DELTA BLUES
20
FIRST-CLASS FOREVER STAMPS
This stamp collection honors the Mississippi Delta Blues music tradition, both it’s history and influence.
THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA: THE BIRTHPLACE OF THE BLUES The Mississippi Delta’s fertile ground gave birth to the Blues. The Delta is recognized internationally for it’s role in shaping American culture in the 20th century because it is the place where the African American musicians created the Blues. Cotton agriculture and slavery contributed to deep socio-cultural and economic dichotomies in the Delta between the planter class and the labor class. These dichotomies led to the emergence of a distinctive musical form, the Blues, as well as the culture that surrounded it. The Delta has been home to hundreds of famous Bluesmen and the jukes where they played. Music is in the lifeblood of the Delta, and it’s blues is one of America’s greatest art forms. This stamp collection honors blues’ geographic roots. The lyrics of some of the most talented Delta blues musicians weave through the Mississippi River, suggesting that the blues are just as important as the Delta’s geography in shaping the region today.
Where Did You Sleep Last Night
By all accounts, Huddie William Ledbetter, better known as “Leadbelly,” was a captivating performer, and the story of his colorful life certainly gives credence to the reputation. His performance was enchanting enough to disarm even the heavy arm of Southern, white, law enforcement — he twice was pardoned from long prison sentences as a result of his talent. Leadbelly was an itinerant musician, and a living catalogue of many musical traditions and influences, from folk to country blues to prison songs to ballads. His wide repertoire carried a rich sense of black history.
“No white man has ever had the blues.”
LEADBELLY
Sliding Delta
2016
MISSISSIPPI JOHN HURT No blues singer ever presented a more gentle, genial image than Mississippi John Hurt. A guitarist with an extraordinarily lyrical and refined finger picking style, he also sang with a warmth unique in the field of blues, and the gospel influence in his music gave it a depth and reflective quality unusual in the field. Hurt (1893-1966) only began to earn a living from music after he left Mississippi in 1963 to play at folk festivals, colleges, and coffeehouses. His first recordings, 78 rpm discs released in 192829, are regarded as classics of the blues genre.
“The blues ain’t nothin’ but a good woman on your mind.”
FOREVER USA
Death Letter Blues
2016
SON HOUSE Eddie James “Son” House plumbs the emotional depth of the blues perhaps more than any other Delta blues artist. A preacher at times, a barrel housing blues man at others, House was fiercely torn between the sacred teachings of the church and the secular lure of the blues life. To this day, he is regarded as one of the preeminent blues artists, but during his early career in the Delta, his renown was largely confined to local juke house audiences. He later attained international prominence during the 1960s “blues revival” through passionate, trance-like performances that highlighted his aggressive guitar style.
“The blues is not a plaything like some people think they are.”
FOREVER USA
Come On In My Kitchen
2016
FOREVER USA
As one of the most famous and legendary Delta Blues musician, Robert Johnson’s mysterious life and early death continue to fascinate modern fans. Although he recorded only twenty nine songs at two recording sessions in 1936 and 1937, his work has been included in the repertoires of countless blues and rock musicians since. Very little is known about Johnson’s life and there is much conjecture about his death. What we know for certain is that when he died, in his late twenties, he left behind a body of work which, though relatively small, has maintained an amazing presence in American music.
“The blues is a low down achin’ chill.”
ROBERT JOHNSON
Rollin’ Stone
FOREVER USA
MUDDY WATERS Muddy Waters was the single most important artist to emerge in post-war American blues. A peerless singer, a gifted song writer, an able guitarist, and leader of one of the strongest bands in the genre, Waters absorbed the influences of rural blues from Deep South and moved them uptown, injecting his music with a fierce, electric energy and helping pioneer the Chicago Blues style throughout the 1950s, ‘60s, and ‘70s.
“That Mississippi sound, that Delta is them old records. You can hear it all the way through.”
2016
Crawlin’ King Snake
FOREVER USA
JOHN LEE HOOKER John Lee Hooker was a master of “boogie” with haunting, sensuously compelling signature vocals and the ability to create a whole world of sound from a single, repetitive chord. His unique, original style hugely influenced other blues artists and especially rock and roll. The Rolling Stones, the Animals, early Fleetwood Mac and Johnny Winter are just a few of of Hooker’s admirers.
“The blues tell a story. Every line of the blues has a meaning.”
2016
2016
FOREVER USA
2016
2016
FOREVER USA
FOREVER USA
2016
FOREVER USA
FOREVER USA
2016