyclopedia on Blind Willie McTell
• Music Maker Foundation and East Coast blues histories
• Rev. Pearly Brown discographic materials
• broader Piedmont/East Coast scholarship