In recent years, CDs, concert tours, and even careers have been based on the notion that the blues has "roots" in Africa. Cultural Anthropologist Gerhard Kubik's has been recording music in Africa since 1959, and spent long periods in the American south in the 1980s and 90s. His book Africa and the Blues has gained recognition as the most serious and penetrating examination of the subject. This episode in our Hip Deep series delves into Kubik's recording archive and explores his key findings. More than anything, hearing the blues through Gerhard Kubik's ears increases our sense of wonder about one of the most mysterious, and least understood aspects of American popular music culture.

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