How do you modernize the Delta blues? What are the innovations that can keep the blues alive?  Explore these questions in Keb' Mo's "Perpetual Blues Machine."

What happens when you combine soul singing with blues artistry? How does a soul singer interpret the blues?  Explore these questions and the meaning of B. B. King and Gladys Knight's cover of "Please Send Me Someone to Love."

Why construct a violent persona who waits for a fight?  Why include sexual bravado?  What is Muddy Waters ready for in "I'm Ready"?

Why represent a woman as a spider?  What do spiders represent?  How does one break free from a web?  Explore these questions in Muddy Waters' "Mean Red Spider."

What happens when you try to drive the blues away with alcohol? Does drinking help things or make things worse? Explore these questions in Robert Johnson's "Malted Milk."

Explore the lyric expressions and slang of Big Bill Broonzy's "I Feel So Good."  Although it appears joyful, there is a touch of tension underneath the happiness.

Why does Lonnie Johnson get overlooked as a blues musician? What's different about his music? What is his social message? Explore these questions in "Don't Ever Love."

Why do a tribute album to Big Bill Broozy? How can songs evoke pain and sadness and still sound happy? Explore these and other issues in Billy Boy Arnold's version of "Sweet Honey Bee."

What's the relationship between women and cars? What does Tab Benoit have in common with Robert Johnson? Explore these questions in Benoit's "Too Many Drivers at the Wheel."

What characterizes Buddy Guy's sound? What do the blues symbolize in songs? Explore these and other questions in "First Time I Met the Blues."

How do people respond to abandonment?  Does gender matter in songs about abandonment?  Is someone's leaving always negative?  Explore these questions in Ma Rainey's "Memphis Bound Blues."

How do the blues tackle the issue of government relief? What happens when the government fails to help those in need? Explore these issues in Kirk Fletcher's "Welfare Blues."

What do the Chicago blues sound like today? How do you put a new twist on an old classic? Discuss these issues in The Cash Box Kings's performance of Muddy Waters's "Country Boy."

How are a mix of emotions conveyed, especially those around conditions in the North and South?  How do musical styles combine to represent a complicated history of migration and frustrated dreams and desires?  Explore these questions in Muddy Waters' "I Can't Be Satisfied."

What's new about the Chicago sound of Toronzo Cannon? What kind of a contract is he talking about? What does it have to do with the history of the blues? Explore these and other questions.

What draws men to young women? Why are these relationships frustrating? Are the blues full of misogyny?  Explore these questions in Muddy Waters's "She's Nineteen Years Old."