... them, their up beat happy beats became slowed and sad. Forced to labor long and hard on the plantations against their will, African slaves would sing and chant in their native tongues as they worked. They would take turns 'calling out' in song, to which the other laborers would 'respond' in unison. This "call and response" technique in their songs, known ... the "Mississippi Delta" region where the majority of blacks in America lived on plantations, it was some of the first blues to ever be recorded. "Pioneers such as Charley Patton, Son House, Robert Johnson, and Mississippi Fred McDow...

• Word Count: 1385
• Approx Pages: 6