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MAXWELL STREET
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It has long been one of the
spiritual homes of the blues in America, and it can be said that it is a place
where a unique type of blues music was born. In the 1920’s many
African-Americans migrated to Chicago from the southern states, particularly the
Mississippi Delta, and Maxwell Street was usually where they stopped. Here these
itinerant blues artists would rub shoulders with established city musicians and
gradually their various musical styles mingled to produce a sound that became
known as ‘Chicago Blues’. One of the earliest Maxwell Street locals was
Papa
Charlie Jackson who recorded more nearly 80 songs in the late 1920’s. He teamed
up with Big Bill Broonzy when he came to Chicago in 1920 and they began to play
on Maxwell Street. Broonzy later became part of the
Lester Melrose group
of blues artists recording on the Bluebird label and would go on to help
several younger musicians such as Memphis Slim and Muddy Waters.
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