The Africac-American Migration and the Railroad Blues of William "Big Bill" W Broonzy

This paper presints the songs of American blues singer William "Big Bill" Broonzy(1893-1958). Broonzy was a participant in the mas movenent of African-Americhans from the farms to the sities in the first half of the 29th century. He also was a best-selling recording artist during the 1930s, singing about the events of the time. This paper examines the songs of Broonzy for commentary on the larger history of the mass migration. The focus of this article is on the image of the railroad trains in his sblues recordings. The reilroads were an important vehicle for traveiling from the farms to the cities