Dockery Farms: The Birthplace of the Blues

Dockery Farms, On Music 101

Is Dockery Farms in Mississippi the birthplace of the Blues? Music 101 delves into the deep and swampy history of Dockery Farms, examining how this literal backwater became a music hotbed. 

Through it all, music became a salvation at Dockery Farms, all during some of the very hardest times in our nation’s history. During the early 20th century, Dockery Farms was known as a fair and humane place to work. It had schools, general stores, a railroad, churches, and, maybe most importantly, a central location to Sunflower County’s African American population in the 1920s. And a population that wanted to be entertained. 

Imagine being in Sunflower County back then, seeing and hearing one Charley Patton perform a sound that had never been heard before. Music 101 features the music of Patton, who took the Blues to a new place, singing the raw emotions of his life.

The entire episode this week takes a kaleidoscopic look at the inspiring history of Dockery Farms, and all that it contributed to the Blues and beyond. This episode begins with field hollers, which one might hear outside as well.

The playlist can be heard below. It features some of our country’s most important musicians.