W.C. Handy (1873-1958) is widely known as the Father of the Blues. Growing up in Memphis, I must have heard his name a million times before I was ten. He settled in Memphis sround 1909, using Beale Street's Pee Wee's Saloon as his headquarters. His greatest contributions to blues music were his compositions Memphis Blues, St. Louis Blues, Yellow Dog Blues, and Beale Street Blues. Handy died in New York City in 1958 and is today honored with the annual W.C. Handy Awards, The Blues Foundation's equivalent to the Grammy Awards. Then there were the Delta Blues, different from the Memphis Blues. Some background > The Mississippi Delta is a long stretch of land that starts at the Miss. State Line, just south of Memphis, and goes south along the Miss. River until about mid-state. If you divide the state up into 4 equal geographical parts, the Delta would be the upper left quadrant. Some of the greatest blues musicians in the world - legends - were either born in or lived in the Delta. Charley Patton, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, BB (Riley 'Blues Boy') King. My mother was born and raised in Inverness, MS, seven miles from BB King's home in Indianola, MS and we used to spend summers "down in the Delta" with my grandmother. I'm not surprised the Delta gave birth to its very own genre of music. There's no place like it on earth. BB King might be a good candidate for the musician who popularized the blues, since he is one of, if not the most, well known bluesman in the world. "The Thrill is Gone" - what a classic. Here's a link to "The Blue Highway". It's a website dedicated to the Blues and its rich history. There are sixty-two photographs as well, so you get an idea of the Delta landscape. (flat with cotton fields and trees) If you like the blues and history, this should be right up your alley. http://www.thebluehighway.com/tbh.html Great question, btw. Brought back some good memories, so thanks.

And let's not forget Billie Holiday who died at the age of 44, but have to agree with you on BB King - what a blues man. BB King and John Lee Hooker together - what an awesome pair.

im sure the above answer is much better than mine but to my knowlege guys like Muddy Waters, BB King, Louie Armstrong. the well knowns

Sun House. He taught Robert Johnson at the beginning of the 20th century.