Join Poor Howard Stith on A Walk Through the Delta, an overview of the southern blues styles of the 1920s-30s, including delta and piedmont blues styles with an explanation of the difference, plus guitar rags that highlight the flashy fingerpick style of the early bluesmen. This is a truly American art form that became the the basis for both New Orleans style jazz and the Chicago electric blues that gave birth to rock& roll and soul music.

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Howard performs primarily on 12-string guitar in the style of Leadbelly and Blind Willy McTell along with some 6-string guitar played “bottleneck” style. In addition to explaining the songs, he incorporates folk humor and short shaggy dog stories to introduce some of the songs. 

Mike Rogers is a virtuoso harmonica player, and accompanies him in the styles of the masters from Sonny Terry to Little Walter.

This program is funded by a generous grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.