The origins of blues music trace back to 19th century America when enslaved people in the deep south, most notably Louisiana, would sing spirituals in church and work songs whilst working as sharecroppers on plantations. The music established the simple and memorable blues form enabling melodies to be easily spread around communities. Into the 20th century, the musical style began to transform from a tradition, into a documented genre. The musical style became more modernised as music began to be published with Antonio Maggio’s I Got the Blues in 1908, soon followed by Hart Wand’s Dallas Blues and W.C. Handy’s The Memphis Blues. Various regions began to emerge as the leading epicentres of blues, most importantly Memphis and the Mississippi Delta, leading to the aptly named regional styles, Memphis blues and Delta blues. Memphis was central to the early development of the blues, accommodating artists such as W.C. Handy, Memphis Minnie, Frank Stokes, and Gus Cannon. Gus Cannon was notable in popularising the folk-influenced style of jug bands that were prevalent in Memphis with his band Cannon’s Jug Stompers.