Writing/Essay/Journal
Bluesman Alex “Crankshaft” Larson says that all American music has its roots in blues. Do some research on blues music and see if you agree.

Write about the history and the message of the music, and identify some important artists within the genre. How would you say Crankshaft fits into the genre, based on what you learned?

Activity
Listen to some other samples of blues music, then some samples of your favorite contemporary music. Write down any similarities between the two genres that you can find. Be prepared to discuss in class the similarities and differences of the two types of music.