Mississippi Delta and Hill Country (1978)

Bluesmen; fife-and-drum ensembles; former muleskinners and railroad tie-tampers; and tall-tale reciters. Performers include Skip James collaborator Jack Owens, diddley-bow player Lonnie Pitchford, fife legend Otha Turner, and R. L. Burnside in his first film appearance.

Walter Brown & Arthur: Roustabout holler and rocking the load (#2) (1978)

Walter Brown & Arthur: Roustabout holler and rocking the load (#3) (1978)

Walter Brown: Story of a duel in Last Chance, Arkansas (1978)

Walter Brown & Arthur: Roustabout holler and rocking the load (#1) (1978)

Walter Brown: Muleskinner holler (#3) (1978)

Part 6 of 11: Picnic with Napoleon Strickland & Como Drum Corps (1978)

Walter Brown: Shack-rouster song (1978)

Part 9 of 11: Picnic with Napoleon Strickland & Como Drum Corps (1978)

Walter Brown: Roustabout holler and steamboat whistles (1978)

Walter Brown: Muleskinner holler (#1) (1978)

Part 4 of 9: Rising Star Fife & Drum Band at Othar Turner's farm (1978)

Part 5 of 11: Picnic with Napoleon Strickland & Como Drum Corps (1978)

Part 7 of 11: Picnic with Napoleon Strickland & Como Drum Corps (1978)

Walter Brown: Muleskinner holler (#2) (1978)

Part 7 of 9: Rising Star Fife & Drum Band at Othar Turner's farm (1978)

Part 10 of 11: Picnic with Napoleon Strickland & Como Drum Corps (1978)

Part 3 of 9: Rising Star Fife & Drum Band at Othar Turner's farm (1978)

Part 11 of 11: Picnic with Napoleon Strickland & Como Drum Corps (1978)

Napoleon Strickland and kids: fife-and-drum picnic preparation (1978)

Part 2 of 11: Picnic with Napoleon Strickland & Como Drum Corps (1978)

Part 8 of 9: Rising Star Fife & Drum Band at Othar Turner's farm (1978)

Walter Brown on gambling at a rice-mill in Crowley, Louisiana (1978)

Walter Brown & Joe Savage: Shack-rouster's song (1978)

Part 8 of 11: Picnic with Napoleon Strickland & Como Drum Corps (1978)

Part 4 of 11: Picnic with Napoleon Strickland & Como Drum Corps (1978)

Picnic night at Othar Turner's farm (1 of 2) (1978)

Jack Owens: When the Saints Go Marching In (1978)

Part 2 of 9: Rising Star Fife & Drum Band at Othar Turner's farm (1978)

Walter Brown and Joe Savage discuss John Henry (1978)

Lucius Smith: Walking In the Parlor (1978)

Picnic night at Othar Turner's farm (2 of 2) (1978)

Greenville section crew: calling and lining track (1978)

Part 9 of 9: Rising Star Fife & Drum Band at Othar Turner's farm (1978)

Jack Owens & Bud Spires: I Been Moanin' (1978)

Jack Owens: Give Me Your Money, Baby (II) (1978)

Part 5 of 9: Rising Star Fife & Drum Band at Othar Turner's farm (1978)

Lucius Smith: New Railroad (1978)

Walter Brown & Joe Savage: John Henry verses (1978)

Lonnie Pitchford: Froggie Went A Courtin' (1978)

Jack Owens & Bud Spires: See See Rider (1978)

Napoleon Strickland's chair dance (1978)

Jack Owens & Bud Spires: All Night Long (1978)

Joe Savage, Walter Brown, and friends: Rosie (1978)

Part 1 of 11: Picnic with Napoleon Strickland & Como Drum Corps (1978)

Lucius Smith: Beaver Dam (1978)

Lucius Smith: Matchbox Blues (1978)

Lucius Smith & Jessie Mae Hemphill on drums and Sid Hemphill (1978)

Jack Owens & Bud Spires: Mama Don't Allow (1978)

Napoleon Strickland: Sittin' On Top of the World (1978)

Napoleon Strickland: Jesus Stop By Here (1978)

Part 1 of 9: Rising Star Fife & Drum Band at Othar Turner's farm (1978)

Part 3 of 11: Picnic with Napoleon Strickland & Como Drum Corps (1978)

Lonnie Pitchford: Diddley-bow tune #2

Napoleon Strickland: Louise (1978)

James Hall: World War II toast (1978)

Sam Chatmon discusses the legacy of Jim Crow (1978)

Lucius Smith: You Can't Read, You Can't Write (The Eighth of January) (1978)

Napoleon Strickland: Woke Up This Morning (1978)

Sam Chatmon on the blues (1978)

Clyde Maxwell: Casey Jones (1978)

George Johnson: Jack the Rabbit (1978)

Heavenly Gospel Singers: Jesus Traveled On This Road Before (1978)

Mighty Gospel Clouds: Thank You Jesus (1978)

Sam Chatmon on the Chatmon family, Mississippi Sheiks, and Okeh Records (1978)

Jack Owens & Bud Spires: Cherry Ball Blues (1978)

Sam Chatmon: Buy A Bale of Cotton Now (1978)

Jack Owens: Give Me Your Money, Baby (I) (1978)

The Rising Sons: I Got A New Walk (1978)

Napoleon Strickland: Black Mattie (1978)

Sam Chatmon: Sugar Blues (1978)

Joe Savage: Bad Luck Is Killing Me (1978)

Clyde Maxwell: You Got to Cross That River of Jordan (1978)

Sam Chatmon: T.B. Blues (1978)

Clyde Maxwell: Everybody Ought To Love Jesus (1978)

Jack Owens & Bud Spires: Catfish Blues (1978)

Sam Chatmon: Hollandale Blues (1978)

Napoleon Strickland: Rock Me All Night Long (1978)

Clyde Maxwell's wood-chopping holler #1 (1978)

Othar Turner and the Rising Star Fife & Drum Band: The Call (1978)

George Johnson: Casey Jones (1978)

Boyd Rivers & Ruth May Rivers: Heard the Angels Singing (1978)

Sam Chatmon discusses his father (1978)

Johnny Brooks: Signifying monkey story (1978)

Joe Savage's field holler: You kill a man in Louisiana (1978)

Bill Gordon: Shack-rouster song (1978)

St. James Missionary Baptist Church of Canton: I Need that Old-Time Religion (1978)

Lucius Smith: I'm Goin' Back to Jiles County (1978)

Clyde Maxwell's blues (1978)

St. James Missionary Baptist Church of Canton: I Thank You Jesus (1978)

Sam Chatmon: Blues (1978)

Boyd Rivers & Ruth May Rivers: Soon One Morning (1978)

Sam Chatmon: Prowling Groundhog (1978)

Joe Savage: Peace In the Valley (1978)

Part 6 of 9: Rising Star Fife & Drum Band at Othar Turner's farm (1978)

Sam Chatmon: Can't Get the Saddle On the Old Grey Mule (1978)

Clyde Maxwell: Stagolee (1978)

Othar Turner and the Rising Star Fife & Drum Band: Ida Reed (1978)

Blind Bud Spires: Easy Ridin' Buggy (1978)

Boyd Rivers & Ruth May Rivers: Wrapped Up, Tied Up, Tangled Up (1978)

Boyd Rivers & Ruth May Rivers: I Done Died One Time (Ain't Gonna Die No More) (1978)

Sensational Friendly Brothers: Heaven Is My Goal (1978)

Sam Chatmon: Careless Love (1978)

Joe Savage's field holler: I woke up soon one morning (1978)

Heavenly Gospel Singers: Let Jesus Fix It (1978)

Clyde Maxwell: Way Down In the Valley (1978)

Joe Savage: Parchman Farm recollections and field hollers (1978)

Napoleon Strickland: Baby Please Don't Go (1978)

Clyde Maxwell's wood-chopping holler #2 (1978)

Sam Chatmon: Trouble In Mind (1978)

Sam Chatmon: Little Liza Jane (1978)

Sensational Friendly Brothers: Where Shall I Be... (1978)

Joe Savage, Walter Brown, and friends: Take This Hammer (1978)

R.L. Burnside: Poor Black Mattie (1978)

Heavenly Gospel Singers: Sit Down Servant and Rest Awhile (1978)

Sonny Boy Nelson: Matchbox Blues (1978)

Sam Chatmon: How Long (1978)

St. James Missionary Baptist Church of Canton: I've Been Redeemed (1978)

Napoleon Strickland: Diddley-bow medley (1978)

Sam Chatmon: Bumblebee Blues (1978)

Boyd Rivers & Ruth May Rivers: Come Out the Wilderness (1978)

St. James Missionary Baptist Church of Canton: Angels In Heaven... (1978)

Belton Sutherland's field holler (1978)

Jack Owens & Bud Spires: Hard-Time Killing Floor Blues (1978)

Heavenly Gospel Singers: I Stepped In the Water One Day (1978)

R.L. Burnside's wood-chopping holler (1978)

Sam Chatmon: Corrina (1978)

Sam Chatmon: Sittin' On Top of the World (1978)

Jack Owens & Blind Bud Spires: Can't See Blues (1978)

Boyd Rivers & Ruth May Rivers: Fire In My Bones (1978)

Belton Sutherland & Clyde Maxwell: Blues (1978)

Joe Savage: Texas Is My Home (1978)

Clyde Maxwell: Corrina (1978)

Sam Chatmon: The Preacher and the Bear (1978)

St. James Missionary Baptist Church of Canton: Wade In the Water (1978)

Belton Sutherland: I Got Trouble (1978)

Sam Chatmon: The Last Time (1978)

R.L. Burnside's sons hambone (1978)

Belton Sutherland: Blues #1 (1978)

Joe Savage: Dangerous Blues (1978)

Boyd Rivers: You Got to Take Sick and Die (1978)

Fred McDowell: Woke Up This Morning With My Mind On Jesus (1959)

Sam Chatmon: Cold Blooded Murderer (1978)

R.L. Burnside: When My First Wife Left Me (1978)

Sam Chatmon: That's All Right (1978)

R.L. Burnside and family: Boogie instrumental (1978)

R.L. Burnside: Burnside's Blues (1978)

Sonny Boy Nelson: How You Want Your Rolling Done? (1978)

R.L. Burnside: Poor Boy A Long Way From Home (1978)

Sam Chatmon: Make Me A Pallet On the Floor (1978)

Belton Sutherland: Blues #2 (1978)

R.L. Burnside: See My Jumper Hanging On the Line (1978)

Sonny Boy Nelson: 61 Highway Blues (1978)

152 Results