The Rural Music Gallery

Blues, country, and gospel - the music that thrived in the Delta - formed the unique palette of musical genres that unexpectedly came together to start a musical revolution.  These musical traditions of the rural South, including work songs, ballads, and gospel hymns, carried the history of southern culture from one generation to the next.  Many people produced their own music, exchanging technique, lyrics, and melodies among races and classes. Recorded music also had a presence in rural life. Some people bought victrolas and hoarded records, others nursed battery-powered radios to coax in programs like the Grand Ole Opry.