The acoustics and sound environments of Early Delta Blues

Abstract

As part of a larger investigation into the archaeological origins of the blues, I seek to re-create the sound environments that surrounded and informed the initial emanations of this important American music genre. This study is warranted because the music has had such a pronounced influence on global musics, as well as on broader sociological concerns like race, regionalism, nationalism, capitalism, and gender. It is also of value for archaeo-acoustic studies in that it concerns a study of an archaeo-historic site that is not in the deep past. For the ASA meeting-forum I will report on two related acoustic processes: one is the digital reconstruction of the physical structures where the blues was first heard, such as wood-framed shotgun-shaped performance spaces (juke joints, general stores), some of which still exist in the Mississippi Delta (Po Monkeys near Merigold and Mary’s in Indianola), or can be archaeologically recovered (the general store at Dockery Farms); and the second process is a recreation of the sonic environment of the late 19th early 20th century south of the lower Mississippi river valley, including natural and anthropomorphic sounds. These steps precede a future goal, the archaeologically reconstructed instrumental and vocal sounds of incipient and early blues, allowing for a truer picture of this musical phenomenon than currently exists.