Screamin' and Hollerin' the Blues

In June 1929, Paramount Records producer Arthur Laibly brought Charley Patton to the Gennett studio in Indiana. Patton was a seasoned entertainer who played loud enough to cut through the noise of crowded Delta juke joints. On "Screamin' and Hollerin' the Blues," he practically punished his acoustic guitar, snapping the strings and booming his rough voice into the primitive microphone. Paramount initially released it under the pseudonym "The Masked Marvel" as a promotional guessing game. It was a massive success, proving the raw, heavy Mississippi Delta sound could be a major commercial force.