Delta Rising Trailer (2009)

Trailer for the documentary Delta Rising.

Delta Rising is a fascinating film that documents the history of the blues, and more specifically, the birthplace of the blues, Clarksdale, Mississippi. The film not only delves deeply into the historical signposts of who, where and what came first, but more interestingly why in Clarksdale? The simple answer is this: the poor residents of the region in the 1920s and 1930s could generally earn more money playing the blues and making moonshine than picking cotton. If they couldn't, playing the blues in the club was more enjoyable than picking cotton in the sun all day long. With its abundance of blues clubs and blues museums, Clarksdale makes a legitimate claim for being the birthplace of the blues, a claim that is supported by the testimony of several blues heavyweights.