Author: Debra Devi

In this installment of Language of the Blues, author and rocker Debra Devi connects the gallinipper, a Southern mosquito, to its appearance in early Delta blues songs

In this installment of Language of the Blues, author and rocker Debra Devi considers foot track magic, where hoodoo belief and blues expression intersect in the Delta.

In this installment of Language of the Blues, author and rocker Debra Devi considers how “dig” traveled from Wolof speech into the language of blues understanding and appreciation.

In this installment of Language of the Blues, author and rocker Debra Devi explores the many faces of the devil in blues culture, from African trickster deities to the legends that inform its most enduring myths.

In this installment of Language of the Blues, author and rocker Debra Devi identifies the Mississippi Delta as the cradle of the blues, defined by labor, migration, and a shared musical culture.

In this installment of Language of the Blues, author and rocker Debra Devi considers the crossroads as a spiritual and cultural symbol, and how it became inseparable from the legend of Robert Johnson.

In this installment of Language of the Blues, author and rocker Debra Devi steps into the world of the cutting contest, drawing on pianist Dr. John’s memories of the late-night jam sessions and rivalries that pushed musicians to their limits.

In this installment of Language of the Blues, author and rocker Debra Devi contextualizes cross-note and Bentonia tuning within the evolution of country blues and Mississippi’s musical heritage.

In Cross-Spanish tuning, the guitar is tuned to E major (E B E G# B E). If you strum the guitar without fretting any notes, you will sound an E major chord. Cross-Spanish tuning is popular with slide players because simply by fretting straight across the neck with the slide, you can play major chords. Son House is credited with naming this tuning “cross-Spanish.” It was Duane Allman’s favorite slide-guitar tuning and is popular with great modern blues players like Derek Trucks. Many delta blues bottleneck players also used Spanish tuning, which is open G (D G D G B…

In this installment of Language of the Blues, author and rocker Debra Devi maps the cross from hoodoo ritual to the mystical crossroads of the blues.