Historically, the South is slow to change. Maybe it's the easy way of life of the Gentiles, or maybe change brings fear of the unknown. From slavery to segregation to racism and finally the acceptance of people who had no choice at birth. Like a diamond in the rough, Blues and Jazz got their start in the Deep South. Although not an instant beginning, Blues and Jazz is an evolution and compilation of spiritual songs, hymns, ragtime, gospel music and slave labor songs. Mississippi is the birthplace of blues music. The blues originated in the Mississippi Delta as a call-and-response lyrical pattern, slave songs of "sorrow" and haunting "field cries" (Wilson). The first introduction of the blues was in 1912, when a black composer, WC Andy, recorded "The Memphis Blues", which later became popular in 1914. But it was in the 1920s that this nation experienced the craze for the blues. blues when singers like Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith recorded classics. blues with jazz groups. Although the blues falls into a category of its own, there are many types of blues. The first to emerge were the Delta Blues and the Chicago Blues. The first three pioneers of Delta Blues were Eddie “Son” House, Bukka White and Big Joe Williams. During the Great Depression, many African Americans emigrated north, giving the Blues a new identity with the advent of the electric guitar: the Chicago Blues. Then, in the 1960s and 1970s, blues increasingly merged with rock music. American culture began to become aware of racism and discrimination. People began to become seriously interested in and experimenting with African American culture and music was a part of that. The blues also contributed to the development of Rock-N-Roll. It may have been just a form of expression in its early days, but it became an identity for African Americans during decades when whiskey and rum flowed everywhere like rhymes. . If it weren't for Blues and Jazz, names like Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and the Rolling Stones would just be names and not icons. Works Cited Branley, Edward. “History of NOLA: Congo Square and the Roots of New Orleans Music.” GoNOLAcom RSS. Np, July 2, 2012. Web. May 26, 2014. “Jazz.” International Encyclopedia of Social Sciences. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. May 27, 2014. “Jazz in America.” Jazz in America. Np, and Web. May 27, 2014.Morgan, Thomas L. "Jazz, the first thirty yearsCopyright © 1993 - 2012 Thomas L.Morgan." Jazz: The First Thirty Years. Np, and Web. May 29, 2014. "New Orleans Official Website." Official New Orleans Tourism Website. Np, and Web. May 27, 2014. Wilson, Christine. “The Mississippi Blues.” Mississippi History Now. Np, August 2003. Web. May 282014.