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Many songs have been written about roads and highways all around the world. Few highways are as universally recognized as Highway 49 and Highway 61. Those two US highways go from south to north through the Mississippi delta country, where cotton has been king for two hundred years.
The names associated with Mississippi delta blues are legendary, and far too many to list here.
Residents and officials in the State of Mississippi are keenly aware of their cultural heritage. The state has produced several short travelogues. Roamin’ and Ramblin’ is one of them. From the notes:
In the early to mid 1900s, blues musicians were known for not staying in any one place very long. From walking, to hopping a freight train, to hitchhiking, roamin' and ramblin' was a way of life as they tried to find new audiences to entertain. Their songs were often about the routes they took, such as "61 Highway" and "Highway 49 Blues." Trains were also an important topic of blues lyrics.
Howlin’ Wolf straddled the line between rock ‘n roll and the blues. He sings about Highway 49.
Son Thomas was one of the geniuses of the blues.
It simply does not get any better than Robert Johnson. After all, it is said that he sold his soul to the Devil at the crossroads near Clarksdale, Mississippi so he could play like this.