Black Folk Belief, Hoodoo & The Blues: The Hidden Spiritual World of Blues People

Tony Kail, Memphis Hoodoo, and the Spiritual Traditions of the Black SouthWhat is Black American Folk Belief? And what does it have to do with the Blues?In this episode, cultural anthropologist and author Tony Kail, whose work documenting Memphis Hoodoo and the Beale Street Hoodoo History and Folklife Museum helps preserve the stories of African American healers, rootworkers, and spiritual practitioners whose traditions supported Black communities for generations, joins the podcast to discuss:• Black American Folk Belief as cultural knowledge• The connection between Blues music and spiritual traditions• Memphis Hoodoo and the cultural world of Beale Street• How land, environment, and Southern space shaped Black tradition• The role of rootworkers and healers in Black community survival• Why folklore documentation matters todayThis episode is part of the Jack Dappa Blues mission to document the intellectual traditions, cultural memory, and lived experiences of Blues People.Jack Dappa Blues is not just about music.It’s about the people, the land, the memory, and the knowledge that made the Blues possible.

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Black Folk Belief, Hoodoo & The Blues: The Hidden Spiritual World of Blues People is an episode from Jack Dappa Blues Podcast by Jack Dappa Blues.

This episode is 01:10:20 long.

This episode was published on Mar 15, 2026.

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