The pre-war era downhome classic, “I’ve Got Them Big River Blues,” (1933) is one of the first Delta crossover numbers that helped plant the blues firmly into country music. Written by the great harmonizing duo, The Delmore Brothers (Alton and Rabon) from northern Alabama, the song is themed after folk life in the Tennessee River Valley around the time of the Great Depression. The Great Flood of 1927 that affected the region may have provided inspiration for the song, which follows the Delmores’ penchant for nature and commonplace struggles of their region. The line, “I’m going back to Muscle Shoals / times are bad there I’m told,” references the Tennessee River community affected by the hydro-electric dam project that languished in the 1920’s. Another of their hits, “Brown’s Ferry Blues” (1933), referenced a ferry stop on the river where they sometimes performed. 

The Victor Bluebird label recording of “Big River Blues” in December 1933 typified the Delmores’ music at this time in their prolific career—sweet and bluesy with an intimate mood. They learned the blues from the black musicians who worked in the fields in the Tennessee Valley bottoms. Their trademark vocals emphasized clear diction and delicate harmonies, singing down-to-earth lyrics. Their guitar work also set them apart, combining syncopated flatpicking and four-string tenor solos. The Delmore Brothers’ country blues style featured on “Big River Blues” and hundreds of other songs they wrote not only put northern Alabama on the map for traditional crossover music, but their handiwork helped define American popular music decades later. 

The Maverick Stanzas’s version is a nod to traditional folk icon, Doc Watson, who reworked the Delmores’ number in 1964 as “Deep River Blues,” drawing on picking techniques he heard from early country musician Merle Travis. The song was a mainstay in Watson’s repertoire for over a half-century, featuring his flatpicking virtuosity that wowed folk audiences and helped to elevate the guitar from a time-keeping instrument to a commanding lead voice.