Strange Fruit began life as a poem by a Jewish-American teacher, Abel Meeropol who wrote it as a protest song against the inhumane lynchings.

Robert Johnson sings of his need for a woman that will make everything okay again but there is very much the air of a desperate man here.

In Cross Roads Blues the narrator despairs at a crossroads, pleads to God for mercy, fails to hitch a ride & laments the absence of a woman.

This song from The Carter Family focuses on the final journey of the narrator’s mother as they follow the long road down to her funeral.

Sol Hoʻopiʻi is considered one of the greatest slack key guitarists. His blend of music began in Hawaii and soon became popular in the US.

In Mal Hombre (Bad Man) Mendoza sings of a serial womaniser whose charms she has fallen for but who ultimately has broken her heart.

Written by E.Y. “Yip” Harburg and composed by Jay Gorney, Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? was included in the 1932 musical, Americana.

I’ve found from research that Bessie Smith's Need a Little Sugar in My Bowl may be called Dirty Blues as it is full of euphemisms.

Minnie the Moocher demands audience participation, with Cab Calloway’s use of scat lyrics that sound like absurd mumblings.