By his teens he was supporting his powerful voice with intricate blues guitar work and harmonica embellishments, but his career would really take off when he moved to Chicago in the early ’40s.

As the musical form began to evolve, Delta blues artists often worked solo, accompanying themselves on guitar or harmonica. Bottleneck and slide guitar, a rough and rhythmic intensity, and raw ...

“But the blues, of course, is uplifting music ... and then Cephas and Mr. Wiggins set off on their own — following in the ...