Show 23: Memphis' Pre-War Blues Tradition

I would like to thank you for joining me, Ol' Mr. Read, for the inaugural fall Copacetic Communion episode. For this 23rd episode, I have elected to make today's theme of focus that of early Memphis blues. The first track comes from W.C. Handy's legendary composition, entitled, fittingly, "The Memphis Blues." The song you're about to hear is widely recognized as the first blues song, recorded and released by Victor in 1914. And because we like our episodes' themes to work together with each other, this song, in 2019, was selected for preservation in the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."