Reading “Segregating Sound”, there was one particular idea that stuck out at me. It was the thought about how folklore studies and the music industry helped create a “musical color line” that played along with the Jim Crow laws, separating white Americans from African Americans. I agree with this thought because I do believe white Americans were caught up in the defining line of race, that it overflowed into how music correlated with people. An example of this music defining line would be how blues came from African Americans, whereas country music came from white Americans. Its thoughts like these that really show how the Jim Crow laws affected people.

A figure that emerged out of this era was Lead Belly, who was a folks blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was born in Mooringsport, Louisiana and had a notoriously violent life. He committed a murder in 1918 but sang a song for the governor of Texas to get let out early. After trying to commit another murder in 1930, he was discovered by folklorists John Lomax and Alan Lomax. Learning about Lead Belly, I find it interesting that he was such a violet man, yet he played music very well and got out of prison multiple times. Honestly, I would call it luck that he was able to make music even though he ran into some issues, its quite interesting.